Patient care at University Hospital's neurosurgery division could be severely affected by the resignation of all six of the program's residents and the possible departure of most of its faculty.
"Right at this second there are no residents," said Blaine Rawson, whose resignation as a resident is effective Thursday. "That means faculty members are having to take calls at home because there's no one johnny-on-the-spot in intensive care or in the emergency room."
Neurosurgeons perform surgeries on the spine or brain. Residents are students who have earned a medical degree and are training in specialty areas.
Marcus Keep, one of six neurosurgeons in the division and an associate professor in the School of Medicine, said the residents' exodus has left UNM Hospital understaffed for trauma cases in the short term. Where once there were 11 practitioners able to perform neurosurgical procedures, now there are five.
"It is my understanding that the (UNM) E.R. is turning away patients with trauma from other facilities," Keep said. "Obviously if someone gets shot in the head in our parking lot, we're going to take them. But otherwise, (the patients) may well have to go somewhere else."
Hospital spokesman Sam Giammo said an effort is underway to recruit neurosurgeons locally and nationally to fill any voids caused by the resignations.
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"The intent is to have some on board before anyone actually leaves," Giammo said.
He said he doesn't know how many of the division's faculty members are resigning, but that at least one neurosurgeon has already been contracted to fill in temporarily.
UNM policy states faculty members must remain on the job for 120 days after their resignations have been submitted. Residents must stay for 30 days.
Keep tendered his resignation a few weeks ago, he said.
UNM Hospital has the state's only Level I trauma program, which reflects a facility's ability to quickly treat traumatic injuries.
Residents and faculty members said the resignations could jeopardize the hospital's Level I designation.
"But that will be up to the accrediting body when they come next month," Rawson said.
Giammo said Paul Roth, dean of the medical school, is confident the hospital will maintain its Level I designation.
Roth did not return Lobo telephone calls Thursday or Friday. He was traveling Sunday and could not be reached for comment.
Keep said all the residents and faculty have resigned or plan to because Bruce Storrs, the division's chief, was recently demoted.
Storrs came to UNM from Stanford University in July of 1999, and was responsible for much of the division's success, Keep said, adding Storrs was an "excellent leader with superb management skills."
Roth demoted Storrs for "unknown reasons," Keep said.
Storrs worked to build the program's capabilities other than trauma, such as treating Parkinson's disease, aneurisms and spinal cord problems, Keep said.
"Trauma care is important," he said. "But the people of New Mexico who don't have insurance have needs beyond trauma."
UNM Hospital's mandate is to treat the uninsured, Keep said, but administrative support for such care has been "fairly anemic."
Rawson said Storrs often point out areas where the division could improve, which made him a "thorn in the administration's side."
Storrs was out of town over the weekend and could not be reached for comment.
Administrators asked that the division meet certain financial requirements, Rawson said, but billing discrepancies made it appear the program had fallen short.
"It seems that, of what the neurosurgeons submitted, very little was collected," he said. "I don't know why that is. The neurosurgeons certainly were doing the services."
The primary reason for the residents' departure is a perceived decline in the quality of education with Storrs' demotion, Rawson said.
"We want to be great neurosurgeons," he said. "This is not blind loyalty. We want to learn from the best, and I don't think we can get that here now. It seems like the residency program will probably dissolve."
Giammo said Roth has offered the position of division chief to neurosurgery faculty member Paul Turner, but did not know if Turner accepted.
Keep said the position was offered to all the faculty members, but everyone declined.
