An Open Letter to the People of Brevard County

An Open Letter to the People of Brevard County

A federal court has set the record straight.?

Ruling in favor of Parrish Medical Center and against seven oncology physicians who demanded to remain on our medical staff despite failing to comply with requests for patient data relating to patient quality care initiatives, the federal court has declined to overturn Parrish Medical Center’s decision not to renew the medical staff privileges of these physicians.

We share this with you because misinformation in the public domain has misled many in our community.

We all appreciate and understand that healthcare quality and safety standards, regulations, and practices are part of providing you with the best possible care.

It was with careful consideration that Parrish Medical Center last year decided not to renew the hospital privileges of the seven physicians. These physicians failed to provide patient data required by our cancer program and, more importantly, to ensure our patients receive the highest quality care.

Our cancer program is Brevard County’s longest continually accredited hospital cancer program (since 1989) by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC).

For patients’ protection, benefit, safety, and care, Parrish Medical Center demands compliance with its rules, regulations, policies and procedures. Patient quality care initiatives are important to our patients and our community, and Parrish Medical Center—per medical staff bylaws and hospital rules, regulations, policies and procedures—appropriately declined to renew these seven physicians’ medical staff privileges.

On Feb. 4, 2019, U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr. issued the federal court’s order denying the seven physicians’ demand to be reinstated to the medical staff.

Among Judge Dalton’s findings: “Each reviewing body at Parrish Medical Center found that Plaintiffs’ failure to comply with Parrish Medical Center’s request for patient data hindered the cancer program and the delivery of quality of patient care and could cause the loss of accreditation in the future.”

Patients and families who are battling cancer deserve the highest quality and most compassionate care, and the confidence an accredited program affords them.

The seven physicians claimed that their due process rights had been denied and that Parrish Medical Center’s Bylaws were breached. After considering the request by the seven physicians to be reinstated to the medical staff, the federal court denied the request. After receiving what the federal court said was a “full panoply of due process protections,” the federal court validated the review and decisions of Parrish Medical Center’s medical executive committee, board of directors, and administration.

We serve as the areas only independent, not-for-profit, public, community medical center that invites continuous and rigorous testing of our processes and procedures against national best practices. It is why we earn and sustain among the highest quality and safety rankings from many nationally recognized regulatory and quality assessment agencies and organizations, among them Consumer Reports, J.D. Power & Associates, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the international Patient Safety Movement Foundation.

Safety, loyalty, integrity, compassion, excellence, and stewardship are the values we live by. We will uphold these values as we continue to serve you.

For more answers view our fact sheet