TAYLOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — A former Corewell Health physician is blowing the whistle, accusing one of their clinics in Taylor of overprescribing opioids and religious-based discrimination.
The bombshell lawsuit filed on March 24th claims the healthcare group violated civil rights, the Whistleblower Protection Act, and wrongful discharge.
7 Action News reporter Faraz Javed spoke with the doctor.
A son of Palestinian immigrants, Dr. Samer Ilayan, can never forget the pride his parents felt when he started his family medicine residency in 2019.
"It's true, it takes a village to kind of raise someone to have that type of success, and I can't thank them enough for what they've done," said Dr. Ilayan.
After working on the frontlines during the pandemic, the 32-year-old was hired as an attending physician at the Beaumont Athens Clinic in Taylor in July of last year. But quickly, things turned for the worse.
"My family worked so hard as immigrants coming to America for a better life, and for me to go through all that hard work that was just taken away, it really crushed me," said Dr. Ilayan.
An 18-page lawsuit tells the story.
A practicing Muslim, Dr. Ilayan asked for a five minute break for daily prayers and time to attend weekly Friday prayers, but his requests were denied. Dr. Ilayan attempted to perform daily prayers in the clinic's parking lot, and for Friday prayers, he had to submit a PTO request every week.
"The doctors that were there said this is the type of culture we have here," said Dr. Ilayan.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ilayan claims he saw another alarming trend at the clinic. Opioids were being overprescribed.
"There were times where the doctors would be gone on vacation, they would just ask for your signature to refill the prescription, without even acknowledging that you met the patient that time. And when we said no, they said this is a group practice we have to cover each other, and if we don't do this, it would lead to a serious problem with professionalism," said Dr. Ilayan.
After complaining to his supervisor, Dr. Ilayan filed a complaint with the State of Michigan. Soon after, he was put on a performance improvement plan and then fired. The termination letter doesn't give a reason why.
"As I was the only one there making the noise, they felt they could put the blame on and make an example of me," said Dr. Ilayan.
"Did you see this coming?" asked Faraz Javed, 7 Action News reporter.
"Yes, 100%. They started acting differently to me. 'Your culture is different here, the way you are acting is different than what we are used to.' They began making allegations against my professionalism and patient care," said Dr. Ilayan.
"The community continues to suffer from the opioid crisis, and knowing that due to the clinic's policy, I may have played a role in causing the problem, it hurts me really bad," said Dr. Ilayan.
7 Action News reporter Faraz Javed requested Corewell Health for an on-camera interview, but three days later, they only issued this statement:
"The allegations in Dr. Ilayan's lawsuit are false. During Dr. Ilayan's employment, he requested and received religious accommodation for time in his schedule dedicated to prayer. We are committed to providing reasonable workplace accommodations whenever possible for religious beliefs and practices.
We recognize the need and are committed to addressing the opioid crisis. We have policies and procedures in place to support our providers when managing patients with pain based on specific patient needs. We routinely educate patients and community members about the risks of opioids."
Corewell Health did not comment on Dr. Ilayan's termination. But attorney Jon Marko says all the evidence shows Dr. Ilayan followed procedures.
"All he wanted to do was to keep his faith and to be able to be a doctor and help patients, and those patients were safe," said Jon Marko, attorney with Marko Law.
A recent study by the Medical College of Wisconsin shows that between 2013 and 2021, discrimination against Muslim clinicians doubled. One of the study's researchers, Dr. Aasim Padela, says instances of Muslim physicians not being allowed to pray, grow a beard or wear a hijab, among other things, are sadly common.
"Does it shock that in this day and age, Muslim doctors still experience biases?" asked Javed.
"It's upsetting to say the least, but to continue to be in the crosshairs, to feel that you can't be your authentic self at the workplace, is a problem. This also leads to a high level of stress, depression, and burnout. So it's a larger problem for the healthcare system. We should be tackling it," said Dr. Aasim Padela, professor of emergency medicine, bioethics and medical humanities at the Medical College of Wisconsin.
Dr. Padela says 5% of doctors in the country are Muslims, but in Michigan, it's over 15%.
"There is a lot of good that can come out of this case, that goes beyond this particular doctor. It can beyond to make changes in other workplaces, other employers, other Americans, Arabs, and Muslims," said Marko
Dr. Ilayan's lawsuit is active in Wayne County.
