Rao

BACKGROUND

Washington Hospital is located in Fremont. The hospital is governed by a Board of Directors (Board) and has a medical staff responsible for the quality of the medical care rendered to patients in the hospital. Appellant is a surgeon who was on the medical staff of Washington Hospital until revocation of his staff membership and hospital privileges in 2010. The peer review process involving appellant began in 2002. That year, Washington Hospital‟s Department of Anesthesia forwarded concerns to the Department of Surgery regarding appellant‟s competence. This resulted in an investigation, and over the next four years several investigations were conducted by a committee within the hospital and by independent investigative bodies. The reviews raised concerns about appellant‟s medical competence and behavior. On September 25, 2006, Washington Hospital‟s Medical Executive Committee (MEC), the governing body of the medical staff, notified appellant that it proposed corrective action be taken against him. The MEC informed appellant his behavior was deemed to be “unprofessional, extremely disruptive of medical staff and hospital operations, and it can adversely impact the…