January 5, 2018
The university has issued the statement below regarding this story from USA Today.
Jan. 5, 2018, Statement from Dr. Andrew Thomas, Chief Clinical Officer of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
USA Today outlined serious allegations against Dr. Ryan Williams while he was employed at the Cleveland Clinic. He has been employed at Ohio State since Aug. 1, 2017. These disturbing allegations were unknown to Ohio State at the time of his hiring.
The university takes these allegations of past misconduct seriously, and Dr. Williams was placed on administrative leave in December. We are actively investigating to ensure that patient safety at Ohio State was never compromised.
When hiring a physician, we adhere strictly to the background check requirements and policies of The Joint Commission and the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Background checks include information from the State Medical Board of Ohio, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the National Practitioner Data Bank and the previous employer and peers.
Our preliminary review indicates that these processes were followed appropriately in the hiring of Dr. Williams. We continue to review our processes to ensure they meet the highest standards.