Hospital, doctor agree to mediation By Anne Adams, Staff Writer HOT SPRINGS — Dr. James Redington and the Bath Community Hospital board have agreed, with guidance from their respective attorneys, to a formal mediation process. In August, BCH did not renew Redington’s employment contract; in protest, four other physicians subsequently tendered their resignations with 90 days’ notice. Oct. 30, Redington filed a defamation suit against BCH board members and hospital CEO Jason Paret, seeking some $16 million in damages. Wheres the story? 2 Points MentionedAs of Friday, Redington and BCH’s board voluntarily agreed to try mediation to work out their differences, using a former federal magistrate as an independent third party. The mediation process has structure, but not the force of law. Typically, each side of a disputed issue meets privately with the mediator, who then tries to find middle ground and compromise. Mediation is confidential, and on average, a much faster way to settle a dispute than in court. Dabney Pasco, one of Redington’s attorneys, told The Recorder he had sought mediation long before now, but did not get a favorable response from the hospital’s previous attorney, Victoria Willis. “We asked, but she didn’t respond to that,” Pasco said Monday. “So yes, when the board’s new attorneys asked, we agreed … mediation is always a good thing. It’s always good to talk and this is a good process to go through, to try to narrow things down.” BCH recently hired attorney Dana Rust of McGuireWoods to represent BCH. The hospital board issued a statement Monday in an open letter to the Bath County community. “As many of you know, a lawsuit has been filed against the hospital and some of the board members by a doctor whose contract was not renewed,” it said. “In an effort to resolve the many issues in the lawsuit, Bath Community Hospital offered to enter into a mediation process, to be conducted by an independent third party in early December. This attempt at negotiation and resolution in the lawsuit has been agreed to by the doctor who filed the lawsuit. The hospital pushed for the mediation to occur as quickly as possible.” Redington and Dr. Michael Bost, who are both members of the hospital board, agreed not to participate in Friday’s board meeting, during which the rest of the board discussed how to respond to the lawsuit. The board’s statement continued, “Every member of the unpaid, volunteer board of directors is also a member of the community and resident of Bath County. Each member has a fiduciary responsibility to serve the interests of the hospital first. We do not take this responsibility lightly. We base our decisions on what is best for the hospital, recognizing the role that the hospital plays in the community. Your doctors are our doctors. No one wants to lose them. We hope the doctors who have offered resignations related to this situation will elect to delay those efforts until after the mediation process is completed. We hope they, and the community, will view our willingness to mediate as movement in the right direction to find compromise.” The hospital board also issued an apology in its statement. “The past several weeks have been an extremely challenging and unfortunate time for our community and for the dedicated staff and volunteers at Bath Community Hospital. The members of the board of directors realize there are many questions about recent events concerning a personnel matter with one of our doctors. Out of respect to all involved in this sensitive matter, the board has made every effort to maintain confidentiality and not publicly discuss the issue. We realize, however, that until now we have not done a good job of communicating this to you, and for that, we sincerely apologize.” The board further explained, “Bath Community Hospital is certified as a Critical Access Hospital by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and we are committed to maintaining that status. Without our certification, the hospital would be forced to close and no one wants that to happen. Critical Access Hospitals have been designed specifically to serve rural communities and we have a reimbursement structure that allows us to remain financially viable. Every member of our staff must be equally committed to the applicable laws, regulations and standards that allow us to operate.” Earlier this year, the federal CMS had cited BCH for having conflicting policies, and those policies were re-written, and are now in full compliance with federal regulations, according to CMS. “Finally,” the board wrote, “we want the community to know our primary focus each and every day is to care for our patients. Resolving this situation will not distract us from continuing our mission to deliver high quality, compassionate and affordable care to the community and the region. That is our promise to you.” According to the board, Paret is temporarily taking some personal time off for now. Tomorrow (Tuesday), concerned citizens plan a rally in Hot Springs regarding their desire to have Redington reinstated. It will be held from 3-5:15 p.m., and people will meet at 2:45 at the old Homestead stable lot across from the Hot Springs Fire and Rescue building. Organizers have cautioned those attending to remain on public sidewalks, and not to obstruct anyone going in and out of downtown businesses or the flow of traffic. .
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 18:48:29 +0000
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