Update: Surgeon leaving Sandusky

SANDUSKY — The Firelands neurosurgeon named in a lawsuit and facing allegations of botched surgery is "winding down" his practice in Sandusky, according to Firelands administrators. Dr. Daniel Elskens, a surgeon with the Firelands Physician Group, is departing from Firelands within the next month and returning to his home state of Michigan, according to Robert Moore, executive vice president and general counsel at Firelands Health. That announcement comes after a class-action lawsuit levying claims of medical fraud was filed in Washington state, naming Elskens and another surgeon, Dr. Jason Dreyer, as defendants; The suit covered work done by the two surgeons at a hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. Moore said that Elskens had intentions to move to Michigan, which he said was for family-related reasons, before the lawsuit was filed in May. Washington state lawsuit One allegation made in the civil suit involved alleged damage to a woman's vocal cords as a result of surgery in the Providence St. Mary hospital in Walla Walla, Washington. The lawsuit against the two surgeons was filed just after the conclusion of a federal investigation into the neurosurgery department that hired Elskens and separate civil case. Federal investigators looked into allegations that the hospital was giving surgeons financial incentives to perform a high volume of complex surgeries, allegedly as a means to maximize profits. The hospital was ultimately forced to pay $22 million dollars when the case was settled. Elskens joined Firelands neurosurgery department in 2018, just after his resignation from Providence St. Mary. He has been out of the office recently involving a family matter and will fully transition out of his current job within 30 days, Moore said. Moore said Elskens' exit started prior to the filing of the Washington state lawsuit. According to Moore, there are no pending medical malpractice complaints filed against Elskens locally and the doctor remains in good standing with Firelands. Moore indicated that Firelands administration didn't know about the Washington lawsuit when Elskens was being recruited. "There were no concerns when Dr. Elskens became employed at Firelands and when he joined Firelands medical staff. Firelands' administrative team was unaware of the legal issues in Washington until it was brought to our attention in April," Moore said. "Upon review of those issues and discussions with Dr. Elskens, Firelands' administration did not have concerns regarding his performance to provide neurosurgery services at Firelands." It's unknown if Elskens continue to practice medicine in Michigan.