February 2007 | Back to Table of Contents

Letters

Story Omitted Key Fact

I read your article “Take a Number” in the January issue of Minnesota Medicine (p.26) and felt it was informative with factual input from many sources. The article included a recounting of the tragic case of Stephen Miles, though it failed to include key information from Fairview Southdale Hospital and the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).

Acting on behalf of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, MDH, an objective third party, performed a thorough investigation of this case and found the care provided at Fairview Southdale was “appropriate.” Including this information would have made a more balanced story. We would have been glad to discuss this with you had we been contacted.

As a practicing emergency physician for 22 years at Fairview Southdale, I take pride, as does every other emergency physician in Minnesota, to provide the best care for our mental health patients. We often go to extraordinary lengths to ensure their safety and their health, despite a dearth of resources, as reported in your article.

It is my sincere hope that hospital systems, payers, lawmakers, and providers in Minnesota are all able to learn from this tragic case and set a new course with dedicated resources to meet the needs of all mental health patients in this state as soon as possible.

John R. Schaefer, M.D.
Medical Director
Fairview Southdale Hospital Emergency Department, Edina

We agree that the fact that a federal investigation cleared Fairview Southdale Hospital of wrongdoing in this case should have been included in this story. We sincerely regret this omission.

Editors
Minnesota Medicine