Health Care Provider Discipline, Retaliation & Termination
Health care providers conducting whistleblower activities may face reduced pay, discipline, retaliation or termination by hospitals and medical staffing firms.
Health care providers face challenges in the best of circumstances. Today, the nationwide medical community of physicians, nurses, technicians and support staff experience challenging workplaces and staffing issues. Medical providers and staff are attempting to deliver the highest-level care to every patient while overworked in a stressful, demanding and potentially life-threatening, work environment.
Hospitals, clinics and staffing companies may engage in activities that place revenues above patient care and staff protections. If you are a health care worker who has reported such activity, or you’re preparing to report such actions, contact Potomac Legal Group to review your matter.
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Workplace Safety & Hostile Hospital Management
Hospital management’s response to workplace safety has been shocking. Incredibly, hospital administrators are disciplining health care providers in response to justified complaints.
In many instances, hospitals have taken aggressive and retaliatory actions against medical providers in the following manner:
- Disciplining medical providers and nurses for raising concerns about policies and procedures.
- Terminating physicians for complaints works hours.
- Eliminating patient schedules.
- Terminating medical staff for complaints
- Initiating adverse actions against health care providers who fail to follow unsafe and dangerous policies.
OSHA Violation Reporting
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) establishes guidance related to workplace safety. Hospitals are required to protect health care providers from serious illness, including providing personal protective equipment and maintaining a safe, clean and decontaminated workplace.
Health care providers may have whistleblower claims against hospitals should they be disciplined for escalating workplace concerns. Employees have 30 days to file a complaint with OSHA if they have been retaliated for bringing a complaint to an employer.
Whistleblower Claims
Potomac Legal Group represents professional employees with whistleblower claims as part of its Employment Law Practice. If you’ve experienced a dangerous workplace, or any type of discipline, pay reduction or retaliation, then contact Potomac Legal Group PLLC immediately to schedule a consultation.
Potomac Legal Group is available to review any workplace safety claim or OSHA violation that you have experience or witnessed.
Employment Agreements & Wage Disputes
Hospitals pay physicians in a number of ways. Many physicians are given annual salaries and some are given compensation based on billable fees and the number of patients seen.
wRVUs: Discrepancies in Work Performed & Pay Earned
A common compensation scheme for providers are work relative value units (wRVUs) that measure physician productivity during a certain period of time. The wRVU value is the prevailing RVU value schedule published yearly by the AMA. A physician’s employment agreement will dictate how often work will be measured. Hospitals are required to regularly provide wRVU calculations to physicians consistent with the physician’s employment agreement.
Hospital records regarding wRVUs are not always correct. Discrepancies may exist between the hospital and doctor as to how the wRVU is calculated. Doctors must immediately address these discrepancies to ensure that payments are accurately captured by hospital administrators.
During this fast-moving period of the coronavirus pandemic, hospitals may make decisions by design, or even arbitrarily, regarding compensation, in an effort to maintain normal revenue for the organization. However, these are not normal times, and medical providers are working an exhausting number or hours in stressful and dangerous conditions to help patients and stem a global pandemic. This is not the time to cut pay for doctors and nurses. You are entitled to receive the 100% of the compensation that you negotiated with your employer.
Medical Provider Employment Agreements
The lawyers at Potomac Legal Group PLLC have an in-depth understanding of physician and medical provider pay. We have negotiated numerous employment contracts for physicians, and we’ve assisted providers who have faced discrepancies in compensation matters, and specially in wRVU calculations.
If you are facing a dispute with your hospital employer, then contact us immediately. We will advise you of your rights and assist in determining your claims and bringing claims against your employer.
Health Care Provider Practice Area
Potomac Legal Group PLLC’s Health Care Provider Practice Area is experienced in representing doctors, nurses and medical providers in workplace disputes and contract negotiations with hospital employers and medical staffing firms in Washington, DC, Maryland & Virginia.