How a Major Public Hospital Is Protecting Doctors by Silencing the Patients Who Accuse Them

June 17, 2024

(NBC News) – The University of Washington and other public hospitals routinely settle medical malpractice cases with NDAs. Some legal experts say that needs to stop.

Nondisclosure agreements can keep sensitive details out of the public eye, but they have come under attack in recent years for shielding bad actors and allowing misconduct to persist. Critics say they allow prominent people to keep sexual assault allegations under wraps, for instance, and businesses to silence would-be whistleblowers. But there’s been little focus on the persistent use of NDAs to conceal allegations of wrongdoing at taxpayer-funded institutions, including public hospitals.

While using confidentiality to hide allegations of malpractice is widespread, lawyers and scholars particularly question the use of NDAs at public hospitals, since they receive tax dollars and are subject to transparency laws. (Read More)