Children’s Mercy fires bioethics leader over ‘inappropriate’ relationship with colleague
Children’s Mercy Kansas City has fired the head of its Bioethics Center over a relationship he had with a subordinate, the hospital said in a statement Thursday.
The hospital hired independent, outside counsel to investigate after it became aware in late January of “an inappropriate relationship” between Dr. John Lantos and a former Children’s Mercy employee while he supervised the employee, the hospital said.
The investigation found that Lantos “failed to maintain professional boundaries and used his position in seeking to influence actions and decisions by Children’s Mercy and third parties without disclosure of the relationship,” the hospital’s statement said.
That was an “unacceptable breach” of hospital policies, values and standards of behavior, hospital officials decided.
“This was a clear decision made in the best interest of the Bioethics Center and our mission,” the hospital said.
Lantos’ conduct did not affect patients or their care, the investigation determined. The hospital said it will assess the center itself with bioethicists not affiliated with Children’s Mercy.
Dr. Brian Carter, who has been at Children’s Mercy since 2012, has been named interim director. A national search will be conducted to find a permanent replacement.
The center is one of only a handful of pediatric bioethics programs in the United States. It works with doctors and families to identify and resolve ethical dilemmas that come up in treating children.
It also teaches ethics — offering a first-of-its kind pediatric bioethics certificate program — and hosts podcasts, webinars and workshops about pediatric bioethics.
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