Becker's Hospital Review

66 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Safety issues spur Pennsylvania hospital to create new exec position By Mackenzie Bean L ancaster (Pa.) General Hospital creat- ed a new executive position to oversee clinical operations aer a patient le the hospital wearing staff scrubs and was found wandering across town in fall 2018, accord- ing to LancasterOnline. e patient, who has cognitive impairments, le the hospital the night of Oct. 12, 2018, without staff members' knowledge. e indi- vidual was found about a mile away at UPMC Pinnacle Lancaster and safely returned to the hospital, Lancaster General spokesperson John Lines told LancasterOnline. e Pennsylvania Department of Health cited the hospital over the safety event Feb. 15, which marked Lancaster General's third citation in one year. e hospital was first cited in February 2018 for failing to admin- ister hundreds of respiratory treatments to patients due to staff and medication shortag- es. It received a second citation in November 2018 for failing to adequately investigate and report abuse allegations. e health depart- ment accepted the hospital's plan of correc- tion in both circumstances. As part of its correction plan for the third citation, Lancaster General created the po- sition of chief operating and integration of- ficer to oversee all clinical operations at the hospital, reports PennLive. Lancaster General is currently conducting a national search to fill this position. e hospital has also imple- mented other policies and precautions under the health department's guidance to prevent other patients from wandering off. "We deeply regret that our patient care fell short of the standards for excellence our staff fulfill each day," Jan Bergen, president and CEO of Lancaster General Health, said in an April 1 statement to LancasterOn- line. "We fully accept the Department of Health's findings and, with its guidance, developed a corrective action plan that in- cludes educational and procedural policies into our daily operations." n Cardiologist's exit forces Indiana hospital to suspend heart transplant program By Mackenzie Bean F ort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Hospital suspended its heart transplant program in April due to a cardiologist shortage, re- ported WANE 15 News. The program closed April 1 after the hospital's only transplant cardiologist moved out of state. "Lutheran Hospital had recruited a re- placement for her role but those plans fell through, leaving the program without an ad- vanced heart failure cardiologist to care for and monitor patients," Geoff Thomas, the hospital's public relations supervisor, said in a statement to WANE 15 News. Lutheran Hospital had four patients on its transplant waiting list before closing the pro- gram. The hospital transfered all transplant patients to St. Vincent Hospital's program in Indianapolis or another program of the pa- tient's choice, Mr. Thomas said. Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Health Network, Lutheran Hospital's parent company, is working to fill the transplant cardiologist position. n How noncompete clauses can sever patient-provider relationships By Mackenzie Bean N oncompete clauses, which are becoming more common in healthcare, can often drive a wedge between providers and their patients, reported The New York Times. Four things to know: 1. Noncompete clauses seek to prevent departing physicians from taking patients with them to a new or competing practice. A 2018 survey of 1,967 primary care physicians across five states found about 45 percent of respondents had noncompete clauses in their contracts. 2. For patients, physicians who leave their practices under a noncom- pete clause "seem to simply disappear," according to NYT. The phy- sicians' former practices often refuse to tell patients where their phy- sicians went. Sometimes, patients who track down their physician's new practice may not be admitted because of terms outlined in the noncompete clause. 3. Many physicians claim such clauses disrupt continuity of care, which can be crucial for patients with consistent medical issues. "To the extent that these agreements disrupt continuity of care and disrupt patient choice, this is of great concern to the [American Med- ical Association]," Patrice Harris, MD, president-elect of the AMA, told NYT. 4. NYT cited a Trump administration report that recommends states assess how noncompete clauses affect patients' access to care. Some states, like Massachusetts and Colorado, permit noncompete clauses in employment contracts, but don't typically enforce them against physicians. In Texas, noncompete agreements must allow physicians access to a list of their former patients and their medical records. n

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