In June I completed my three year internal medicine residency at Hahnemann University Hospital/Drexel University College of Medicine. In July the hospital, recently sold to new owners, shut its doors.
I wasn’t impacted directly. However active residents and fellows, including first year residents starting the first month of training who moved their lives and families, were forced to find new residency programs. Our program leadership were incredibly supportive and helped these residents and fellows find new hospitals to finish their training. We thought it was in the rear view. It was stressful but it was over. We got out. Turns out that was just chapter one.
Last week our Program Director (PD) informed us that the current owners of the hospital would likely not be covering our tail end medical malpractice insurance. It will likely cost a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the duration of malpractice needed. It can be much more expensive for other fields like OB/GYN or emergency medicine. You can see the full email sent from our PD in my tweet below.
Email from our Program Director detailing ex #Hahnemann residents will need to purchase tail end malpractice insurance pic.twitter.com/EytSAf2spz
— Marc Katz, MD (@KittyKatzMD) November 12, 2019
You might be wondering how this is legal given it is detailed in our contract that they have to cover tail end malpractice insurance. Well, it isn’t but they’re doing it anyway. You also might be wondering what tail end medical malpractice insurance is and until a week ago I didn’t know either as I detailed in my Instagram post below.
I spoke with Whyy Philadelphia who went into further detail in the article below. They were also able to speak with Dr. Aizenberg, Hahnemann’s venerable former Internal medicine program director.
Former Hahnemann residents and fellows impacted by this are organizing. In the meantime, we await a final ruling to decide our fate. Unfortunately as Dr. Aizenberg outlined in his email it doesn’t look like the situation will result in a favorable ruling for former Hahnemann residents. Even if a decision is made to have our former employer follow through with their obligations outlined in our contracts it won’t happen for quite some time down the line. This leaves residents to foot the bill. Yet another out of pocket expense that many can’t afford and further stress on an already heavily burdened group of doctors in training.
A broken healthcare system failed the patients of Philadelphia and now continue to fail it’s doctors. One of my favorite social media doctors, ZDoggMD spoke about Hahnemann in one of his most recent video posts, below.
Many people have pointed for assistance or guidance from medical residency training oversight boards like the ACGME. Unfortunately this likely won’t be a quick fix with a linear projection. At this time we have not been told of any further developing communication from them or any other medical boards.
Ultimately I’m thankful that I got lucky. I was on vacation during the last week of residency when I found out Hahnemann was closing it’s doors. This is the first time I’m directly impacted by its closure. For many of my colleagues from Hahnemann however this is yet another impediment to their future.
Current third year residents need to find jobs and can be uniquely impacted by this issue. You need tail end malpractice insurance to work. I am no expert in malpractice or physician contracts but I’m told that some hospitals simply won’t hire you if you don’t have it. They’re going to be forced to buy it. Others are seeking fellowship positions and this issue will certainly carry on with them wherever they match. I hope that fellowship programs view ex-Hahnemann residents like I do- with respect and admiration for not just persevering through these challenges but thriving despite them.
Some of my prior colleagues and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. It happens when you have, shall we say, a ‘strong personality’. But to my ex-Hahnemann colleagues I promise to continue to advocate for you and use my platform to spread awareness of this developing situation. We share a common bond and unfortunately we are the last group of residents that will ever know the meaning and depth behind the phrase ‘welcome to Hahnemann’.
People wonder why the medical field is going through an epidemic of professional burnout. This developing story embodies the issue. We are viewed as expendable and nothing more than part of the bottom line and treated like it. Not all hospital systems run like this and I hope that this will become an exception to the rule but only time will tell.
So what can you do to help? Share this story. First comes awareness. Next comes action.