Medical staff at Coupeville, Wash.-based WhidbeyHealth have voted “no confidence” in the company providing healthcare management services to the hospital.
In a Jan. 28 letter to the board of commissioners, Chief of Staff Robert Rookstool, MD, formally notified the board that the medical staff had issued a vote of no confidence in HealthTech, a hospital spokesperson told Becker’s on March 2.
In a separate letter accompanying the HealthTech vote, Dr. Rookstool expressed “unequivocal and unanimous support” for CEO Nathan Staggs and CFO Paul Rogers, the spokesperson said.
The letters came shortly after the board voted Jan. 22 to terminate Mr. Staggs, then reversed the decision during the same meeting after pushback from staff.
During a Feb. 26 board meeting, commissioners entered executive session to discuss the district’s relationship with HealthTech with legal representation present, board President Marion Jouas, RN, said at the meeting. The session was held in accordance with Section 42.30.110(i) of the Revised Code of Washington, which allows discussion of “litigation or legal risks expected to result in adverse legal or financial consequences.”
The hospital district entered a five-year contract with HealthTech on March 2, 2022. The contract is set to expire March 1, 2027.
Hospital district leaders have raised concerns about HealthTech’s alleged overreach into hospital administration and have disagreed about who has the authority to dismiss the CEO, according to letters obtained through a public records request, the South Whidbey Record reported Feb. 27.
WhidbeyHealth operates a critical access hospital and several facilities offering primary and outpatient care.
Becker’s has reached out to HealthTech and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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