I-Team: Despite malpractice lawsuits, Gainesville hospital stands behind star surgeon

By Randy Travis Published March 24, 2022 GAINESVILLE, Ga. - A growing list of patients claim a Gainesville doctor only exacerbated their pain. Green is one of the few north Georgia surgeons in his field who specialize in robotic or laparoscopic surgery, the practice of using a computer to guide a camera and surgical instruments through small incisions near the naval. The hospital said Green "frequently operates on advanced cancer patients who are at increased risk for complications." Despite two pending medical malpractice lawsuits, two others settled, and a fifth lawsuit lost in court, Northeast Georgia Medical Center is still standing behind Dr. Andrew Green. Last year, a Hall County jury ruled Green committed medical malpractice in a case where his patient later died. He and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center were ordered to pay a total of $3 million. On Thursday, the Georgia Court of Appeals threw out the jury's decision, agreeing with the defense that the patient's estranged husband – rather than her mother and children – should have filed the lawsuit. But two more lawsuits are currently working their way through the court system. Meanwhile, two others have already been settled and resulted in payments to patients totaling more than $2 million. In those cases Green again denied any wrongdoing.