Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1414493
31 PATIENT & CAREGIVER EXPERIENCE expose more employees, we have revisited our respiratory protection program, and are planning to continue to offer that protection to all staff who want it and need it in the future," she said. e health system has also worked with vendors to increase its allotment of supplies, she said. Moving forward with the new OSHA rules, part of the challenge is that a lot of vaccinat- ed people in U.S. communities have taken off masks in many public places when outside of a healthcare setting, according to Ms. Kerr. "You can walk into a restaurant or a store without a mask if you've been vaccinated," she said, referring to locations in Califor- nia. "We are not at that place for a hospital, so continuing to educate our patients, our providers, the community to let them know hospitals, like airports, have different stan- dards" may be challenging, she said. At Stanford, Ms. Kerr said visitor policies remain restrictive, and the health system continues to screen people when they come in. All visitors, patients and workers must wear a mask provided by the health system regardless of vaccination status. Ms. Gryboski said she doesn't expect the physical barrier part of the OSHA rules to be an issue for hospitals and health systems since many bought these barriers during the pandemic. But she said the screening and visitor management component of the federal standard may be more challenging, because screening for symptomatic employ- ees, patients and visitors and those who are exposed, requires a lot of manpower. Regarding the rules overall, Ms. Kerr said they "provide great clarity around how we keep our workers safe." She also stressed the importance of flexibility, as well as continu- ing efforts to boost inoculation in general among healthcare workers. As of July 13, about 78 percent of Stanford Health Care's 14,000 employees were fully vaccinated, and about 70 percent of Geisinger's more than 24,000 employees were fully vaccinated. "Remaining flexible and adaptable is im- portant because if we're not well, we can't take care of patients," said Ms. Kerr. "And our patients in our communities have relied on us during this pandemic, whether it be for testing or new innovations for tackling this disease. We have to do everything at our disposal to ensure we keep our workers safe and protected." Ms. Gryboski echoed Ms. Kerr: "We're excited about the new regulations from OSHA. We were in compliance with them already, as were many other healthcare entities. I think it helps with the consisten- cy across all healthcare, to make sure all facilities are abiding by the same rules, which makes our staff safer as well, so we're not caring for people who may not have been following those same rules. I think it makes healthcare as a whole safer." Next steps On July 8, OSHA said it is extending the comment period for its emergency work- place safety standards to Aug. 20, so provid- ers have more time to weigh in. Most of the provisions had to be in effect within 14 days of the standard's June 21 pub- lication in the federal register, with remain- ing provisions being in effect within 30 days. OSHA said it will continue to monitor and assess the need for changes. n Cardiothoracic surgeon sues Sutter Health, alleges racial discrimination By Alia Paavola A cardiothoracic surgeon who formerly worked at Sutter Health's Memorial Medical Center in Modesto, Calif., is suing the organization, alleging that he faced racial abuse and discriminatory practices, according to court documents. Stephen Noble, MD, who worked at Sutter's Modesto hospital and its medical group from September 2018 to March 2020, claims that Sutter Health gave him an em- ployment contract that broke promises and paid him far below the amount other physicians in his specialty made who are not Black. Dr. Noble claims that Sutter Health refused to put him on the ER call schedule and canceled or reassigned surgeries for patients without his knowledge. Further, Dr. Noble alleges that Sutter Health established false allegations about Dr. Noble's patient care and pro- ductivity. As a result of these allegations, Sutter purport- edly slashed his salary by 60 percent, making him the lowest paid full-time cardiothoracic surgeon in the U.S., according to the lawsuit. Because of Sutter's allegations against Dr. Noble about patient care and low productivity, the hospital placed him under investigation. According to the lawsuit, if Dr. Noble left the organization or resigned, he would have been reported to the medical board in California or added to a federal database that identifies physicians who have a history of malpractice. Dr. Noble alleges that these tactics forced him to work in "a hostile and racist environment against his will." "Defendants have used these bullying tactics against other Black and minority physicians throughout the Sutter system as a means of intimidation as a way to force the physicians to remain employed by Sutter's medical groups, and as a way to drastically cut the doctors' pay," the lawsuit claims. A spokesperson for Sacramento, Calif.-based Sutter Health told the Sacramento Business Journal that it takes the allegations "very seriously." "Sutter absolutely did not engage in or participate in any discriminatory conduct against Dr. Noble," the statement obtained by the Business Journal reads. "We do not toler- ate discrimination of any kind — racial or otherwise — and are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work- force and medical staff, and a work environment where all of medical staff physicians, nurses and other clinical providers are treated equitably, with dignity and respect, and provided the opportunity to reach their full potential." Dr. Noble filed the suit Aug. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. n