Becker's Hospital Review

94 CMO / CARE DELIVERY Houston Methodist employees sue over COVID-19 vaccine mandate By Kelly Gooch A group of 117 employees sued Hous- ton Methodist over its COVID-19 vaccination mandate for workers, ABC News reported May 29. Houston Methodist, which comprises an academic medical center and six com- munity hospitals, rolled out its mandato- ry vaccination policy March 31, setting an April 15 deadline for managers to receive at least one dose or get an exemption. More than 99 percent of the management team complied by the deadline. e health system then mandated all 26,000 employees to be vaccinated by June 7. However, employees can receive medical or religious exemptions or a deferral if they are pregnant. As a result of the policy, 117 Houston Meth- odist employees filed a lawsuit, claiming that the mandate is illegal. e lawsuit, filed May 28 in Montgom- ery County District Court in Texas, al- leges the hospital is "illegally requir- ing its employees to be injected with an experimental vaccine as a condition of employment," according to ABC News. e May lawsuit specifically cites that the COVID-19 vaccines are authorized for emergency use by the FDA but have not been fully approved. e employees allege that Houston Method- ist is violating Texas public policy and the Nuremberg Code, a medical ethics code for human experimentation draed in 1947 be- cause of the Nuremberg trials at the end of World War II, according to the report. e plaintiffs' attorney, Jared Woodfill, told ABC News the health system's mandate is meant "to promote its business and increase profits at the expense of other healthcare pro- viders and their employees' health. Defendants advertise to the public that they 'require all employees and employed physicians to get a COVID-19 vaccine.' More clearly, defendants' employees are being forced to serve as human 'guinea pigs' to increase defendants' profits." Houston Methodist said earlier this year that employees who do not comply with the vac- cination mandate initially will have a discus- sion with their supervisor, then could face suspension followed by termination. e lawsuit seeks to prevent the health system from terminating unvaccinated workers. Houston Methodist President and CEO Marc Boom, MD, shared a statement about the lawsuit with Becker's. As of May 28, he said 99 percent of Houston Methodist's em- ployees have met the requirements for the vaccination mandate. "We are extremely proud of our employees for doing the right thing and protecting our pa- tients from this deadly virus," Dr. Boom said. "As healthcare workers, it is our sacred obli- gation to do whatever we can to protect our patients, who are the most vulnerable in our community. It is our duty and our privilege. "It is unfortunate that the few remaining em- ployees who refuse to get vaccinated and put our patients first are responding in this way. It is legal for healthcare institutions to man- date vaccines, as we have done with the flu vaccine since 2009. e COVID-19 vaccines have proven through rigorous trials to be very safe and very effective and are not ex- perimental. More than 165 million people in the U.S. alone have received vaccines against COVID-19, and this has resulted in the low- est numbers of infections in our country and in the Houston region in more than a year. We proudly stand by our employees and our mis- sion to protect our patients." n Why are physicians leaving this North Carolina hospital? City seeks attorney general probe By Alia Paavola B revard, N.C., leaders are urging the state's attorney gen- eral to investigate why a flood of physicians have left Transylvania Regional Hospital, WLOS reported May 3. The Brevard leaders said they are worried about the future of the hospital after 14 physicians left the hospital, which is part of Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health. There have been a number of physician exits from the Mission Health system since it was taken over by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare in 2019. In a letter to the attorney general, city leaders said that "it appears that the main reason the providers are leaving is because HCA Healthcare changed the method of compen- sation in the hiring contract." A physician confirmed to the publication that the new con- tracts being offered to physicians at Transylvania Regional Hospital pay 10 percent to 25 percent less. "Mission Health is committed to the Transylvania County community and the people we serve there. We are active- ly recruiting to fill any vacancies that we anticipate, and recently signed contracts with several new providers," Mission Health told WLOS. "HCA Healthcare continues to expand their support of physicians across all of Western North Carolina and while the employment relationship with some has changed, these physicians are still part of our medical staff and hospital team." In mid-April, independent monitoring firm Gibbins Advisors said it will examine the physician departures from Mission Health. Gibbins Advisors was appoint- ed independent monitor of Mission Health as part of the transaction agreement with HCA. HCA agreed to certain commitments as part of the deal and the in- dependent monitor determines if HCA is adhering to those commitments. n

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