Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems needs to invest in more nurses and equipment for Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Lutheran Health Network rather than spending money to battle LHN's former CEO in court, a group of physician advocates wrote in a recent op-ed in The Journal Gazette.
The three physicians who wrote the article, William Cast, MD; Matthew Sprunger, MD; and J. Philip Tyndall, MD, are the founders of Northeast Indiana Citizens for Healthcare Excellence, a group focused on bringing information to the public and promoting discussion about healthcare equality.
The physicians provided an overview of CHS' recent legal battle with LHN's former CEO Brian Bauer. They argued CHS has little to gain through the litigation.
In November 2017, CHS sued Mr. Bauer, claiming he breached his contract with the health network by sharing confidential information with the system's competitors. Mr. Bauer was removed from his position at LHN in June after CHS rejected a buyout offer from a group of LHN physicians, but the lawsuit alleges he spread confidential and proprietary information about CHS' affiliates even after he was fired. In early February, a judge dismissed three of the six counts in CHS' lawsuit against Mr. Bauer.
"So where are we now? We are poorer for the exercise, and little has been gained," the physicians wrote.
Drs. Cast, Sprunger and Tyndall believe CHS needs to focus on improving the quality of care provided at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, rather than a lawsuit against a former executive.
"Federal Medicare Compare rates Lutheran Hospital as only a two-star facility. With the proper support from [CHS], Lutheran can become a five-star facility," the physicians wrote. We believe that more millions should not be spent on flying lawyers from New York to Tennessee but instead on more nurses and equipment. It is time for Community Health Systems to return to the business of healthcare excellence."
More articles on physician issues:
Physicians Quality Care medical clinic to host active shooter training
Azar wants to eliminate MIPS reporting requirements
4 insights on why physicians should stop working while sick