Doctor in bias suit was asked to resign
Beth Israel head cites management style
Dr. Josef E. Fischer, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's controversial chief of surgery, was asked to resign because his management style was no longer appropriate for the hospital, chief executive Paul Levy said yesterday.
Fischer's resignation late last month occurred during a difficult year. In March, the former chairwoman of the anesthesia department filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against him, Levy, and the hospital. More recently, some hospital executives discovered that Fischer had been using surgery department funds to pay his wife for organizing department events, helping new surgeons find homes, and showing their families around Boston.
Levy said in an interview yesterday that no single event or problem caused him to ask Fischer, a nationally-known leader in the field, to step down. Levy's decision came before a series of surgical mishaps at the hospital in late June.
Levy credited Fischer, 71, with helping turn around the financially-struggling Harvard teaching hospital after he was hired in 2001, by recruiting dozens of surgeons from across the country. But, Levy said, now that Beth Israel Deaconess is on sure footing, "a different type of leader is required for the future."
"Dr. Fischer made very important contributions to this hospital, but over time it became clear that his approach to managing the department was not consistent with our current direction and emphasis," Levy said. "I asked for his resignation."
Fischer wrote a letter of resignation to Levy dated June 27, saying it was effective immediately.
Fischer, whose contract would have expired in September 2009, said in a phone interview yesterday that he did nothing inappropriate and that he disagreed with the characterization that he was asked to resign. "I stepped down because of a lot of issues, but basically it wasn't fun anymore," he said. "I and a number of other people saved the BID [Beth Israel Deaconess]. When I took over, someone like myself was necessary. Things change."
Hospital spokeswoman Judy Glasser said she could not comment on whether Fischer was given a severance package. He remains a professor at Harvard Medical School but no longer has clinical privileges to see patients at Beth Israel Deaconess.
In the past month, the hospital has dealt with two serious incidents in the surgery department. On June 27, Dr. Loren Borud, who has a history of alcohol and drug abuse, allegedly operated on two patients while impaired; he was later fired by the hospital. On June 30 an experienced surgeon operated on the wrong side of a patient during an orthopedic procedure. Both incidents occurred after Fischer told his staff on June 25 that he was stepping down.
"The combination of an active clinical practice and my national responsibilities has taken a physical and emotional toll," he told his department, according to the text of his remarks provided by the hospital. In October 2006, Fischer became chairman of the American College of Surgeons Board of Regents; he is currently editing a major surgery textbook.
Soon after he arrived at Beth Israel Deaconess, Fischer became a lightning-rod at the hospital. He was widely considered a good mentor and inspired loyalty in many of the surgeons he recruited. This year, Fischer won the American Surgical Association's medallion for scientific achievement.
But some say Fischer made enemies with his combative, hard-driving, and demeaning style. Dr. Carol Warfield, former chairwoman of anesthesia, filed a lawsuit this year, saying she endured years of abuse and sexist treatment by Fischer.
"I agree I have a certain style," Fischer said in the interview. Surgeons, he said, "have very strong egos and by nature are not collaborative," and it requires a firm hand to get them to "fly in formation."
"What you have to do is to switch styles when you go outside of the department and deal with nonsurgeons. That is very difficult to do, and I don't do it very well."
Fischer said some doctors and administrators at the hospital knew about and approved of the arrangement he had with his wife. He said they have returned the money she was paid, about $12,000 a year. "I recruited 48 surgeons," he said. "Who is going to help them find a place to live and tell them about the town? That was absolutely essential to getting the department together. She worked very hard for that money."
Liz Kowalczyk can be reached at kowalczyk@globe.com. 