John J Austin, MD, et al v. Mercy Health System

John J Austin, MD, et al v. Mercy Health System

A lawsuit in which a hospital, Mercy Health System, was charged with bypassing medical staff procedure by creating its own privilege and credentialling criteria for doctors working in their critical care unit. The appellate court ruled that the hospital must follow medical staff bylaws in setting credentialing criteria and granting clinical privileges; the impact of Austin is that it offers defence against economic credentialing by hospitals.