A shocking video shows three employees at a callous Tennessee dental clinic reading aloud a cancer patient’s personal diary and mocking his concerns about his treatment options.
The heartbreaking footage appears to have been filmed by another staff member at Premier Dental Group’s Knoxville location, who was cruelly giggling throughout the entire disrespectful act, which took place in the middle of the clinic’s office.
“Found a patient’s diary so it’s story time LOL,” the employee wrote in the video’s caption.
The video shows a woman in a black surgical gown leaning over a desk, leafing through a document about radiation treatments for cancer patients and reading aloud.
The camera then pans to another bully sitting cross-legged on the office floor, leaning forward as he listens intently to the patient’s concerns that “there is no other treatment.”
A male employee was also in the room but appeared to choose to scroll through his phone rather than intervene, the video shows.
The horrifying footage quickly went viral on social media, sparking outrage from people who condemned the act as a major invasion of privacy.
Premier Dental Group in Knoxville apologized Monday, acknowledging that “some of our employees created and shared inappropriate videos that addressed individuals’ medical conditions in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner.”
“We deeply regret this incident and the hurt it has caused,” the clinic wrote in a since-deleted statement on Facebook.
A PDG spokesperson confirmed to The Washington Post that the female employee involved in the incident was “terminated with immediate effect,” and an investigation found that the male employee was not involved and kept his job.
“We are committed to maintaining a respectful and professional environment for everyone and will continue to take the necessary steps to maintain these standards,” the clinic said.
This awkward incident isn’t the first drama for PDG of Knoxville.
The clinic settled a lawsuit last year after prosecutors accused it of defrauding the Tennessee Medicaid system and potentially putting patients at risk. According to KVUE.
The lawsuit alleges that the practice employed unlicensed dental hygienists, over-coded procedures that were not actually needed or performed, and treated patients like “cattle” to maximize profits.
Premier Dental Group of Knoxville agreed to pay about $1 million to settle the lawsuit.
