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Respiratory therapists sound alarm after Mercy freestanding ERs remove RTs; board takes comments for information
Summary
Respiratory therapists and the Arkansas Society for Respiratory Care told the board Mercy's freestanding ERs have removed RT staff and replaced them with physician/RN teams; Mercy leadership said ventilatory support is provided by RNs and physicians and patients are transferred to main campuses as needed. The board took the appearance for information and suggested nursing and accreditation review.
Respiratory therapists and representatives of the Arkansas Society for Respiratory Care told the Arkansas State Medical Board they are concerned Mercy's freestanding emergency rooms have removed respiratory therapist staffing and replaced those roles with registered nurses and physicians.
Jessica Alphen, president of the state society, said therapists were called in and let go with short notice and that the change was implemented across Mercy's freestanding ERs; the society argued that a lower-skill RN model could leave critically ill patients at risk, especially when ventilator manipulation and rapid airway management are needed. "We have great concerns," Alphen told the board, adding that the society has recordings and testimony about how the staff change occurred.
Mercy's chief medical officer, Dr. Bhakta, and the chief nursing officer told the board Mercy maintains RN staffing with physicians in freestanding ERs, and said emergent ventilatory support and intubation are handled by physicians and RNs; patients needing more complex respiratory care are transferred quickly to the main campus where RTs are available 24/7. Mercy also cited state regulation permitting qualified assistants to perform some respiratory services under supervision.
The board declined to adjudicate scope-of-practice issues for nursing or hospital staffing—those fall under the nursing board and accreditation agencies (Joint Commission). It took Mercy's presentation and the therapists' concerns for information and advised that those with regulatory concerns pursue the nursing board or accreditation channels.
What happens next: The board recorded the testimony and urged therapists to take specific concerns to the nursing board and Joint Commission; it will accept further formal complaints if patients' safety concerns arise.
