BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – More than a dozen members of a medical personnel leadership committee in North Dakota have resigned over patient service and employee satisfaction.
Thirteen physicians resigned Tuesday from CHI St. Alexius Health’s Medical Executive Committee, which acts as a governing body for medical staff, the Bismarck Tribune reported. According to a letter from earlier this month, members said that they would resign unless the hospital replaced four administrators in Fargo.
"The MEC voting members have struggled for the past three years to be fully engaged with the CHI Fargo Division Administration Staff," the May 1 letter stated.
The committee doctors who signed the letter, saying the Fargo facility’s staff is "chronically overburdened." The letter cited attempts by nurses to unionize over patient-care related concerns.
"There has never been a time when employee morale has been lower," the letter said.
The letter mentioned patient requests for assistance going unanswered in a timely manner because of a lack of available staff and emergency room and surgery volumes reducing.
The hospital board announced Thursday that it has created a working subcommittee "comprised of members of the board of directors, members of the medical executive committee and CHI administration" to engage in dialogue to work through the issues and determine next steps.
The committee will still function with its four remaining members.
"The remaining MEC members will identify additional physicians to serve as department chairs and section chiefs to replace those physicians who have resigned," the board said. "Importantly, we want the community to know that these physicians (who resigned) continue to treat patients at CHI St. Alexius Health."
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