In a recent interview with the Asheville Citizen Times, professional licensing attorney Jim Wilson provided insights on the possible changes to Mission Hospital that have raised concerns regarding the potential restriction of public criticism towards the institution by doctors.
The proposed set of bylaws and policies under consideration contains provisions that have caused unease among physicians who fear that it would consolidate power among hospital executives and hinder their ability to criticize the institute publicly. Physicians found in violation of these clauses may undergo a thorough professional review process, which could determine their conduct as inappropriate.
The Asheville Citizen Times sought insights from Jim Wilson to analyze the section pertaining to inappropriate conduct. From the article:
James A. Wilson, a Raleigh-based attorney who frequently represents health care professionals in hospital disputes, reviewed the section of the policy concerning dealing with inappropriate conduct. He wrote that the section he reviewed is more comprehensive than what he typically sees and keeps with the trend toward requiring physicians to exhibit a similar level of workplace conduct to hospital employees.
“Many hospitals are attempting to impose similar standards of conduct on physicians without a written policy explicitly authorizing them to do so or setting forth the standards by which the conduct will be judged or the procedures that the hospital must follow to enforce the requirements,” Wilson wrote. “I have seen only a few hospitals include the level of detail in this policy.”
