Doctors investigated for playing ‘Price Is Right’ game with patients’ organs on Instagram

‘We were shocked and dismayed when we learned that surgical images were posted on an Instagram,’ says Spectrum Health

A hospital network in Michigan has opened an investigation after an Instagram account was discovered that showed several doctors holding the organs of multiple patients as part of a game they likened to The Price Is Right.

Multiple photos of the doctors were published to an Instagram account, asking people to guess the weight of organs, with at least one image showing a patient in surgery in the background of the shot.

The account described itself as being run by 35 obstetrics and gynaecology residents at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, according to WOOD-TV. The account was not affiliated to Spectrum Health.

One of the posts showed a doctor holding up an unidentified organ that was removed during an operation for cancer, while another featured a doctor posing with a fibrous tissue as a patient lay unconscious on the operating table behind them.

Captions of the pictures revealed that the organs were part of a game, with one post stating: “The other game we play in the OR is guess that weight. It applies to much more than just babies. As always, ‘Price is Right’ rules apply so if you go over then you’re out!”

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The doctors were referencing a rule In the long-running gameshow, The Price Is Right, where contestants who guess higher than the value of an item are disqualified.

Following at least one complaint about the Instagram posts, Spectrum Health launched an investigation into the health professionals.

“We were disappointed to learn that surgical images were posted on an Instagram account used by a group of residents and are taking steps to resolve this issue,” Spectrum Health said in a statement to WOOD-TV on Sunday.

Spectrum Health, which runs more than a dozen hospitals, added that “the Instagram account has been closed and a full investigation is underway.”

WOOD-TV said that it messaged the Instagram account before it reported on the posts on Friday, but confirmed that the page was taken down shortly after it was contacted.

In a follow-up statement on Sunday, Spectrum Health wrote: “We were shocked and dismayed when we learned that surgical images were posted on an Instagram account not officially connected to Spectrum Health that was used by a group of medical residents.

“This unacceptable behaviour does not in any way reflect our organisation, the outstanding professionalism of our medical staff or our resident physicians-in-training.”

The hospital network added: “These posts do not follow our code of excellence, our values or our expectations for team member behaviour. We deeply value the trust that our patients have in us, and we work to strengthen this bond every day.”