Former Slater CMO blasts ‘biased’ hospital study

Updated at 4:58 p.m.

The outgoing chief medical officer for Eleanor Slater Hospital, Dr. Brian Daly, wrote a 16-page letter on Saturday, July 31, 2021, against a recently released report commissioned by the R.I. Office of Health and Human Services, disputing its conclusions that the facility was poorly managed, decrying
THE OUTGOING chief medical officer for Eleanor Slater Hospital, Dr. Brian Daly, wrote a 16-page letter on July 31, 2021, arguing against the conclusions of a recently released report commissioned by the R.I. Office of Health and Human Services, disputing its findings that the facility was poorly managed, decrying "overt falsehoods" and claiming the authors were biased. / COURTESY R.I. DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE, DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, AND HOSPITALS

PROVIDENCE He’s not leaving quietly.

The outgoing chief medical officer for Eleanor Slater Hospital, Dr. Brian Daly, is sounding off against a recently released report commissioned by the R.I. Office of Health and Human Services, disputing conclusions that the facility was poorly managed, decrying “overt falsehoods” and claiming the authors were biased.

In a 16-page letter coinciding with his departure on July 31, Daly said the report supported the state’s false and predetermined conclusions about a failure of hospital leadership, as a way to blast administrators who were speaking out about improper Medicaid billing practices. Daly said the Hospital Association of Rhode and Care New England were not independent third parties as they were depicted by the state when they were selected to produce a so-called “peer review” of Eleanor Slater Hospital, a state-run hospital focusing on psychiatric and behavioral health treatment.

Among other issues, Daly pointed out that Care New England Health System is now seeking state regulatory approval for a merger with Lifespan Corp., and Daly referred to a prominent advocacy group, Disability Rights Rhode Island, that cited “serious concerns” with a trade association like the Hospital Association of Rhode Island due to its vested interests in other hospital chains.

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“The HARI/CNE report was a purposeful attempt to deliver a desired finding to state officials,” Daly wrote in the July 31 letter. “In my opinion, the HARI/CNE report was a biased report that seems to have been created to provide cover for the state as it moves forward to continue to engage in adverse employment actions, so that it can remove those who have raised concerns about many important issues.”

HARI and CNE issued a final review of Eleanor Slater Hospital in July, and R.I. Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Womazetta Jones recommended 70 specific changes to hospital operations, singling out Daly and another hospital administrator for criticism, while praising staff for their dedication and care for patients. Those conclusions included the following:

  • While some patients are appropriate for discharge to less restrictive settings, many patients continue to need Eleanor Slater’s services;
  • Some staffing configurations need to be reviewed;
  • There are leadership challenges at the hospital;
  • The lack of an Electronic Health Record system, and other operational issues, are challenges.

“While it is understandable that the physician leadership is frustrated on many fronts, being in a clinical leadership role requires pulling staff and others together with a goal to address the gaps in the provision of care and facilities,” the HARI/CNE report said. “It is our opinion that these two leaders, based on our interviews of clinical providers and staff, have not been effective in showing this trait in their execution of the roles.”

The hospital serves about 200 patients, including many with complex conditions, ranging from significant brain injuries to chronic psychiatric diagnoses.

Daly said the state’s report intentionally downplayed or ignored some problems at the hospital, such as the “decrepit” conditions of some aging facilities at its Cranston and Burrillville medical campuses, including conditions that were described in another report by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations which was completed during a similar time frame.

“This, again, is a staggering omission that appears to be a purposeful whitewashing of evidence to produce a more desirable report,” Daly wrote.

McKee’s office noted, in an email responding to Providence Business News’ request for comment, that the third-party peer review commissioned by the state is just one of several studies that are now being used to evaluate Eleanor Slater Hospital.

“The independent CNE/HARI review is only one source of information out of many the department is consulting to propose how to reform Eleanor Slater and ensure it remains a resource available to vulnerable Rhode Islanders,” said Randal Edgar, a spokesman for the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. “As previously stated, Gov. McKee, Secretary Jones, and [Richard Charest, director of the R.I. Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals] will need the results of other pending reviews to inform a strategic plan for the hospital.”

(SUBS last two paragraphs with comment from state.)

Marc Larocque is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Larocque@PBN.com.

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