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WEBVTT ACCORDING TO A CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL SURGEON, ALL OF THE GENERAL SURGEONS HAVE QUIT. TWO OF THEM, FILING A LAWSUIT FRIDAY AGAINST THE MEDICAL CENTER, ITS CEO, DR. RICHARD AZIZKHAN, AND ANOTHER DOCTOR BY THE NAME OF ADAM CONLEY. >> THIS IS UNPRECEDENTED, I MEAN, WHAT IT TELLS ME IS THERE’S A DEEP INFECTION AT CHILDREN’S AND IT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED OUT. CAMILA: TOM WHITE, WHO REPRESENTS THE TWO SURGEONS WHO FILED SUIT, SAYS HIS CLIENTS, DR. JASON MILLER AND DR. MARK PUCCIONI, ALLEGE THE HOSPITAL FORCED THEM TO RESIGN BECAUSE THEY RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT CONLEY’S ABILITY TO OPERATE ON PATIENTS. THIS WAS AFTER THEY SAY A SEVEN-MONTH-OLD DIED ON CONLEY’S OPERATING TABLE LAST YEAR. ACCORDING TO THE SUIT, PUCCIONI WAS HORRIFIED BY THE DEATH, WHICH HE REASONABLY BELIEVED WAS CAUSED BY THE INCOMPETENCE OF DOCTOR CONLEY. BOTH HIM AND MILLER PASSED ALONG THEIR CONCERNS TO ADMINISTRATION. >> TWO DAYS LATER, THEY WERE SUSPENDED FROM CHILDREN’S. DR. CONLEY KEPT OPERATING. CAMILA: WHITE BELIEVES, AND THE SUIT CLAIMS, THAT THE HOSPITAL THEN TRIED TO DRIVE AWAY THE DOCTORS’ PATIENTS . CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL RESPONDED WITH A STATEMENT FRIDAY, SAYING IT STRONGLY DISAGREES WITH THE ALLEGATIONS, AND "STANDS BEHIND OUR EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP, MEDICAL TEAM AND PROCESSES, AND ARE CONFIDENT THESE CLAIMS AGAINST OUR HOSPITAL, DR. AZIZKHAN, AND DR. CONLEY WILL BE PROVEN TO BE WITHOUT MERIT." I SPOKE TO A WOMAN WHOSE SON WAS SCHEDULED FOR SURGERY WITH DR. CONLEY THIS AFTERNOON. THEY DID NOT GO THROUGH THE PROCEDURE AFTER SEEING NEWS OF THE LAWSUIT. CONLEY IS TELLING HER HE THOUGHT IT’D BE BEST FOR EVERYONE IF THEY WAI

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Doctors Jason Miller and Mark Puccioni have filed a lawsuit against Omaha's Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, its CEO Dr. Richard Azizkhan and neurosurgeon Dr. Adam Conley, alleging they were targeted for suggesting Conley was an incompetent surgeon. Children's Hospital issued a statement Friday to strongly disagree with the allegations.According to the lawsuit, as Puccioni became "increasingly concerned" about Conley's skill and ability to properly practice pediatric neurosurgery, Puccioni alleges he faced retaliation, including drug tests and a psychological evaluation.The lawsuit alleges Conley started unsubstantiated rumors of drug use by Puccioni. "Dr. Conley and others started spreading a rumor that Dr. Puccioni was addicted to cocaine," Puccioni's attorney Tom White said.Puccioni passed all drug tests.The lawsuit further alleges a 7-month old child died during an operation when Conley lost control of bleeding from his incisions on the baby. "Dr. Puccioni, who in seventeen years of pediatric neurosurgery never lost a patient on the operating table, was horrified by the death of the child which he reasonably believed was caused by the incompetence of (Dr. Conley)", the lawsuit alleges.Children's Hospital said Friday it was saddened by how the plaintiffs used the family's tragic loss in the litigation.The suit says Doctors Puccioni and Miller wrote letters to Children's Hospital administrators suggesting Conley was unfit to operate at the institution, and days later, both doctors had their privileges suspended at the hospital."You wanted to protect patients, you wanted to elevate the quality of care provided to the citizens of this area, and then you have your practice attacked," White said.A peer review led to a unanimous 17-0 vote to reinstate Miller's privileges, but the lawsuit alleges Azizkhan refused, and threatened to report Miller to the State of Nebraska."Under this intentional and wrongful threat, Dr. Miller was forced to resign his privileges", says the lawsuit.The suit also alleges Children's Hospital engaged in deceptive practices to drive-away Miller's patients , and that Doctors Azizkhan and Conley intentionally tried to destroy the reputations of Doctors Miller and Puccioni, including misleading patients into thinking the doctors had retired or moved away.The doctors filing suit also allege Children's Hospital seeks to "own and control" the practices of physicians who provide services in the hospital, to provide a more profitable and predictable stream of revenue for the institution.Here is Children's Hospital and Medical Center statement released late Friday afternoon:Children’s Hospital & Medical Center does not comment on pending litigation other than to say we strongly disagree with these allegations. We stand behind our executive leadership, medical team and our processes, and are confident that these claims against our hospital, Dr. Azizkhan and Dr. Conley will be proven to be without merit.We are also saddened by the manner in which this family’s tragic loss has been utilized by the plaintiffs in this litigation. We have spoken with the family to express our shock with the way this extremely personal and painful situation has been publicized.