Carson City, Mich.-based Sparrow Carson Hospital's President and CEO Matthew Thompson left his post Friday, just 10 days after CMS threatened to revoke the hospital's Medicare funding over infection control concerns, reports the Lansing State Journal.
CMS sent the hospital a Medicare contract termination notice Feb. 6, after an investigation by federal regulators found the hospital out of compliance with infection control standards. The notice said the deficiencies found in the investigation "are significant and limit your hospital's capacity to render adequate care and ensure the health and safety of your patients," according to the Lansing State Journal. The hospital has until May 7 to submit a plan to correct the issues and keep its Medicare contract.
Mr. Thompson's departure comes roughly two weeks after a nurse anesthetist, Jonnie Vanderhoef, CRNA, who worked under contract at the hospital, filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against the hospital. Mr. Vanderhoef claims in the lawsuit he was fired for voicing concerns regarding Sparrow Carson orthopedic surgeon Raymond Phillip Allard, MD.
According to the complaint cited by the Lansing State Journal, Mr. Vanderhoef expressed his concerns regarding Dr. Allard's "medical practices, his complete disregard for patient safety, and his exceedingly high infection rate" several times. Mr. Vanderhoef allegedly approached Mr. Thompson as early as May 8, 2017, to voice concerns about the orthopedic surgeon, and repeated those concerns Sept. 26 in an email.
A spokesperson for the hospital, John Foren, confirmed Mr. Thompson's departure, but declined to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding his departure, according to the report.
Mr. Thompson served as president and CEO of the hospital since 2011.
Bill Roeser, president and CEO of Sparrow Ionia (Mich.) Hospital, will provide "interim leadership" at Sparrow Carson Hospital, according to the report.