UPDATE:
The following statement was released by SGMC this afternoon:
“The Hospital Authority of Valdosta and Lowndes County, Georgia met earlier today and made the following decision regarding the separation of Drs. Randy Brown and Joe Johnson.
The termination without cause is still in effect, but SGMC will allow Drs. Brown and Johnson to work out a 90-day notice. During that time, SGMC will try to negotiate a new contract with these doctors. If the terms of the new agreement can be agreed upon during the 90-day period, Drs. Brown and Johnson will continue to serve patients at SGMC. If the terms cannot be agreed upon after 90 days, the termination will stand.
SGMC remains committed to providing the highest level of cardiothoracic care to Valdosta and surrounding communities and will work diligently towards this end.”
Original Story:
VALDOSTA – Community members rallied together Wednesday morning at South Georgia Medical Center’s Hospital Authority meeting in protest of the termination of cardiothoracic surgeons Dr. Joe Johnson and Dr. Randall Brown.
In an official statement released Tuesday evening, SGMC CEO Ross Berry said he was unable to discuss personnel matters regarding these physicians.
Many of those gathered had personally been saved or had a loved one saved by either Dr. Johnson or Dr. Brown.
Jack and Cheryl Oliver were among those showing their support.
Cheryl’s first instinct when told that Jack had clogged arteries at the end of last year was to get him to a hospital out of town. However, she told staff that they would stay at SGMC only if Dr. Joe Johnson would be Jack’s heart surgeon.
“I remember Dr. Joe came into the client room clapping, reporting that Jack did well,” Cheryl said. “We’ve seen him several times since and he has a great character. This issue can be resolved and we can keep this talent in the community.”
“Sometimes you have to go by the heart rather than by the book,” Jack added.
During Wednesday’s meeting, two groups of 20 supporters rotated through the executive boardroom while the rest of the crowd waited in the hall. Only Judge Arthur McLane was able to address authority members regarding the feelings of the group. After he spoke, the issue was not discussed further in the meeting and no new statements were made regarding the terminations.
Many felt this was unfair as more supporters wanted their voices heard and to receive answers.
Below is the official statement from South Georgia Medical Center released Tuesday evening.
We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
SGMC has ended its agreements with the current cardiothoracic surgeons of the SGMC CardioVascular Institute.
“While we aren’t able to discuss personnel matters regarding these physicians, I can tell you that we are actively recruiting cardiothoracic surgeons and are already thrilled to be able to bring a physician to Valdosta with the experience and expertise of Dr. Randy Metcalf,” said SGMC CEO C. Ross Berry. “He is here in Valdosta and is already hard at work.”
Dr. Metcalf has nearly 30 years experience as a surgeon and cardiothoracic surgeon. Dr. Metcalf completed a residency at The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH where he was Chief Resident for Cardiothoracic Surgery. He also completed a clinical fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Harvard University New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston.
After completing his medical degree at University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston, Dr. Metcalf completed a residency in Surgery and was Chief Surgery Resident at University of Colorado in Denver.
Dr. Metcalf is Board Certified in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery. He was born in Independence, Kansas and is married with three children.
“We believe Valdosta can and will be a regional referral center for cardiothoracic surgery,” Berry said. “We are committed to continuing and enhancing the services provided by the SGMC CardioVascular Institute.”
In an effort to improve the overall quality of care provided within its cardiovascular and cardiothoracic surgery programs, leadership at SGMC recommended in May 2017 that the hospital report open heart surgery data to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) as well as other quality databases such as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.
“Reporting of this data helps lead to real-time validation of quality outcomes,” Berry said. “It also helps improve patient outcomes, identify initiatives and new areas for quality improvement.”
SGMC initially joined the STS database in 2003 and began reporting data. SGMC was accredited by the American College of Cardiology with the designation of Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI from 2005 through 2008 based on quality outcomes. SGMC Cardiovascular Institute opened in July 2014 and the STS contract ended in early 2015 with no data being reported since. Out of 1,000 hospitals nationally performing open-heart surgery, 60 percent voluntarily report to STS and/or Consumer Reports.
“The top cardiac programs in Georgia and throughout the region report their data to validate their quality,” Berry said. “In order to make sure that we are providing our patients with the highest possible quality and outcomes, we need to do the same.”
