Click here for Dr. Hinnant's résumé.
Dr. William Hinnant
is President of Semmelweis as of March 2005. He has proved to be a tireless worker for patient safety and physicians' rights. He has written countless letters, proposals and outlines in an effort to reform the HCQIA, highlighting the injustice created by that act and by biased physicians who take advantage of the absolute immunity provided. Here is a sample of his work.
Sept. 28 2004
Dr. Hinnant's letter to Sydney Olson,
Director, Department of Government Relations, American Osteopathic
Association.
"
While there is no one solution to fit all the peer review problems that exist in our country today, I do believe that there are several recommendations that I could make which would insulate physicians from the fear of sham peer review.
"
full letter...
AMENDING THE HCQIA: The entire HCQIA, with suggested amendments added into the document as well as suggested deletions, written by William Hinnant, MD, JD
full document...
Response by Dr. William Hinnant to an article written by Eric Springer, counsel at Horty, Springer & Mattern, a leading law firm representing hospital administrators who have attacked distinguished physicians under the guise of peer review.
full letter...
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Dr. Henry Butler III, MD, FACS
Immediate Past President
Dr.
Butler is the Immediate Past President of the Semmelweis Society, and
member of the Executive Board of Directors. For years, Dr.
Butler has led the effort to reform the Health Care Quality
Improvement Act while seeing to it that no medical school graduate
enters the practice without a healthy understanding of the contractual
obligations that await. By protecting honest physicians we can protect
patients' health. Here is a small collection of his letters and
opinions.
"In my opinion, anything other than M&M is moot, as in legal
proceeding or as in court of law, and American citizens need due
process of law to conduct a proceeding, legal or otherwise.
I met Dr. Waite, founder of Semmelweis Society, at the American
College of Surgeons' Clinical Congress 20 years ago. He had just
successfully sued a nurse for libel, but that is not easily done today
because of HCQIA. The continued use of Medicare funds to sustain libel in
peer review is unconscionable for anyone considering this profession:
The law encourages avoidable bureaucratic waste of American taxpayers'
money. It is time to turn the money changers out of the temple of Medicine.
We can no longer afford having Medicare support spending over 30% of our
hospital funds on hospital administrations which distract doctors from
treating patients.
There is nothing to stop us from improving safety in a non-punitive way, but
first we must stop talking about patients as 'customers' and doctors as
'providers,' because at the end of the day, we are all patients.
Tumor Board is a model for prospective cooperation in peer-review among
physicians: outside experts can be brought in as needed for fairness."
Letter to Congressman Waxman: "I was instructed by Captain Sidney Ranck, by his account on the instruction of Captain Thomas Cullison, NOT to testify on behalf of a Jewish surgeon at a competency hearing being held in Groton, Connecticut."
full story...
Letter to
Eileen P. Keenan,
Investigator,
DoD Inspector General: "It is ironic that I have been censured after trying to improve safety for patients, much as has been reported in the press last month in both civilian and federal medicine "
full story...
Letter to
AMA President, D. Palmisano, JD MD: "Would you support Patrick today, and if so, will you support
State and Federal legislation for independent, impartial peer review..."
full story...
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Treasurer
"As president
of the District of Columbia Conference, American Association of University
Professors (AAUP) (representing 17 colleges and universities in the District
of Columbia) and Chairman of the Faculty Grievance Commission at Howard
University and the College of Medicine, I can be a valuable help and bring
insight, knowledge and wisdom in helping many suffering souls in the
Semmelweis Society as I have done in Washington, DC, and around the nation
with the AAUP. The Semmelweis Society membership will give a broader range
of support for proper peer review and due process. I am proud and
pleased to be a member, officer, board member and a part of such fearless
warriors to help many suffering souls from bad peer review. I am of the
strongest opinion that the Semmelweis Society will be a beacon of light for
others to see, endorse, and be pleased with and proud that it stands for
proper peer review and due process."
Click here for Dr. Holmes' résumé.
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Founder
"Six of my cases were brought up for review by a tissue committee controlled by competitors. A nurse (sic), employed by the Saint Francis Hospital, testified that I had the highest rate of complication. Why such testimony was admitted is a matter of some interest, in itself. Liability for bearing false witness is an important related matter, in itself, and falls under the topic of immunity. Under our gracious new laws, I would not be able to win $500,000 today were a nurse again caught committing libel."
Dr. Waite is a tireless activist for fair peer review for physicians and safe practices for patients. He has written hundreds of letters to congressmen, judges and associations in an effort to address the effects of the Health Care Quality Improvement Act and the dangers for unsuspecting patients and physicians associated with for-profit hospitals. These are a collection of his important letters and opinions.
A Fabricated Review
A Kangaroo Court
Napoleonic Peer Review
Letter to Judge Gadbois
Q & A with AMA President John Clowes