Carson City, Mich.-based Sparrow Carson Hospital officials announced the departure of Barb McQuillan, BSN, RN, chief nursing officer and COO, a move that comes less than a month after Sparrow Carson CEO Matthew Thompson departed, according to a Lansing State Journal report.
The executive departures come amid investigations into the hospital's infection control issues. CMS sent Sparrow Carson a Medicare contract termination notice Feb. 6, after a federal investigation revealed the hospital was out of compliance with infection control standards.
The hospital submitted a plan of correction to address the infection issues and prevent the end of Medicare reimbursements. The plan of correction promised "changes with executive leaders and physicians" by Feb. 16, long-term changes in "leadership management" and an analysis of the hospital's infection prevention program.
Raymond Phillip Allard, MD, a former orthopedic surgeon at Sparrow Carson, is also under investigation by state regulators. Nurse anesthetist Jonnie Vanderhoef, MSN, CRNA, complained Dr. Allard had high infection rates. Sparrow Carson ended a contract with Mr. Vanderhoef in November, shortly after the state confirmed an investigation into Dr. Allard.
Mr. Vanderhoef filed a whistle-blower lawsuit against Sparrow Carson in February, which alleges he informed hospital leadership of his concerns regarding Dr. Allard "on numerous occasions."
Ms. McQuillan, who began in her role as CNO and COO at Sparrow Carson in February 2015, was among the supervisors and administrators Mr. Vanderhoef said knew about his concerns. Mr. Vanderhoef's lawsuit also claims Ms. McQuillan was one of several hospital leaders involved in his Nov. 3 firing.
Ms. McQuillan told state investigators the hospital's administration discussed a surgeon's surgical site infection rates, "but peer review and surgeon interviews had revealed that Staff I's patients had multiple risk factors that placed them at higher risk than average for a post operative infection," according to a CMS report on the hospital's infection issues that includes an interview with Ms. McQuillan.
A Sparrow Carson spokesperson declined to elaborate to the Lansing State Journal on the circumstances of Ms. McQuillan's departure.