Becker's Spine Review

14 SPINE Orthopedic surgeon entitled to salary after Franciscan Health dispute By Alan Condon A n Indiana appellate court has ruled that a former Franciscan Health orthopedic surgeon will get the earnings he was guaranteed in his base contract before he was terminated but will not receive performance-based compensation or liquidated damages from the health system, e Indiana Lawyer reported July 14. Five things to know: 1. Beginning in 2009, Louis Metzman, MD, worked for Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan and was paid according to his worked relative value unit. In 2017, he signed a new two-year contract, which paid him $705,786 a year as a full-time employee. 2. Other types of compensation in Dr. Metzman's contract included $75.63 for each wRVU Metzman performed over the target of 10,369, compensation for time on call, $175 per hour for work done as medi- cal director and up to $7,500 in performance-based compensation upon meeting certain goals, according to the report. He was also en- titled to 42 days of paid time off and eight additional days of unpaid leave a year. 3. In 2017, Dr. Metzman took off 50 days, eight of which he said were unpaid, according to the report. Franciscan prorated Dr. Metzman's base compensation to determine his daily earnings, then deducted eight days' pay, which amounted to $21,716.48, from his 2017 base compensation, according to the report. e health system also denied compensation for 23 hours the surgeon submitted for work as medi- cal director. 4. In 2018, aer Franciscan notified Dr. Metzman that his employment would be terminated in August, the surgeon filed a breach of contract suit alleging the health system failed to pay his full 2017 base compen- sation and had violated the Indiana Wage Payment Statute, according to the report. Franciacan also allegedly deducted $12,215.52 from Dr. Metzman's 2018 base compensation aer he allegedly took paid time off for time he had not yet accrued and denied him performance- based compensation for the year. 5. Aer a lengthy legal battle, a court awarded Dr. Metzman $33,932 for unpaid wages in 2017 and 2018; $13,650 in damages for unpaid work done as medical director; and $390,710 in attorney fees. n Illinois spine surgeon to serve as president of the American Orthopaedic Association By Alan Condon T he American Orthopaedic Association has named spine surgeon Alexander Ghanayem, MD, as sec- ond president-elect during its annual leadership meeting in June. Dr. Ghanayem, chair of the orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation department at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill., and chief medical officer of Chicago-based Loyola Medicine, will serve as president of the society from 2024-2025, according to a July 14 news release. He will also serve on the executive committee, which oversees the organization's strategic direction. "We are exceptionally proud of Dr. Ghanayem's election to the executive committee of the AOA," Richard Freeman, MD, executive vice president and regional chief clinical officer for Loyola Medicine, said in the release. "It is a testament to his leadership as well as his significant contributions to Loyola Medicine and the field of orthopedics." Dr. Ghanayem has led Loyola's orthopedic department since 2016. He has published more than 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, presented over 150 abstracts at national medical conferences and written chapters for several medical textbooks. Dr. Ghanayem also serves on Loyola Medicine's finance committee and is chair of the compensation committee. n "We are exceptionally proud of Dr. Ghanayem's election to the executive committee of the AOA. It is a testament to his leadership as well as his significant contributions to Loyola Medicine and the field of orthopedics." - Richard Freeman, MD

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