Dr. Siddiqui and Emergency Room Doctors Resign from Copper Basin Medical Center

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Dr. Mahmood Siddiqui will resign from emergency room services at Copper Basin Medical Center effective June 12th according to a letter sent to Anna Clark, CEO of Copper Basin Medical Center.  Dr. Siddiqui also manages the practice which provides doctors for the emergency room.  This means that with Dr. Siddiqui’s resignation, the emergency room doctors that Dr. Siddiqui provides will also leave.  There is no word on whether the Emergency Room will be open on Monday, June 13.

In his letter to Ms. Clark, Dr. Siddiqui says that he and his emergency room doctors’ staff have not been paid for six weeks.  He states that he was hoping to work something out with Anna (Anna Clark, CEO) but there has been no response.  He concludes his short letter with Copper Basin Medical Center is “extremely unfortunate to lose such a committed, dedicated group of physicians.”  Dr. Siddiqui has paid at least the emergency room doctors’ salaries with his own money for at least one paycheck period.

Dr. Siddiqui will still keep his Family Clinic practice at Copper Basin.  It is located next to the hospital and the clinic is independent of the hospital.  The staff at the Family Clinic are paid according to services at the clinic.  The Family Clinic staff is not part of Dr. Siddiqui’s emergency room physician staff.

Dr. Siddiqui’s resignation letter follows meetings where he has been called untrustworthy by Ms. Clark. Doug Collins, Chair of Copper Basin Medical Center’s District Board, said that Dr. Siddiqui is the one constant in problems the hospital has been having for several years.  Mr. Collins, later in the meeting, apologized for making the statement.

Attendees gave completely opposite descriptions of Dr. Siddiqui at the meetings. At the May 31st District Board meeting, hospital staff talked about how Dr. Siddiqui has gone to homes to take care of patients and provided some patients with groceries.  Almost all attendees have had Dr. Siddiqui as a doctor for their family, describing him as the community’s friend and the community’s doctor.  Lisa Clark, a Copper Basin Emergency Room nurse, said that Dr. Siddiqui is not a doctor you want to get rid of.

These opposite statements are good examples of the division on Copper Basin Medical Center’s District Board.  Some members believe that Ms. Clark and Mr. Collins are maneuvering the hospital towards better financial security.  Currently the hospital is bleeding money left and right.  These members and Ms. Clark point to Dr. Siddiqui’s medical billing procedures as costing the hospital too much money.  They state that Dr. Siddiqui and his staff are treating some emergency room patients who should be sent to another facility because the patient’s insurance does not cover Copper Basin Medical Center.  Also, they believe that Dr. Siddiqui has been told enough times about how to change his billing procedures and emergency room admittance.  They also state that he has not been signing his patient charts in a timely manner which prevents accurate and timely billing.

The other side believes it is Copper Basin Medical Center’s CEO, Anna Clark, who is causing increased financial turmoil and low staff morale.  They state that employees are not able to contact her and have their questions answered.  Phone calls go unanswered.  Under Ms. Clark’s watch there has been increased layoffs and reduced hours for hospital staff.  Paper trash has been stored inside the hospital because the hospital has not had enough money to pay a document shredding company to pick up the papers. Also, the hospital has had difficulty in meeting recent payrolls.  The Corporate Board, which until May 23rd was the administrative body for the hospital, owes the hospital approximately $140,000 for three rent payments it did not make this year.  Finally, some Board members believe that Ms. Clark is unqualified to be the CEO for the hospital. They believe that she misrepresented her degree from Vanderbilt University and that her previous work experience did not prepare her for her current job.

To Ms. Clark’s credit, she inherited a mountain of financial problems and inaccurate records when she became CEO.  The hospital has been in a worsening financial situation since Murphy Medical left the hospital and drained hospital assets along the way.  The hospital has had more-or-less eight CEOs within the past ten years; no one on the Board was exactly sure of the number. Medicare and Medicaid have become increasingly strict in what they pay and don’t pay for.  Ms. Clark has stated that she is getting the hospital to a point where the District Board can look for an organization to run the hospital.

Ms. Clark’s, Dr. Siddiqui’s and the ER doctors’ employment were to be discussed at the May 31st meeting.  However, Mr. Collins did not follow the agenda at the May 31st meeting.

The Copper Basin Medical Staff, on the other hand, just wants to find a way to work together and keep the hospital open. They want honesty about what is happening at the hospital.  And, they don’t want to choose sides between Dr. Siddiqui and Ms. Clark.  The staff cannot understand why the District Board has had three meetings within nine days and not come up with any concrete plans about what the next step is.

Along with Dr. Siddiqui’s letter of resignation, the District Board members also received notice about committees they will work on to find solutions for the hospital.  These committees were at the request of Doug Collins.  The Executive Committee is Doug Collins, Mitchell Hicks and Bea Tallent.  The Financial Committee is Doug Collins, Mitchell Hicks and Frank Shinpaugh.  The Professional Committee is Doug Collins, Rodney O’Neal and Randy Collins.  Doug Collins will be Chair of each of the committees.  Doug Collins did not place District Board Member Jack Collins on any committee.

Dr. Siddiqui’s resignation and Doug Collin’s committee assignments were all news to District Board members.  They found out about both today, June 7th.  The District Board had not discussed these two items earlier.

FetchYourNews tried to contact Ms. Clark, Dr. Siddiqui and Doug Collins.  Ms. Clark did not return three phone calls and one email.  Dr. Siddiqui’s office manager said that legal counsel advised Dr. Siddiqui to not talk to media.  Mr. Collins did not return his call.

 

See Related Posts:

“District Board Begins Overhauling Copper Basin Medical Center”

“Copper Basin Medical Center Votes to Dissolve Corporate Board”

“Copper Basin Residents Fear Hospital Closing”

 

See Related Videos:

May 23rd meeting: Vote to End Corporate Board

May 24th meeting: Board Makes Plans to Save Copper Basin Medical Center

May 31st meeting:  Copper Basin Medical Center Staff Tell District Board to Fix the Hospital, Not Take Sides

 

 

 

 

 

6 Comments

  1. Ramona Bird June 8, 2016 at 12:05 am

    Dr. Siddiqui was a great doctor for my mom and my family, he really cares about people.It would be a shame to lose him!

  2. Phyllis Melton June 8, 2016 at 9:54 am

    I worked for Dr. Siddiqui for 3 years and I can say that he was one of the most kind caring boss’s I ever had . I had a sister inlaw that had some major medical problems and this was before I went to work for him . I think Dr. Siddiqui was making his rounds (seeing his patient in the hospital ) and he stopped by her room just to see how she was doing not to try an get her for a patient . he had just heard about her condition and how bad she was and he just wanted to check on her and the family . Now how many Doctors would take the time to do that. Most would say its not my patient ! We love you Dr. Siddiqui

  3. Kim Allen June 8, 2016 at 12:21 pm

    Dr. Siddiqui made house calls to see my daddy who was homebound after a stroke.He is a doctor that this world needs more like him!! Copper basin stopped their maternity ward,stopped even fixing a broken bone,if they had a broader range of services they would generate more income.quit sending ppl to Cleveland and Chattanooga and give access at CPMC and u will see a difference

  4. Patti June 8, 2016 at 7:02 pm

    Dr siddiqui is a great caring compassionate doctor and friend. If the hospital looses him it will surely shut down. He was my mom’s dr as well and at her death we kids needed extra money to pay moms final funeral bill and he not only attended her funeral and he was sick himself but he handed us a check in the amount we needed we didn’t ask him God showed him what was needed and he was there for our family…

  5. Susie Cochran June 9, 2016 at 7:33 am

    I worked at CBMC and Dr. Siddiqui was probably the kindest doctor I have ever worked with in my almost 20 year nursing career. He really CARES about people and tries to make their lives better. I have no clue about the financial circumstances at the hospital, but I do know firsthand that this man is a jewel among men. In a field that is more and more about the almighty dollar, it was so refreshing to work with a good man. Sad that this has happened.

  6. Cathy Ross July 31, 2017 at 7:14 pm

    Dr. Siddiqui is the most kind and caring Dr.’s I have ever met. He is my Dr. And even took my daddy home from hospital and stayed with him to settle him in until he left. He wasn’t even a patient he just knew he was my daddy. Man has a great heart. I’ve cried on his shoulder many times. He knows my whole family. I drive from Cleveland just to go there.

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