Adena Health will end our agreement between Adena Regional Medical Center and Anthem Medicare Advantage/Anthem Medicaid Advantage on November 2, 2023. Learn More

Welcome to Setting the Record Straight


Let us set the record straight. This page provides the facts to clarify false claims made against Adena Health on social media. We will not address personal attacks, personnel matters, or protected patient information. We will, however, respond to misinformation that reflects our ability to care for patients.

We want to set the record straight for you. Consider this page your resource for truth and legitimacy.

Setting the Record Straight on the Cardiovascular Program

September 13, 2023

Adena Health’s cardiovascular program will be working with HealthLinx over the next six months to evaluate all aspects of its program. As quality of care and patient safety remain top priorities, Adena Health looks to evaluate its cardiovascular program from a 3rd party perspective to have an objective view to validate what the program is doing well and where there may be opportunities. This includes an assessment of services performed, quality metrics, financial viability, patient experience, staffing, and more.

Adena Health’s relationship with HealthLinx is not the result of any recommendation from its accrediting organizations (i.e. The Joint Commission). In fact, those regulatory bodies have given the health system’s program passing marks and feedback stating the program goes above and beyond what is required.

Adena’s cardiovascular program has experienced tremendous growth in recent years providing advanced services that are keeping patients and their families closer to home. The program is also poised for additional growth with a new hybrid operating room and expanded intensive care unit coming soon to Adena Regional Medical Center, so now is the right time for an evaluation of the program. 

We look forward to HealthLinx’s work alongside our teams of cardiovascular experts in taking our program to the next level and to best serve patients throughout Adena’s nine county service region.


Rumors of Adena Layoffs

September 7, 2023

Misinformation:

There are 150 layoffs pending at Adena Health.

Fact:

We have not formulated the budget or staffing levels for 2024. As with any health care system across the country, Adena Health undergoes an annual operational and budget analysis process, during which we review multiple factors, such as acuity, payer mix, and volumes. We have just kicked off this process for 2024 and any speculations about specific staffing adjustments are without merit.

As a faith-based organization, Adena Health prides itself on truth and transparency. Modifications of staffing levels affect the core of our mission—to care for the patients in our nine-county region. We are committed to the valued caregivers who allow us to carry out that mission. As part of that commitment, it is Adena Health’s practice, whenever possible, to share staffing changes in advance of an effective date, and make every effort to accommodate impacted caregivers. Please also note that we do not, and will not, share news that affects Adena Health, its patients, or our caregivers, with sensationalized social media sites or uncredited, biased tabloid publications, nor should they be regarded as credible sources.


Adena Lab Results

September 7, 2023

Misinformation:

Adena Lab equipment showed incorrect and faulty numbers, leaving patients at risk for misdiagnoses.

Fact:

Adena Laboratory caregivers take patient safety very seriously. At the beginning of 2018, the Adena Health laboratories replaced multiple analyzers, along with an automation system that was a combination of a specimen delivery system and middleware computer software. 

As part of the installation, the analyzers, middleware software, and Laboratory Information System (LIS) were rigorously tested. In February 2018, a few physicians reported that there were questionable urine creatinine results for some patients. Adena Health immediately instigated an investigation, which involved the manufacturer of the analyzers, middleware software, the root cause analysis team, and laboratory leadership. 

The entire process, from the pre-analytical to post-analytical testing, was reviewed. The manufacturer determined that a value setting had been incorrectly keyed in to the analyzers. 

All instrument flags and warnings were verified prior to patient use, per mandatory validation requirements. Verifications were conducted by multiple sources, as were the approvals, to ensure that items capable of being produced during test simulations were verified. 

The College of American Pathologist (CAP) inspected all analyzer and middleware validations/approvals for accuracy in 2018, and has done so for all subsequent inspections. Caregivers  also completed additional training to help review results/instruments flags that required manual review prior to result release per Clinical & Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI), CAP, and the Joint Commission requirements. The manufacturer completed all follow-up elements, per federal requirements and Federal Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. Impacted patients and providers were notified and results updated. 

Adena laboratory caregivers and leadership have a never-ending dedication to our patients, supported by extensive training, college educations, adherence to regulatory requirements, and board certifications issued by the American Society of Clinical Pathologist (ASCP). Outside of regular inspections by CAP, all laboratory-testing sites participate in Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-approved proficiency testing programs multiple times a year to ensure that analyzer and test processes are accurate.


Class Action Lawsuit Statement

August 30, 2023

Adena Health’s focus to provide top-rated patient care is supported by the importance of the health and well-being of our providers and employees. While we cannot speak about the details of pending litigation, we’re confident that our policies follow all labor law guidelines.

 

Adena Health Not Experiencing Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease

August 28, 2023

Contrary to some reports, there has been no Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at Adena Health.

 

Misinformation:

Adena Regional Medical Center is experiencing an outbreak of Legionnaires disease, and is not disclosing information to patients, patient families, visitors, employees, or local and state health officials.

Fact:

Neither Adena Regional Medical Center, nor any Adena facility, is experiencing an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. When an Adena laboratory result is positive for Legionella, the result is automatically uploaded to the Ohio Department of Health’s Disease Reporting System, as well as the county of residence health department. A full investigation is conducted for all positive results by the Ohio Department of Health.  

Adena recently tested, reported, and treated positive Legionella cases, but all cases are considered to be community-acquired, not hospital-acquired. As of August 28, the Ross County Health District has reported no presumptive health care- associated cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Ross County residents in 2023. In the last decade, there have been no general Legionella outbreaks or health care-associated outbreaks of Legionella in Ross County. 

Adena follows all CMS regulations and CDC toolkit guidelines for its water management programs. Legionnaires’ disease is not transmitted by person-to-person contact. Patients, visitors, and employees can have complete confidence with receiving care at Adena facilities. 

 

Update on Adena Health Physician Turnover

August 25, 2023

Misinformation:

Adena Health is having a difficult time replacing physicians who have left the system.  In addition, Ensemble Health Partners, Adena’s revenue cycle management ally, will soon be running Adena Regional Medical Center because of the number additional Adena staff who recently joined Ensemble Health Partners.

Fact:

The rotation of physicians and clinical staff is standard in health care settings, and Adena Health is no exception. Adena’s 2023 projections call for a 12.5% physician turnover rate.  As of July 2023—more than halfway through the year—Adena’s physician turnover actual rate is 6.01%—less than half the anticipated rate and far below the national benchmark. Moreover, Adena continues its growth strategy, as nine physicians of varying specialties have committed to joining Adena by the end of the year, complementing the system’s already robust array of dedicated physicians.

In an effort to reduce costs, increase revenue, and enhance quality of care, Adena Health continues to work with Ensemble Health Partners. Five caregivers from Adena’s utilization review department recently will transition to Ensemble Health Partners on September 1; the change affected approximately .001% of the Adena workforce. The new members of the Ensemble Health Partners staff enjoy comparable pay, benefits, and PTO as they had with Adena.

Notably, at the request of many former Adena staff, the organization initiated its popular “Come Back to Adena” campaign, which welcomes former caregivers to return to employment with Adena Health within 12 months of their departure dates. Caregivers who do so are eligible to resume their previous years of service upon rehire. Thus far, the campaign has been very successful.  

Adena Health’s human resources department is proud to follow industry best practices as it relates to policies, procedures, and benchmarks for success.

Anthem Medicare Advantage and Anthem Medicaid Update

August 18, 2023

Adena Health has been in negotiation with Anthem Medicare Advantage and Anthem Medicaid to find a fair rate that appropriately covers Adena’s cost of care. In addition, unpaid claims, denials, and delays by Anthem, as well as its administrative burdens and vague reimbursement policies, don’t align with Adena Health’s mission, vision, or values. Unfortunately, conversations have not been productive. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to terminate the agreement between Adena Regional Medical Center and Anthem Medicare Advantage Plan and Anthem Medicaid Advantage, effective November 2, 2023.

Please visit www.adena.org/anthem for details about the termination, including information about patient Medicare and Medicaid options.

Security Alert

August 9, 2023

 

Adena Health has issue the following security alert and encourages caregivers, patients, and visitors to take extreme caution. 

The following individuals are responsible for the social media attacks, posts, threats, misinformation, and malicious behavior against Adena on the “Blimp Arms” Facebook platform.

Jonathan Pippin: a convicted felon who has been the subject of a previous Adena security alert. 

Click here for photos and background on Jonathan Pippin.

Derek Myers: the editor of the Scioto Valley Guardian, brought up on felony wiretapping charges and numerous misdemeanors in various Ohio counties.  

 

Dr. James Manazer: a former vascular surgeon with Adena Health.

 

Pippin, Myers, and Manazer are restricted from Adena Health property except for emergency medical treatment. If these malicious actors are seen at any Adena location, please contact security at 740-779-7505:

It is critical to be vigilant regarding any activities originating from these individuals. 

Investigations and verification of obtained data are ongoing to identify additional individuals participating in and promoting recent attacks against the organization.

These individuals have been known to act under different identities and names, including:

Aliases: Jonathan Pittman, Jonathan Grey, Jonathan Hoch, Jonathan MP, Jon Hugh, Jo Michael, Paige Winston, Don Tucker, Arnold Robertson, Green Cleaners LLC, Speak Up Chillicothe, DJ Law, J M, SnazzyManazzy 

Email Addresses: dvine.wine.16@facebook.com, djlaw04@gmail.com, jm00177673@gmail.com, manazer.0019@mailmenow.com, jonathanmp2014@gmail.com, speakupchillicothe@gmail.com, greencleaningllc893@gmail.com, jpippin231@gmail.com 

Cyber criminals’ motivation is to gain access to sensitive information, which in this case can cause significant disruption and damage to the lives of our patients, caregivers and communities.  These malicious actors will go to great lengths in an attempt to trick our caregivers into giving up credentials, access, confidential information, etc.  Some areas to be aware of include: 

  • Suspicious e-mail messages – don’t click on links originating from outside the organization unless you are certain they involve Adena business
  • Suspicious actions taken by others such as using a personally owned USB thumb drives or other storage device on an Adena computer
  • Suspicious text messages
  • Suspicious phone calls or voicemails
  • Suspicious behaviors from people that you may see
  • A person without a badge who is in a restricted area

Organizational Announcement

August 8, 2023

Adena Health takes very seriously the integrity of our organization and our code of conduct.  As part of that, we follow closely strict policies and procedures to ensure the safety of our patients and caregivers and investigate any claims that indicate a violation of the code of conduct.  

As a result, effective today Dr. Gus Barrazueta has been terminated from the organization.  

The Adena Orthopedic and Spine Institute staff is contacting his patients to ensure continuity of care. 

A Message from Adena Health CEO Jeff Graham

Some of you have stopped me in the hall today wondering why the trial we anticipated didn’t proceed as planned. If you get your news from social media, you won’t get the real reason, so I want to help clear this up.  In recent weeks, the court dismissed virtually all of the claims made by the doctors who organized the group departure from Adena. Days before trial, the doctors appealed the trial court’s ruling - again. The doctor’s appeal affected the court’s ability to proceed with the trial. To be clear, Adena did not push this result - we were, and remain ready to try the case. Adena did summarize Ohio case law on whether the court could proceed with a trial while the case was on appeal. After hearing from parties on both sides of the lawsuit in a teleconference, the court ordered the trial delayed until the appeal was handled. You will hear from others trying to spin this matter to make it seem that Adena caused the delay but that is simply not true.  In fact, in the teleconference, defendants agreed the case could not proceed.

Adena looks forward to proving its allegations once the case returns from the court of appeals. In the meantime, please continue to reach out to Setting the Record Straight in order to get to the truth regarding what’s happening. You are welcome to share the link for Setting the Record Straight with your friends and family. While some wish this would all just go away, know that I will continue to vigorously defend Adena against those who would do it harm. Thank you for your continued efforts to provide quality healthcare to the patients and communities we serve.

July 31 Update

In recent weeks, the court granted Adena’s request and dismissed most of the former Adena Health doctors’ claims in the litigation. The former doctors appealed the ruling, which affected the court’s ability to proceed with the trial.  Adena Health looks forward to proving its allegations once the case returns from the court of appeals.  Our focus will continue to be providing quality health care to the residents of Ohio.

Setting the Record Straight about TAVR Procedures at Adena Health

Misinformation: 

Social media posts and news reports say one of two doctors who performed a transcatheter aortic valve replacement, or TAVR, at Adena in March 2022, lacked the credentials to do so.  

Fact: 

Both doctors were credentialed to practice at Adena before the TAVR procedure was conducted and both continue to be credentialed. Furthermore, both had privileges to perform TAVR at Adena and both continue to have those rights. In fact, one of the doctors trains surgeons nationally and internationally on the procedure.

Background: 

Credentialing is a process in which a hospital verifies that a medical professional has the qualifications, training, and ability to practice medicine. The process is designed to answer a series of procedural questions about applicants, including: Did they successfully complete their medical education? Do they possess the appropriate medical license? Do they have malpractice insurance? In brief, credentials enable medical professionals to practice their craft in the hospitals that issue them. 

Privileges, meanwhile, are granted by a hospital to credentialed medical professionals, permitting them to perform specific tasks while practicing at the hospital. For example, a general surgeon might have privileges to perform appendectomies and hernia surgeries. That means that the surgeon has successfully completed the performance requirements to conduct those procedures as established by national medical associations and verified by the hospital. Additionally, it means that the surgeon can perform only those procedures while practicing at the hospital.  

Like most hospitals, the issuing of credentials and privileges at Adena undergoes multiple layers of review and approval, including the credentialing and medical executive committees and the hospital board. 

Watch Dr. Freeman of Adena’s credentialing committee explain the differences between credentials, privileges, and the importance of both.


What Is Physician Credentialing?

Adena Health Credentialing and Privileging Process for TAVR

Setting the Record Straight about Quality Standards at Adena Health

The Joint Commission Accreditation Logo

Misinformation: 

Anonymous social media pages and tabloid web sites posing as media outlets have accused Adena Health of violating quality standards and compromising patient care.

Fact: 

The Joint Commission recently evaluated Adena Regional Medical Center on the basis of those allegations and found the Adena Health to be in compliance with the specific elements of performance, as related to the misinformation.

Adena Health is committed to “Zero Harm” and places quality and safety as the top priorities for the care we provide. We are committed to providing care of the highest quality in a safe, healing, and patient-centered environment. We follow evidence-based best practices and processes that decrease harm to our patients and caregivers.

Adena Health’s commitment to those priorities allows our caregivers to deliver the best possible patient outcomes.


 

Setting the Record Straight about Adena Health Land Purchases

Misinformation:

A news report says that Adena Health purchased real estate in 2021 without the knowledge and approval of its board of trustees.

Fact:

Adena’s board approved the transaction in March 2021.

Background:

Maximum Properties, LLC, a subsidiary of Adena Health System, purchased 52.14 acres immediately north of 1264 Hospital Road in Chillicothe for $3.5 million in August 2021. A presentation about the purchase was made to the board in  March 2021, which recommended the full board approve the transaction. All board members voted in favor. 

Cushman & Wakefield, Adena’s broker, estimated the price of the property could be as high as $3.7 million or approximately $70,345 per acre, based on recent purchases in the area. Additionally, the broker was able to determine during the purchase process that another bidder on the property was a medical provider. Cushman & Wakefield, however, was not able to obtain the name of the medical provider.

Adena Health was also in compliance with its policies and procedures when it purchased land in Circleville in 2020. Maximum purchased 10.5 acres at Circle Drive and U.S. Rt. 23 for $2.35 million in November 2020. A presentation about the purchase was made to the board finance committee in October 2018, but negotiations were suspended in May 2020 because of the COVID pandemic. The purchase process resumed in August 2020 and the board unanimously approved the purchase in October 2020.