Patients who had spine surgery performed by Dr. Jason Dreyer under general anesthesia at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital or MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane County between July 23, 2019 and March 10, 2021 may qualify to claim $2,000, or a larger reviewed payment of up to $750,000 for severe harm, from the $55.5 million MultiCare spine surgery class action settlement. Claims close January 4, 2027.
Current Status
Claims are open. Claim forms must be submitted online by January 4, 2027. The final approval hearing is set for February 2, 2027, and payments will not be made unless the court approves the settlement and it becomes final. No payment date had been announced as of November 14, 2026.Free settlement alerts
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What Changed Recently?
Notices began going out to class members on November 4, 2026, and the online claim form opened on the official settlement website. MultiCare Health System, Inc., Dr. Jason A. Dreyer and Laura Dreyer agreed to pay $55.5 million to resolve a class action in Spokane County Superior Court brought on behalf of patients Dr. Dreyer operated on while he was a MultiCare neurosurgeon.The plaintiffs allege MultiCare paid Dr. Dreyer through an uncapped compensation program that encouraged unnecessary or improper spine surgeries, and that this, together with the defendants’ actions, produced a pattern of medically unnecessary or improper surgeries performed under general anesthesia at the Deaconess and Valley hospitals. They brought claims for medical negligence, corporate negligence, unlawful profiteering, Consumer Protection Act violations and related common-law claims. The defendants deny the allegations and any liability, the court has not found that they did anything wrong, and the settlement is not an admission of liability.
Who Qualifies?
The class includes everyone whose medical records confirm that Dr. Jason Dreyer performed one or more spine surgeries on them under general anesthesia at MultiCare Deaconess Hospital or MultiCare Valley Hospital in Spokane County between July 23, 2019 and March 10, 2021. Spine surgeries are surgical procedures to treat conditions of the spinal column, performed in an operating room under general anesthesia. According to the notice, records show about 475 such patients.An authorized representative can file for a class member who is incapacitated or for a deceased class member’s estate. MultiCare’s officers and directors, the judge and court staff, and anyone who opts out are excluded.
How Much Can You Get?
The $55.5 million fund pays class members, settlement administration including the expert review panel, service awards and attorneys’ fees. Claimants choose among three tiers, and moving up a tier costs the payment from the tier below:- Tier 1: a flat $2,000 per class member, with no documentation from the claimant.
- Tier 2: for claimants who contend their surgery was unnecessary or negligently performed. A member of a panel of neurosurgery spine experts reviews the claimant’s MultiCare records and imaging. The review is paid for with the $2,000 Tier 1 payment, which the claimant gives up. Everyone who qualifies receives an equal share of the money set aside for Tier 2; the amount has not been announced. A denial can be appealed to the settlement administrator.
- Tier 3: for claimants who qualify for Tier 2 and contend they suffered extreme and egregious harm, such as revision or repeat surgeries, paralysis, permanent disability, severe and unmanageable chronic pain, or clinically documented severe and permanent emotional trauma. Payments are an equal share of the Tier 3 allocation, up to $750,000 per person, on top of the Tier 2 payment. The review is estimated to cost $5,000 to $10,000, paid from the Tier 2 payment, and pre-existing conditions will be closely scrutinized.
Tier 2 and Tier 3 payments can rise or fall pro rata depending on the total of valid claims. A deceased class member’s estate is eligible for Tier 1 or Tier 2 only. Payments may be subject to liens and reimbursement claims, including from Medicare, Medicaid and health insurers that paid for related care, and the administrator will not pay a claim until any such lien is resolved.
Class counsel will ask for attorneys’ fees of up to one-third of the fund plus expenses, and service awards of $25,000 for each class representative, all subject to court approval. The fee motion is due by December 14, 2026 and will be posted on the settlement website.
What Proof or Notice ID Is Required?
The claim form is online only, and its login page requires the Unique ID and PIN printed on the first page of the notice. Someone without them is directed to contact the settlement administrator through the official website to get them. The claim form also requires the claimant’s Social Security number, which the notice says the IRS requires the administrator to collect before paying, because MultiCare cannot share it under health privacy laws.Tier 1 and Tier 2 claims need no documents from the claimant; Tier 2 relies on MultiCare’s own records. Tier 3 claimants must supply their non-MultiCare medical records and imaging.
What Is the Deadline?
Claim forms must be submitted online by January 4, 2027. The notice does not name a time zone. Requests to opt out must be mailed and postmarked by January 4, 2027, and objections must be filed with the court by the same date.How Do You Take Action?
Claims are filed on the official MultiCare spine settlement claim form, after logging in with the notice’s Unique ID and PIN. Payment is by check unless the claimant chooses Zelle, PayPal, ACH or Venmo and provides the account details.Class members who do nothing receive no payment and give up their claims against the released parties. The notice says class members with questions about the release may contact class counsel free of charge, or a lawyer of their own at their own expense.
What Happens Next?
Judge Julie M. McKay will hold the final approval hearing on February 2, 2027 at 8:30 a.m. at the Spokane County Superior Court; the date and format can change, and the settlement website will post any change. Payments come after the settlement is approved and becomes final and after tier determinations, including appeals, are complete.Sources and Verification
- Official MultiCare spine settlement website and its FAQs
- Court-approved notice
- Settlement documents, including the settlement agreement and plan of allocation
- Online claim form login
Questions
What does a patient give up by asking for Tier 2 review?
The $2,000 Tier 1 payment. A Tier 2 claim sends the patient’s MultiCare records and imaging to a panel of neurosurgery spine experts, and the cost of that review is paid with the Tier 1 payment, so a Tier 2 claimant automatically gives up the $2,000. Tier 2 pays an equal share of the money set aside for that tier to everyone who qualifies, and the per-person amount has not been announced.
What counts as extreme and egregious harm for Tier 3?
The notice lists multiple surgeries or surgeries to revise and correct a qualifying Dreyer surgery, paralysis, permanent disability such as loss of limb function, severe and unmanageable chronic pain, and clinically documented severe and permanent emotional trauma caused by the surgery. A claimant must qualify for Tier 2 first and must supply non-MultiCare medical records and imaging. Review is estimated to cost $5,000 to $10,000, paid from the Tier 2 payment.
Can a family member file for a patient who has died?
An authorized representative of a deceased class member’s estate, or of a class member who is incapacitated, can submit a claim. A deceased class member’s estate is eligible for Tier 1 or Tier 2 only, not Tier 3.
Can Medicare or an insurer take part of the payment?
The notice says payments may be subject to liens and reimbursement claims, including by Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and private health insurers that paid for related care, and that the administrator will not pay a claim until any such lien is resolved.
What did the lawsuit claim?
The plaintiffs allege that MultiCare paid Dr. Jason Dreyer under an uncapped compensation program that encouraged unnecessary or improper spine surgeries, and that this led to a pattern of medically unnecessary or improper surgeries at the Deaconess and Valley hospitals. The defendants deny the allegations and any liability, and the court has not found that they did anything wrong.
