CLEVELAND — The story of the termination of two University Hospitals pediatricians has made its way to the State House.
RELATED: 2 University Hospitals pediatricians fired for sending unsolicited texts to other doctors
Dr. Valerie Fouts-Fowler and Dr. Lauren Beene were fired on June 24 for sending unsolicited texts to fellow healthcare workers, according to University Hospitals.
The pair claims they were trying to unionize their colleagues in an effort to improve patient care.
"Everything that we were doing was for that purpose," Dr. Beene previously told me. "We reached out to our fellow physicians through phone numbers, using an app that people use all the time. It's just basically a phone book digital directory. People use it to plan baby showers or fundraisers when a colleague is sick, and it's actually very helpful for those sorts of things so it makes sense to look up phone numbers on this app."
According to UH, the healthcare facility "learned that the personal data of more than 4,000 providers was improperly accessed. An investigation was launched following complaints from physicians about receiving unsolicited texts on their personal phones. The investigation determined some UH physicians improperly used a proprietary UH care coordination application."
While the two doctors feel that they were retaliated against for using the directory for the purpose they allege, UH rejects this claim.
"To be clear, UH’s actions have nothing to do with organizing or retaliation," Vice President of Communications for University Hospitals Health System, Michael Tobin, said.
Dr. Fouts-Fowler and Dr. Beene are hopeful they'll be reinstated, and pushing for that to potentially happen are 34 state representatives.
Representative Tristan Rader (D-Lakewood) said he stands behind the physicians.
"I found out about it through the news media, and I was quite disturbed," he told me. "If these allegations are true, it's an attack on unionizing broadly and it's an attack really at the end of the day on patient care, which is gonna suffer if these types of actions continue to take place."
Rader said he has not been provided with evidence that proves either of these doctors was unionizing or that they were retaliated against, but is hoping a deeper investigation into the matter will paint a fuller picture.
"I'm hoping that this all can be taken very seriously," he added.
Representative Sean Brennan (D-Parma) told me while he doesn't have direct evidence linking the firing of the two doctors to their union activity either, "It’s deeply concerning when healthcare professionals—especially those advocating for workers’ rights—are suddenly let go."
Brennan added that their termination has chilling effects.
"Workers should be able to advocate for better conditions without fear of retaliation. I hope the hospital provides full transparency, and I support a thorough, fair investigation to ensure that labor rights are protected," he said.
Brennan also signed off on the letter to UH on June 27.
I appreciate all that the doctors, nurses, and staff do for our community. Although I do not know all of the circumstances, if these docs were good employees, I would have hoped that UH would have taken a less drastic approach, especially in light that, no doubt, many families depended upon them and that in Cuyahoga County we are ardent union supporters. All workers are entitled to organize under state and federal law and I encourage others to take up the torch that these docs initiated.
Another signee on the letter to UH is Representative Anita Somani (D-Dublin). She is also a practicing OBGYN.
"I think that one of the things that's changed over my 30 plus years of practice is there are more employed physicians today, and as employed physicians, there are a lot more restrictions on what they can and can't do. I think physicians have been getting shortchanged in a lot of ways by being employed. It's hard. I thought supporting them was really important because I think patient care is the most important thing we can do," Somani said.
As a state representative, she told me she's tired of seeing the loss of union power over the years.
"There's always two sides to every story, right? You have to look at: what is the hospital's position on unions? What are they saying? Are they worried that physicians are going to unionize? Are they worried about protecting their privacy? I really don't know, but I do think we're seeing this happen more and more across the country," Somani said.
She's hoping an investigation can bring both parties to the table to negotiate how to move forward.
No representative I spoke to said they've seen a response to their letter from UH, so I followed up with the healthcare system.
Let’s be clear: the decision to fire these two physicians had absolutely nothing to do with union organizing.
The only reason we launched an investigation into this matter was because of complaints from UH physicians about being sent unsolicited text messages. An investigation determined these two physicians went into a care coordination app, accessed the personal data of 4,000 colleagues, and repeatedly sent them unsolicited text messages that had nothing to do with care coordination.
That is why they were terminated.
UH leaders repeatedly sought to work together with the now-terminated physicians throughout their careers to address any concerns these physicians raised.
No one is being silenced. There is not one issue that UH leaders ducked, ignored, or did not seek to address with each physician involved. In fact, when these two physicians expressed concerns, UH leaders offered to meet with them in person. These physicians chose not to meet.
Many other physicians raise concerns that are addressed daily — all done without improperly accessing thousands of their colleagues’ personal data and sending them unsolicited text messages.
Any suggestion that UH seeks to silence physicians is simply wrong. Those allegations do a disservice to the hardworking physicians and leaders who dedicate their lives to caring for our patients and our community.
I've requested a copy of the complaint(s) filed against Dr. Beene and Dr. Fouts-Fowler as well as UH's investigation notes, but the healthcare system declined.
I've also asked for any documentation from the two pediatricians related to their firing.
The inquiry was not fulfilled and instead met with a statement from the union Dr. Beene and Dr. Fouts-Fowler are part of, concerned UH physicians, saying, "We are unable to comment on your questions as this case is in dispute and we must protect all legal rights of the doctors. Our focus remains clear: Concerned UH Physicians are organizing to ensure better patient care. Doctors deserve a voice in decisions that impact their work and their patients. Our effort is about advocacy, respect, and putting quality care at the center of healthcare."
I followed up asking what the union meant by "this case is in dispute."
Concerned UH physicians told me, "There are multiple legal actions in development to reinstate the doctors. Their terminations were unlawful. We cannot discuss details of these actions at this time in order to protect the rights of the doctors."
We'll continue to follow any new developments that arise.
