Update: Fight In Friend Over Doctor's Suspension Coming To End?

Since many Dorchester residents receive their health care services in Friend, we felt it was important to mention an update in today's Lincoln Journal Star.

As some of our readers know, Friend's hospital board voted in 2006 to suspend Dr. Robert McKeeman's hospital privileges. Last month, the board reaffirmed its position to prohibit the town's longtime doctor from seeing patients at Warren Memorial Hospital. Today, however, the Lincoln newspaper reports that McKeeman may be able to treat patients at the hospital again soon.

"Friend mayor and Warren Memorial Hospital board member Jim Vossler said Wednesday that the five-member board was working to restore the hospital privileges" of McKeeman. “We are working every day to get him reinstated. It’s just a matter of some little legal technicalities with some lawyers,” Vossler said.

According to the Journal Star, "McKeeman was barred from performing surgeries and admitting patients to the hospital and emergency room in January 2006. Then-administrator Amy Fish cited 'quality of care issues' as the reason for the suspension. A closed hearing was held at McKeeman’s request, and Dr. Louis Burgher of Omaha recommended that McKeeman be given the chance to resign or face a two-year suspension. McKeeman declined to resign, and the hospital board voted in July 2006 to suspend his hospital privileges for three years.

"Those three years aren’t yet up, but things have changed since last summer. In April, Fish resigned, and in May, a new CEO, John Wilson, took her place. In July, two of the hospital board members who voted to continue McKeeman’s suspension — Gary Tuttle and Jim Niemeier — resigned, as did the only other doctor on staff at Warren Memorial Hospital in Friend, William Dailey. And the hospital has lost patients in the last year, Vossler said, as those loyal to McKeeman have gone elsewhere. The nursing home has suffered too, Wilson said. Although the care center has space for 56 residents, just 33 people live there. “'We have financial problems,' Vossler said. 'We need to get more patients in there.'

"Sarah Yokel, a former Warren Memorial Hospital administrator who attended Tuesday’s meeting, said she feared that some people had forgotten about the original issue – McKeeman’s suspension – once they realized that the hospital could close. Yokel said she believed the hospital board had good reason for suspending McKeeman. During the 23 years that she worked at the hospital, she said, she noticed issues with the quality of care McKeeman was providing, though she declined to elaborate. But like just about everyone in Friend, Yokel wants the community of 1,200 to keep its hospital. And for the hospital to remain open, Vossler said, it’s going to need more patients.

"Although the ordeal has been painful and embarrassing, McKeeman said he would return to the Friend hospital. 'I am gratified than an attempt is being made to reinstate my privileges and the clear my name,' he said."