Three more executives resigned from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, in the continued fallout from an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times that revealed pediatric mortality rates for heart surgeries tripled over just a few years.
Four other executives and staffers resigned in December.
The new resignations, announced Jan. 2, include:
- Brigitta Mueller, MD, chief patient safety officer and vice president of medical affairs
- Sylvia Ameen, vice president of marketing, communications and culture / physician engagement
- Gerhard Ziemer, MD, PhD, director of the Heart Institute and chief of cardiovascular surgery
Ziemer was only appointed as director of the program in August.
“While Dr. Ziemer is not responsible for the current state of the program, we agree that a fresh start is needed to ensure success for the program. We wish him well in his future endeavors,” reads a message from Kevin Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Several other executives and staffers will step up to fill these roles, according to the statement. In addition, Johns Hopkins has brought on William Greeley, MD, former president of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Practice Association and president of the medical staff at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, as a consultant. Scott Bradley, MD, from the Medical University of South Carolina, and Bill Mahle, MD, division director of cardiology in the department of pediatrics at the Emory University School of Medicine, will join Greeley.
Beyond All Children’s Hospital, The Tampa Bay Times also found that Johns Hopkins in Baltimore and five sister hospitals made preventable errors or skirted safety rules in at least nine recent cases. The incidents are in stark contrast to Johns Hopkins’ well-known national reputation as a top health system, in particular because the hospital invented a safety checklist that has been touted as a life-saver for thousands.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."