Judge issues injunction against Honolulu hospital

Associated Press

HONOLULU — A federal judge has issued an injunction against Hawaii’s largest private hospital, allowing a radiation oncology group to continue performing certain cancer treatments there.

Pacific Radiation Oncology filed a lawsuit against the Queen’s Medical Center after the group was told they could no longer have privileges at the hospital if they didn’t become employees of Queen’s.

The lawsuit argued that Queen’s made that decision after Hawaii Medical Center closed two hospitals, leaving Queen’s as the only facility on Oahu to provide certain types of radiation oncology services that required an adjacent hospital or special equipment.

“This was a power play by Queen’s when they realized, after the closing of HMC, that they were the only shop in town,” said Dr. John Lederer, partner and manager of the group. The hospital “would have had a complete monopoly on the radiation services and benefited by the unfortunate closing of Hawaii Medical Centers,” he said.

U.S. District Court Judge Leslie Kobayashi issued a 58-page order Tuesday to halt Queen’s from denying access to radiation oncology services to cancer patients who are being treated by Lederer, allowing him to perform certain procedures available only at Queen’s.

Hospital officials didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The group’s attorney, Mark Davis, said the injunction prevents certain cancer patients from having to seek treatment on the mainland or find other doctors.

Kobayashi’s order also said there’s a likelihood of success in establishing an antitrust violation.

“Further Dr. Lederer has presented evidence that, under the circumstances, Queen’s decision to adopt the closed-department model was unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious because it was part of an attempt to eliminate all competition in the radiation field in Hawaii,” the order said.