Chapter 11 - THE ATTACK ON MY CAREER
The attempt to remove me began with an anonymous complaint.
It alleged that I had improperly approved vendor payments, concealed a conflict of interest, and used my position to influence foundation spending.
The complaint was submitted to the hospital board and the medical staff review committee.
It also included selected pages from the forged authorizations.
The timing was deliberate.
The hospital was preparing to announce the external audit, and the board was under pressure to reassure donors that the institution remained trustworthy.
If I were suspended before the evidence was examined, the public might assume the allegations were true.
I asked the board to appoint an independent reviewer with no connection to the disputed transactions.
I also requested that the hospital preserve my clinical privileges while the review proceeded, subject to the same patient-safety standards applied to every physician.
The request was approved.
For several days, reporters waited outside the hospital.
Some colleagues avoided me.
Others offered quiet support.
My department continued functioning because I refused to let the investigation become an excuse to neglect our patients.
Then I received an unexpected visit from the hospital's chief executive.
He closed the door and sat across from me.
"We've found evidence that the complaint was assembled from documents created after the investigation began," he said.
"Does that mean the allegations are false?"
"It means we cannot rely on the complaint as submitted. The underlying financial records still need to be examined."
I appreciated his caution.
A fair investigation could not depend on whether the accused person was popular or respected.
It had to depend on evidence.
Later that evening, the medical staff committee confirmed that no clinical misconduct had been established against me.
My operating schedule remained unchanged.
The decision was not a declaration that every financial question had been resolved.
It was a recognition that an allegation alone was not enough to remove a surgeon from patient care.
For the first time in weeks, I felt the ground beneath me steady.
Then a reporter called Miriam with a question that changed everything.
The reporter had received a photograph of Serena wearing my Cartier necklace.
Beside the photograph was a handwritten note.
Ask Dr. Mercer who paid for the jewelry.
Miriam sent me the image.
I enlarged the note.
May you like
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Grant's.
