Patient Sues Ascension St. Thomas for $150M Over Pharmacy Error
A 78-year-old patient, Linda Gilbert, has sued Nashville-based Ascension St. Thomas Midtown for $150 million after an August pharmacy error left her paraplegic, according to a Nov. 9 WTVF report. The suit alleges a pharmacy technician mixed up potassium phosphate with an anesthetic during joint replacement surgery, one of four patients affected that day, and that staff proceeded with surgery despite her reported leg pain rather than investigating. The complaint cites state regulators' findings of look-alike drug storage and staff ability to override barcode scanning, and challenges Tennessee's damages cap as unconstitutional. The Tennessee Health Facilities Commission had cited the hospital for immediate jeopardy, CMS lifted that designation after a revisit but the risk of Medicare funding termination remains through June 2027, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has opened an inquiry with no charges filed.