Becker's ASC Review

112 HEALTHCARE NEWS 26 hospitals on Forbes' list of best large employers By Alia Paavola T wenty-six hospitals and health systems were named to Forbes' annual list of "America's best large employers." For its list, Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to survey Americans working for businesses with at least 1,000 employees. Survey participants were asked about their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family and were asked to nominate organizations other than their own. e final list ranks 500 large employers that received the most recommendations from the survey. Here are hospitals and health systems that made the list, and their ranking: No. 1 — University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital No. 3 — Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minn.) No. 14 — Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus) No. 18 — Wake Forest Baptist Health (Winston-Salem, N.C.) No. 25 — MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) No. 19 — ChristianaCare (Newark, Del.) No. 30 — Boston Children's Hospital No. 34 — UK HealthCare (Lexington, Ky.) No. 38 — Cincinnati Children's No. 40 — e Children's Hospital of Philadelphia No. 57 — Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) No. 67 — Johns Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore) No. 69 — University of Maryland Medical System (Baltimore) No. 78 — Cleveland Clinic No. 90 — Penn Medicine (Philadelphia) No. 93 — e University of Kansas Health System (Kansas City) No. 109 — Children's Healthcare of Atlanta No. 126 — Community Health Network (Indianapolis) No. 142 — Duke University Health System (Durham, N.C.) No. 144 — HealthPartners (Bloomington, Minn.) No. 154 — Texas Children's Hospital (Houston) No. 156 — NorthShore University HealthSystem (Evanston, Ill.) No. 160 — Baptist Health (Louisville, Ky.) No. 169 — United Health Services (Binghamton, N.Y.) No. 180 — West Virginia University Health System (Morgantown) No. 184 — Saint Francis Health System (Tulsa, Okla.) n Surgeon's libel claim poses threat to public welfare, Iowa hospital says By Ayla Ellison T he Iowa Supreme Court is slated to decide whether hospitals can be sued for libel after reporting suspected physician misconduct to state licensing boards, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. Mark Andrew, MD, sued Van Diest Medical Center in Web- ster City, Iowa, for breach of contract, defamation and libel after he was fired, and a district court ruled in late 2019 that he could have his lawsuit heard by a jury. The hospital appealed to the state supreme court, arguing physicians, hospitals and others are immune from lawsuits that arise from confidential complaints to the Iowa Board of Medicine, according to the report. If the Iowa Supreme Court allows Dr. Andrew's case to be heard by a jury, it will have a "chilling effect" on the com- plaint process and public welfare will be put at risk, the hospital argues, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The dispute between Dr. Andrew and Van Diest Medical Center dates back to 2016, when the hospital inves- tigated the physician's prescribing practices after a pharmacist expressed concerns about the amount of hydrocodone Dr. Andrew was prescribing. The hospital's then-administrator fired Dr. Andrew within a week of completing the investigation. Dr. Andrew was informed in writing that he was being fired "due to significant concerns about prescribing prac- tices and patient care issues," according to the report. In his lawsuit, Dr. Andrew alleges that the hospital made false and malicious claims about him in a complaint filed with state licensing officials. The state high court is being asked to decide whether the hospital is immune from lawsuit. Under Iowa law, a person isn't civilly liable as a result of filing a complaint with a licensing board. However, the im- munity doesn't apply if the complaint is made with malice, according to the report. The Iowa Board of Medicine closed Dr. Andrew's file in April 2018 after concluding the hospital's complaint didn't warrant disciplinary action. The Iowa Supreme Court hasn't scheduled oral arguments in the case. n

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