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State medical authorities have dismissed all complaints filed against Perry County Memorial Hospital over an emergency staffing incident earlier this month that left an emergency room physician infected with COVID-19 on duty for 10 hours on July 3.
According to PMCH president and CEO Patrick Carron, who spoke with the Republic-Monitor on Wednesday afternoon, the hospital was notified of the investigation's conclusion that morning.
"I am happy to report that I received a call today from the State DHHS Surveyor as follow up to the complaints leveled against PCMH surrounding the ER physician staffing crisis, which PCMH faced July 3," Carron said in a release issued Wednesday. "The state did a thorough review of the timeline of events, actions taken to protect our staff and patients, steps taken to relieve our asymptomatic physician from patient care, our plans and policies in a time of need, the care provided to patients, and the test results of our patients."
Carron reported that state officials had dismissed all complaints related to the matter, and said that the hospital handled the emergency staffing issue "expertly."
The incident began on July 3 when the hospital was notified that an off-duty emergency department physician had tested positive for COVID-19, sparking a round of testing among other ER staff. A second physician, who was on duty and not displaying symptoms, also tested positive. A third doctor, who was scheduled for the shift to follow the asymptomatic physician, notified hospital administration that they would not report for their next two shifts and then resigned.
Without an emergency room physician on hand, the hospital was left in an untenable situation, one they hadn’t planned for.
The emergency room at PCMH is staffed by one physician at a time, drawing from a pool of seven to keep one doctor on duty around the clock. Those physicians are employed by Chesterfield-based Emergency Medical Care, LLC, which contracts with the hospital to provide emergency room physicians.
Faced with a situation they hadn't anticipated, administrators contacted Emergency Medical to request a replacement physician, but in the meantime, they still had to have a physician in the emergency room, a spot that requires a certain level of specialization.
In a move meant to allow the hospital to keep the county's only emergency room open, the asymptomatic physician remained on duty until a replacement could be found.
Following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that physician donned full personal protective gear — which includes a Tyvek hazmat suit, gown, an N95 mask under a surgical mask, gloves, and goggles — and remained on duty until a replacement physician could be found.
During those 10 hours, the physician treated nine patients, largely from a distance and aided by nurses to avoid as much contact as possible. Each of the patients treated were informed of the physician's status before being treated and all were offered free testing following their visit.
According to Carron, those patients who took advantage of the offer all tested negative for the novel coronavirus.
The incident came to light last week, when a group of individuals made an anonymous report to a St. Louis-area television station, which aired a story on the matter before the hospital was able to issue its official statement to the public, which came Thursday morning.
Hospital administrators said last week that the TV report contained a number of false statements and inaccurate information.
"In the end, the state, on behalf of the [U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] has dismissed the complaints against PCMH, and have further stated that we handled this crisis expertly," Carron said. "They reviewed our actions to cover the ER with other providers and had not one point of criticism to offer. We are completely absolved of these complaints, and these complaints have been ruled as “unfounded” by the surveyor."
Carron, who was on vacation at the time of the incident, said he had nothing but praise for the way his staff handled the matter.
"I want to applaud the decision and actions taken by staff and leadership during the crisis, and thank the other physicians and nurses who came to our aid in covering the department, thus maintaining a much needed and crucial service to our community," Carron said. "Their work, courage, and dedication to their profession, and this community, is unprecedented. I also want to thank our community for their support and trust in PCMH not only during the pandemic, but every day. It is our passion to care for the community and we are grateful to serve Perry County."
