UMC rejects doctors’ absence requests

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, June 19, 2002 | 11:44 a.m.

More than a dozen University Medical Center physicians who hoped to escape the crisis of rising medical malpractice costs by filing for leaves of absence were thwarted Tuesday when the hospital board rejected their requests.

The board agreed the physicians, because they practice in a county-operated hospital, are obligated to continue treating patients, most of whom are indigent.

"I sympathize with physicians, but it's our responsibility to provide medical care," said board member Mary Kincaid-Chauncey. "We don't have any choice but to reject it."

The board, made up of all seven county commissioners, gave UMC Director Bill Hale authority to reject or accept leave of absence requests filed in the future. Hale was also directed to share those decisions with the board. Because UMC houses the state's only level-one trauma center, its physicians perform the bulk of the high-risk surgeries and are therefore are more vulnerable to medical malpractice lawsuits. Last week, Dr. Joseph Candela, a urologist in the trauma center, resigned because of the high-risk of liability suits and skyrocketing insurance costs. He opted to continue his private practice. Candela's departure brought about discussions on closing the trauma center. But Dr. John Ellerton, chief of staff at the trauma center, said he is hopeful the ward will survive until Gov. Kenny Guinn finds a solution.

"We'll do our very best to keep everything operating," Ellerton told board members. "We hope doctors can hang in there as long as it takes to resolve this." The medical malpractice crisis has plagued the state since its dominant medical insurer, St. Paul Cos., pulled out of the market in December. Doctors and insurance officials say the remaining insurance companies were then forced to raise rates. Many doctors said they would likely have to retire or leave the state as a result.

According to the Nevada State Medical Association, between April and early June about 22 Nevada doctors have closed their practices temporarily or permanently. Twelve more physicians are in the process; 11 have retired or plan to do so and 78 doctors are considering their options. Medical malpractice attorney Gerald Gillock said physicians are using UMC in their arguments that insurance premiums are so high they can no longer practice in Nevada because it is a public hospital. "They can spread panic fastest if the focus is on UMC," said Gillock, who added that he has seen no medical malpractice cases filed against UMC physicians. Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates said closing UMC's trauma center would only place the problem with another facility and with another set of physicians. "You can close UMC's trauma center, but you don't close trauma," she said.

"If they're doing this to hurt UMC, to get more publicity, I don't see where it makes sense." Commissioners voted 6-0 to reject the leave of absence requests; board member Myrna Williams was absent.