Complaints to the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education paint a hostile environment for neurosurgery residents at Detroit Medical Center, according to The Detroit News.
Five key points:
1. The complaints, outlined in a letter dated July 2, allege the hospital discouraged neurosurgery residents from reporting safety concerns. It also describes instances of being bullied and accuses the program of forcing the residents to work excessive hours.
2. ACGME sent the letter to the neurological surgery program director and Graduate Medical Education institutional officer at DMC in July and requested a response to four allegations. The complaints have not been made public, but the July letter describes an "atmosphere of intimidation, overwork and coercion to hide clinical concerns that might have put patient safety at risk."
3. In September, ACGME inspected the program and decided to withdraw its accreditation for DMC's neurosurgery residency; the program is set to end June 30, 2020.
4. The hospital initially said it would not appeal the decision, but on Nov. 13 CEO Tony Tedeschi, MD, said it would move forward with the appeal and plans to maintain the program.
5. The neurosurgery residency program is now under new leadership.