The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has temporarily shut down its cardiac surgery program while it recruits another physician.
"This decision was made in the interest of safety for our patients, even though there have been no safety events or concerns," Dr. Christopher Westfall, interim dean of the UAMS College of Medicine, and Dr. Richard Turnage, chief executive officer, wrote in an email obtained Thursday by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
The email, sent to the medical staff Wednesday, said the shutdown began Monday "because of inadequate surgery coverage" after the April 27 retirement of lead surgeon Dr. Gareth Tobler.
"We are working diligently to reopen the surgical program with coverage from local cardiac surgeons while we continue our recruitment efforts to replace" Tobler, the email said.
"We hope for an expedient resolution of this situation," said the email, which UAMS released under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
Baptist Health Medical Center and Arkansas Heart Hospital have agreed to take any UAMS patients needing cardiac surgery, "and we have also reached out" to CHI St. Vincent Infirmary Medical Center, said UAMS spokesman Leslie Taylor.
"We will be on ambulance diversion for patients who are known to require cardiac surgery," Taylor said in an email interview Thursday. "We will treat patients with chest pain or heart attacks as many of those do not require surgery, at least emergently. If it becomes apparent that we have received a patient who needs cardiac surgery, we will stabilize that patient and transfer him or her to another hospital."
In January, UAMS laid off almost 260 employees to curb an anticipated $72.3 million deficit. The layoffs represented 5.5 percent of the hospital's 10,900 employees. Those layoffs included one full-time physician, according to Taylor.
Taylor said UAMS treated 10 cardiac surgery patients in March and 14 in April.
UAMS currently has one cardiac surgeon whose time is split between UAMS and the John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital in Little Rock.
"The decision was made to temporarily suspend the program because we didn't think it was feasible for this surgeon to work parttime at UAMS and at the VA and also be on call 24 hours a day to provide coverage for cardiac surgery," Taylor said.
Donald Bobbitt, the UA System president, said late Thursday that he is "confident that this will be a short term problem that is unrelated to the financial challenges UAMS is dealing with."
"We do need to speed up our recruitment process and I had a conversation today around that very subject," Bobbitt said in a text message. "[Interim UAMS] Chancellor Stephanie Gardner is on top of the issue and has several options to deal with the issue under consideration."
J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Gov. Asa Hutchinson, declined comment on the shutdown.
"At no time was the safety of our patients in jeopardy," Taylor said.
She also said UAMS can still "do many procedures including cardiac Cath, stents and some aortic repairs but will refer to other hospitals during this time for elective and major surgeries like coronary bypass grafts, valve replacements and ascending aortic repair."
UAMS has been "interviewing cardiac surgeons from across the country and [is] working to have a new fulltime surgeon in house very soon," Taylor added.
She said Tobler's annual salary was $195,000. The salary for his replacement will be negotiated, she said.
The temporary shutdown will not affect the UAMS College of Medicine's teaching program, Taylor said.
"Currently our students and residents also receive training in this area at Baptist Health and the Heart Hospital and they will continue to do so," she said.
Taylor said the temporary shutdown would not affect the hospital's trauma program.
"We have thoracic surgeons and other surgeons in house 24/7 and we have our part-time cardiac surgeon," she said.
The UA System's board chairman, Mark Waldrip, said he also does not believe the shutdown "to be directly related to financial considerations."
"I am optimistic that the surgery shutdown will be temporary and brief," Waldrip said in a text message.
State Desk on 05/04/2018