The medical staff at CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck (N.D.) decided June 14 not to reinstate the medical executive committee, the peer review committee and the credentials committee.
Thirteen of 14 members of the medical executive committee, which represents the interests of clinicians at CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck, sent a letter May 1 to John Giese, chairman of the hospital's board, detailing what they believed to be examples of poor leadership by CHI divisional leaders at the health system's various campuses. The committee also cited examples of low employee morale, declining physician satisfaction and reduced quality of care as some of the issues plaguing the Bismarck hospital.
The 13 leaders threatened to resign from the MEC by May 15 if the demands outlined in the letter had not been met. While the administrators named in the letter did not resign, the 13 MEC members did. The physicians who quit the executive committee continue to practice at the hospital.
CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck created a panel to address the concerns expressed in the May 1 letter. Shortly after, Anthony K. Jones, interim executive vice president and COO of CHI St. Alexius Health's parent company, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI Health, met with members of the MEC May 31 to review divisional leadership and the Bismarck division location.
Mr. Jones reportedly met with members of the MEC again June 13, according to KFYRTV. The following day, the medical staff voted 45-22 against reinstating the MEC, the peer review committee and the credentials committee.
In a June 15 statement, CHI St. Alexius Health said, "We are disappointed that the medical staff at CHI St. Alexius Health has made the decision to oppose reinstating the Medical Executive Committee (MEC), the Peer Review Committee, and the Credentials Committee despite physician leadership's and hospital administration's efforts to compromise on the physicians' requests.
"Earlier this week, Mr. Jones informed MEC members that effective immediately the legacy CHI St. Alexius Health facilities (CHI St. Alexius Bismarck, Garrison and Turtle Lake) will report through CHI's Nebraska Division and Dr. Cliff Robertson on an open-ended interim basis. He also informed the committee that after careful review, the North Dakota division offices will remain in Fargo.
"CHI, our Board and our management have been working with physician leaders and have been open to the physicians' professional recommendations and opinions about the care we deliver and the environment in which we deliver it. Leadership has worked hard and in good faith to find common ground and accommodation with the medical staff. We have the utmost respect for our physicians and have made efforts to compromise. However, we understand that a difference of opinion continues to exist but we believe that it is not insurmountable and will continue to confer with physician leaders to find a path forward."