Becker's Hospital Review

19 19 CEO / STRATEGY AdventHealth faces blowback from resident's controversial social media posts By Emily Rappleye A ltamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adven- tHealth fielded criticism online for the social media posts of resident Jay Feldman, DO, weeks aer an Orlando Senti- nel report shed light on the story. e incident raised the question of how much responsibility hospitals and health sys- tems should have for the social media posts of the physicians they employ and train, as well as what organizations can do if they find questionable social media posts from staff. e Orlando Sentinel story posted Dec. 14, 2019, detailed Dr. Feldman's controversial presence on social media, which included endorsements for supplements and other health-related products. Dr. Feldman also posted about patients. One tweet read: "Just did my first death pronouncement. Open- ing a dead persons [sic] eyes and staring into them is the most insane thing ever," according to the Orlando Sentinel. Dr. Feldman's social media presence first came into question by Sarah Mojarad, a professor at University of Southern California in Los Ange- les, in 2017, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Ms. Mojarad said on Twitter she used Dr. Feld- man's social media presence as a tool to teach medical students about online professionalism. Amy Pavuk-Gentry, AdventHealth's director of external communications provided Becker's the following statement about Dr. Feldman: "When we learned of the social media posts, we took several swift measures to address the situation and continue to in- vestigate the matter. Our medical trainees are held to the highest standards and are expected to cultivate an environment of inclusion, safety and trust among our pa- tients and greater community. The posts are not a reflection of AdventHealth, our mission, values or standards." Dr. Feldman did not immediately respond to Becker's request for comment. n Cook County Health board votes out CEO Dr. John Jay Shannon By Emily Rappleye T he Cook County Health board voted Nov. 22, 2019, to remove CEO John Jay Shannon, MD, as it seeks to address major challenges, including a ballooning charity care budget. Dr. Shannon, who took the helm of the Chicago-based safety net system in June 2014, stepped down Dec. 31, 2019, and Debra Carey, deputy CEO of operations, took over as interim CEO while the board searches for a replacement. "I respect the board's decision to seek new leadership," Dr. Shannon said in an emailed statement in November. "It has been an honor to lead this storied organization and critical community asset." In his five years of leadership, Dr. Shannon is credited with leading the health system through significant financial and quality improvements. "I am immensely proud to have led the transformation of Cook County Health over the past five-plus years," he said. "Working with our board, we have raised the bar on quality, improved patient services and access to care; built the largest Medicaid managed care plan in Cook County; and made significant and long over- due upgrades to our facilities — all while significantly re- ducing our reliance on local taxpayer support." Despite these strides, the health system continues to face financial difficulties, namely "unprecedented demand for charity care," according to M. Hill Hammock, chairman of the Cook County Health board. "Fulfilling the broad ser- vice responsibilities of a public healthcare system, ad- dressing the increase in charity care and ensuring the staff needed to deliver those services will require changes," Mr. Hammock said in an emailed statement. Dr. Shannon spoke at a public affairs luncheon in fall of 2018 about growing levels of uncompensated care at the health system, which were projected to hit $600 million in 2020, according to a report from WBEZ. At the luncheon, he called on leaders of other local health systems to step up and share the burden. "We can no longer continue to bear the disproportionate burden of charity care that we do," Dr. Shannon said, according to WBEZ. "John Jay Shannon did an incredible job in a very difficult sit- uation," said Scott Becker, publisher of Becker's Healthcare. Ms. Carey, who assumed the role Jan. 1, joined Cook County Health in 2013 as COO of ambulatory services. She has prior experience as a CEO, spending eight years at the helm of SUNY Downstate Medical Center, University Hospital of Brooklyn in New York City. n "The incident raised the question of how much responsibility hospitals and health systems should have for the social media posts of the physicians they employ and train."

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