Parkland Hospital ousts 75 employees in patient safety overhaul

Following last year's patient safety breaches that risked its Medicare and Medicaid funding, Dallas' Parkland Health and Hospital System has dismissed at least 75 employees during the past three months to improve accountability, HealthLeaders Media reported today. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last July reviewed the hospital after reports of serious health threats to patients, including improperly sterilized instruments, improperly keeping patient records and under-staffing the emergency room. And in September, Parkland Hospital and the Dallas CMS agreed to improvements for compliance by April 2013, HealthLeaders noted.

Interim CEO Thomas Royer said a number of the 75 employees were encouraged to leave because they didn't meet the administration's expectations for their jobs. "We were setting for their roles they did not have the energy to do, they did not or want to put forth that much effort," Royer said. "(We) decided this was no longer the place for them to work." Most of the overhaul at Parkland is related to nursing and the psychiatric unit. Article