Emotions ran high and tears were shed during the March 28 Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Board of Directors meeting to discuss replacing the current contracted anesthesia group, among whose members is the outspoken hospital board member and anesthesiologist Ariel Hurtado.
Chief Financial Officer Mark Robinson advised the board to delay contract talks until April 3 at 6:15 p.m. so that it could conduct negotiations in an open, public meeting.
Ten nurses and other healthcare professionals told the board to keep the ACE Anesthesia Group, whose five-year contract is up for renewal on July 1.
Robinson said there were three anesthesia groups vying for the contract and there had not been time to interview all three prior to the March 28 meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the entire surgical procedures department, Gail Battiato, a registered nurse, said the department supported ACE Anesthesia Group, which consists of three anesthesiologists: Amitabh Mathur, Anubhav Sinha and Hurtado.
“We have worked side by side with ACE for the past six years,” Battiato said. “Their involvement has led to continued success in our department. That has led to a lower rate of cancellations and increased patient safety, increased patient satisfaction and increased revenue.”
Certified anesthetist Victor Onuaguluchi said he had no financial connection to the ACE group, and in the 20 years he’s worked in anesthesiology he has never worked with a more humble and dedicated group of doctors willing to teach and guide him through his career. He said all three have often come in during his shifts to help him with difficult procedures.
“It would be a shame for us as a community to stand by and let them go,” he said.
Mandy Rogers, another registered nurse, said anyone working in the surgery department, as well as their families, would put their lives into the hands of the three ACE anesthesiologists. Ashley Dana, a nurse who works with Hurtado, emotionally described his pain management procedures.
“He has the nickname ‘miracle doctor’ as he’s helped patients from 16 to their 90s,” she said. “He sees approximately 120 patients a month one day a week and this is not enough because there’s a great demand in our community for interventional pain management.”
But it wasn’t all just praise for Hurtado, who ended up being the focal point of the discussion. During a report from the Medical Executive Committee, pulmonologist Joseph Ezer spoke highly of ACE in general but singled out Hurtado for what he said was a conflict of interest. Ezer said it’s Hurtado’s prerogative to say whatever he likes about the hospital and medical staff.
“However, as a medical staff member, he or his proxies said negative things about the hospital and the doctors. Not only is it hurtful and painful for us, we as doctors take it very personally,” Ezer said. “It violates the bylaws of the medical staff in what’s called under the bylaws ‘disruptive behavior.’”
Mathur, one of the three ACE anesthesiologists at Hazel Hawkins, defended Hurtado’s right to speak his mind.
“He’s an elected member of the board of directors and he has a right and a duty to convey to the board what the people of Hollister wish and the direction the hospital should take,” he told BenitoLink on April 2. “But when he’s working as a doctor he is not involved with the board stuff, so there is no reason for anyone to say bad stuff against Hurtado. He’s a shining example of physicians coming back to their rural roots to serve their own people.”
Members of the audience asked Ezer where he had read anything by Hurtado that disparaged the hospital. Ezer said Hurtado made comments on social media (he did not identify where) that the hospital’s doctors “were second-tier doctors.” One nurse said she didn’t get social media and didn’t know what Ezer was talking about. Another nurse asked Ezer if he was talking about social media or the news media. “People manipulate social media all the time,” she said. Ezer insisted his comments were in both print media and social media.
“A lot of people live and die by social media,” Ezer said. “This conflict of interest is glaring.”
Several people in the room were not satisfied with Ezer’s answer.
Hurtado spoke up.
“I’ll address this as an elected official,” Hurtado said. “If there is a conflict of interest here on the board, I’ll abstain. That’s all I have to say.”
Discussion about the ACE Anesthesia Group contract will continue in a public meeting April 3 at 6:15 p.m. at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
Other related BenitoLink articles:
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Hazel Hawkins Hospital struggles to keep its doors open
As partnership talks collapse, Hazel Hawkins financial picture shows serious stress
No bailout yet for Hazel Hawkins Hospital
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