Becker's Hospital Review

52 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Mount Carmel renewed credentials of suspended physician amid patient deaths investigation By Mackenzie Bean C olumbus, Ohio-based Mount Carmel Health System renewed the credentials of William, Husel, DO, shortly aer remov- ing him from care duties amid a patient deaths investigation, reported CBS affiliate WBNS 10 TV. e investigation focused on the deaths of 34 in- tensive care patients who allegedly received ex- cessive painkiller doses from Dr. Husel between 2015 and 2018. e health system removed Dr. Husel from patient care in November 2018 aer receiving several for- mal reports about his actions. However, Mount Carmel reappointed Dr. Husel to the hospital's active medical staff less than a week aer his sus- pension. e health system fired him in December. Mount Carmel shared the following statement on the recredentialing with WBNS 10 TV: "Mount Carmel removed Dr. William Husel from all patient care on November 21, 2018. … Al- though he was recredentialed during this time as part of our standard medical staff credentialing process, it is important to know that Mount Carm- el did not allow Dr. Husel to care for patients aer Nov. 21, 2018." n Death of Louisiana nurse attacked by patient ruled a homicide By Mackenzie Bean P olice investigated the death of a Louisiana nurse as a homicide after a coroner concluded she suffered fatal injuries from a patient attack, reported The Advocate. Fifty-six-year-old Lynne Truxillo died April 11, about a week after a mental health patient attacked her at Baton Rouge (La.) General Medical Center's Mid City campus. Preliminary autopsy results released April 15 showed Ms. Truxillo died from a blood clot in her leg and a pulmonary embolism. East Baton Rouge Coro- ner Beau Clark, MD, on April 16 said that the fatal blood clots were directly connected to the physical altercation. Police arrested 54-year-old Jessie Guillory, the patient accused of attacking Ms. Truxillo, on April 16. He was charged with one count of manslaughter. n Illinois hospital CEOs, nurses spar over patient limits By Morgan Haefner L awmakers in Illinois are considering legislation that would impose patient limits on hospital nurses, ac- cording to NPR Illinois. Under the proposed legislation, hospitals would be re- quired to limit nurses to four patients or fewer. Units like maternity wards, intensive care units and emergency rooms would see lower patient-to-nurse ratios. While nurses with the Illinois Nurses Association argue pa- tient limits would improve care outcomes and safety, hos- pital administrators said evidence isn't conclusive on the success of nurse-to-patient ratios. A.J. Wilhelmi, president and CEO of the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, said the limits could raise healthcare costs by more than $2 billion each year, according to NPR Illinois. "There is no conclusive evidence that these one size fit all nurse staffing ratios actually improve patient outcomes or the quality of care," he said. n Washington University to offer free tuition for some incoming med students By Mackenzie Bean S t. Louis-based Washington University School of Medicine will offer free tuition for up to half of its medical students over the next decade. Four things to know: 1. The university will hand out $100 million in scholarships for partial and full tuition support. 2. The scholarship program will start with the medical school's 2019-20 enter- ing class. An admissions scholarship committee will determine the amount of scholarships given out each year and the financial sum of each scholarship on an individual basis. 3. With the new program, Washington University aims to eliminate some of the financial barriers that prevent students from pursuing medical careers. 4. It will also use some funding to modernize its medical education program. n

• Cover