| Advisory opinion request as to whether the daughter of Patti Ellish, the President and CEO of St. Tammany Parish Hospital, may enter into an independent contractor relationship with a healthcare contractor of the St. Tammany Parish Hospital. |
|
Patti Ellish is the President and CEO of St. Tammany Parish Hospital District #1 d/b/a St. Tammany Parish Hospital ("Hospital"). Ms. Ellish's daughter, Melissa Varnado, is a licensed nurse practitioner and would like to become an independent contractor with St. Tammany Emergency Physicians Group, LLC ("Physicians Group") pursuant to an existing contractual agreement that Physicians Group has with the Hospital to oversee the delivery of medical services in the Hospital's Emergency Department. Physicians Group will not receive a financial subsidy for the professional services provided at the Hospital, and Physicians Group will bill and collect on its own behalf for the professional emergency medicine services they render.
The Hospital's executive team and other staff members will work with the Physicians Group regarding the delivery of services provided pursuant to the contract; however, the Hospital will have no involvement in matters related to the Physicians Group's internal operations or its management or payment to the individual members of its workforce.
All Emergency Department professionals, which include physicians and nurse practitioners, must be approved and accepted by the Hospital prior to providing services as an independent contractor with Physicians Group. The Hospital retains the right to require Physicians Group to dismiss its Emergency Department professionals for unsatisfactory performance.
|
|
La. R.S. 42:1113A(1)(a) prohibits public servants, their immediate family members, or legal entities in which they have a controlling interest, from entering into any contract, subcontract, or other transaction that is under the supervision or jurisdiction of the agency of such public servant.
|
|
|
Adopt the proposed advisory opinion.
|
|
| Assigned Attorney: |
Jennifer Land |
|
|