South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta is reportedly planning to negotiate new contracts with two cardiothoracic surgeons who were terminated earlier this year, according to WALB-10 News.
Joe Johnson, MD, and Randall Brown, MD, said in July they received letters from C. Ross Berry, the CEO of SGMC at the time, indicating their contracts with the hospital had been terminated. The surgeons worked at the SGMC CardioVascular Institute.
The same month the surgeons were terminated, protestors gathered outside the hospital seeking an explanation for SGMC's decision regarding the two surgeons. That decision, in part, also led Mr. Berry to resign from his position as chief executive in October, claiming the hospital authority failed to allow him to do his job and thwarted his attempts to resolve issues at SGMC.
After the protests, the hospital authority voted to keep the surgeons on staff for a 90-day period. Dr. Johnson confirmed to the Valdosta Daily Times in November that hospital officials decided not to renew either physician's contract.
The hospital has yet to release a statement on why Drs. Johnson and Brown were terminated, WALB-10 News reports.
However, the hospital authority voted Dec. 14 to negotiate new contracts with both surgeons.
"This decision underscores the board's absolute dedication to providing comprehensive cardiac services in the region and continuous access to medical care," SGMC said in a statement obtained by WALB-10 News.
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