Aurora Health Care settles HIV discrimination suits for $60,000

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday that it has settled claims that Aurora Health Care discriminated against two patients with HIV.

Aurora must pay $30,000 to one of the patients and $15,000 to the second patient, as well as a $15,000 civil penalty to the federal government.

Two patients alleged that doctors working for the provider refused to complete procedures out of concerns with HIV transmission.

One said an orthopedic surgeon refused to conduct a hip-replacement surgery in August 2015, citing a risk of blood-borne HIV transmission. The other patient alleged that an urologist chose not to remove his catheter in January 2016 because he was concerned there may be blood in the patient's urine.

Per the settlement, the company has also reviewed and revised its policies on non-discrimination and infectious disease.

Aurora will also provide employees with additional training on the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits health care providers from discriminating against people with disabilities.

The company maintains the claims were "an isolated incident," according to Aurora spokeswoman Tami Kou.

"We believe that patient discrimination of any kind is intolerable," Kou said in a statement Saturday afternoon. "We are deeply saddened by these patients’ experiences, and we sincerely apologize to them for any hurt we have caused."