MU ends “refer and follow” privileges at Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri responded Thursday to the University of Missouri Health System apparently ending “refer and follow” privileges. (Read the full news releases at the end of this story.)

An executive committee at MU Health voted unanimously to end the privileges effective December 1.

Last month, a Senate panel brought into question if the MU doctor had privileges at a hospital within 15 miles of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia.

The review of MU Healthcare policies and privileges was prompted by questions by lawmakers and the public to MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin.

As part of the review, MU Health is proposing changes to its privileging process that will include an additional review of the contributions applicants will make the MU Health’s “missions of providing patient and family-centered care, high-quality professional education, and research.”

Missouri law states the doctor must have admitting privileges and if the doctor performs an abortion without those admitting privileges and is not within 30 miles of the hospital, it is a Class A misdemeanor.

Planned Parenthood said, “We are outraged that MU Health Care caved to the political pressure from Senator Kurt Schaefer’s “Sanctity of Life” Committee and has eliminated refer and follow privileges for physicians. This is a continuation of the orchestrated attempt to restrict access to safe, legal abortion in Missouri and to the critical services Planned Parenthood has provided for nearly 100 years.”

The organization went on to say, “We condemn MU Health Care for abusing public trust by denying the community access to the health care they deserve, despite their core mission to advance patient-centered care and promote the health and well-being of all Missourians.”

This is the full news release from MU Health Care:

“After a review of University of Missouri Health Care policies and procedures, the executive committee of the medical staff of MU Health Care voted unanimously to discontinue “refer and follow” as a category of privileges at MU Health Care facilities. The change will be effective Dec.1, 2015.

The review of MU Health Care policies and privileges was prompted by inquiries from various members of the legislature and public to MU’s chancellor. Chancellor Loftin then asked the medical staff, many of whom are also faculty, to review these policies and make recommendations.

“Of the 800 members of MU Health Care’s medical staff,two medical providers had refer and follow privileges,” said Steve Whitt, chief medical officer of MU Health Care and a member of the executive committee. “Refer and follow privileges only allow physicians to access their own patients’ information.This level of access to patient information is already permitted by any referring provider, including those not on MU Health Care’s medical staff; therefore, the designation of refer and follow privileges was outdated and unnecessary.”

As part of its review, MU Health Care is also proposing changes to its privileging process that will include additional review of the contributions applicants will make to MU Health Care’s multiple missions of providing exemplary patient and family-centered care, high-quality professional education and research.

As part of the decision-making process, the proposed changes have been forwarded to MU Health Care’s eligible voting medical staff members for comment. At the conclusion of the comment period, the executive committee will consider all information, including suggestions and comments from these members of the medical staff, prior to voting on these revisions.

The proposed changes to the Credentials Procedure Manual are intended to help officials confirm that providers who are not MU employees meet the qualifications for privileges while also contributing to the three missions of MU Health Care and the University of Missouri.” End of statement

This is the news release/statement from Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri President and CEO Laura McQuade:

“We are outraged that MU Health Care caved to the political pressure from Senator Kurt Schaefer’s “Sanctity of Life” Committee and has eliminated refer and follow privileges for physicians. This is a continuation of the orchestrated attempt to restrict access to safe, legal abortion in Missouri and to the critical services Planned Parenthood has provided for nearly 100 years.

We condemn MU Health Care for abusing public trust by denying the community access to the health care they deserve, despite their core mission to advance patient-centered care and promote the health and well-being of all Missourians.

The MU Health Care system’s claim that refer and follow privileges are “outdated and unnecessary” is simply not true. These privileges are increasingly used in hospitals across the country to allow physicians who seldom or never need to admit patients to a hospital the ability to maintain staff privileges. Referring physicians can then follow their patients’ progress if ever needed, but the attending physician at the hospital provides the necessary patient care.

MU Health Care’s decision puts politics above patients and is also a violation of longstanding federal law that prohibits discrimination in the extension of staff or other hospital privileges based on opposition to abortion.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri is proud to support women and families making their own health care decisions, and will take any and all legal action necessary to ensure that the full range of high quality reproductive health care services, including abortion, remain legal, available, and accessible in our state.” End of statement