Ventura County Judge Denies Physicians’ Call for Temporary Order in Hospital Policy Case
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Henry Walsh yesterday ruled against doctors from Community Memorial Hospital who were seeking an order to force administrators immediately to suspend policies that physicians say are unfair, the Ventura County Star reports (Wilson, Ventura County Star, 5/6). Since 2002, hospital administrators and doctors have disagreed about the policies, which physicians say are an "erosion of their traditional rights," the Los Angeles Times reports. Physicians say that hospital administrators "tried to rig the November staff election, adopted an 18-page code of conduct to muzzle opponents, implemented a conflict of interest policy to disqualify select physicians from leadership positions and illegally allowed physicians to practice at the hospital without the staff's review," according to the Times. Physicians filed a lawsuit on April 24 after failed attempts at mediation. Walsh ruled that doctors did not prove that the hospital rules cause "risk of irreparable harm" (Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 5/6). However, he said the new code of conduct "went too far" (Ventura County Star, 5/6). Walsh did not issue rulings on any of the case's main issues and set the next hearing for May 27 (Los Angeles Times, 5/6).
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