Dr Andrew O’Keefe is an allergist and clinical immunologist who has worked part-time for the health authority since 2014, while running his own community clinic. But he says he can’t do it anymore. “I resigned from Eastern Health because I no longer had the resources to meet the needs of my patients,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he has access to clinic space at Janeway Children’s Hospital to see pediatric patients, but other things he needs to work, such as administrative support, have been reduced. “Those bits of access that we had in the hospital were getting smaller and smaller and it was getting harder and harder to provide proper care to patients.” O’Keefe also said he was unable to secure dedicated space at the Health Sciences Center to see adult patients and work in the full scope of his practice as an allergist and immunologist. “This has become a real issue because some of the procedures that we do, like any medical specialty, again have to be done in the hospital for safety reasons,” O’Keefe said. “Someone could have an allergic reaction, an anaphylactic reaction, and it’s just safer to do it in the hospital where there’s more support if someone gets very sick.” Traditional allergy testing may involve putting drops of diluted allergens on the skin and then irritating the skin with a needle to see what reactions occur. (Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock) O’Keefe also said he would be doing some hospital procedures and would need access to nursing staff, pharmacists to compound medications, the emergency department as backup and management.
The letter of resignation
O’Keefe said he and a colleague proposed creating an allergy and clinical immunology department at the Health Sciences Center, similar to what exists in other provinces, but their requests were never granted. O’Keefe treats and manages patients with food and drug allergies, as well as conditions such as asthma, eczema and people with primary immunodeficiency. Before he established his practice in the province, he says, there was no other board-certified allergist in the province who had completed two years of training in allergy and clinical immunology. “I know the care people need and I have the skills to be able to provide it, but whenever I’ve tried over the last eight years to support my patients in accessing that care, I’ve faced barriers. O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he sent a letter of resignation to Eastern Health on Aug. 18, but will continue to see patients there until mid-January. “I find myself no longer willing to participate in the morally damaging process whereby Eastern Health prevents me from providing the care patients in NL require,” O’Keefe’s resignation letter to Eastern Health states. In his letter, O’Keefe calls the situation a “systems failure” that “does not embrace the values that Eastern Health promotes as their own: accountability, care, collaboration, excellence and respect.” O’Keefe says most patients who are told they have a penicillin allergy don’t actually have the allergy. He says testing to see if a patient actually has the allergy can save the health system money. (CBC) “It’s hard to hear the kind of corporate talk about responsibility, caring, equality, things like that, and then being treated that way. I feel a little bit of a gaslighter,” she said. He said he began to feel overwhelmed after years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an allergy and immunology department at the hospital. O’Keefe said some work he intended to do at the hospital would result in cost savings. He said that among 10 percent of patients admitted they believe they have an allergy to the antibiotic penicillin. O’Keefe says allergists can run tests to check if people actually have the allergy. “Probably 95 percent of people who think they’re allergic to penicillin aren’t,” he said, adding that if they find someone can take the drug, rather than an alternative, it could save the health care system $3,000 or more per face. O’Keefe’s resignation comes as the province’s health care system faces a shortage of doctors, which led to the closure of some rural emergency rooms this summer and with some prospective recruits criticizing efforts to recruit doctors. “The more we lose health care providers from the system, the worse everything is going to be,” he said. “So we can’t always be in crisis mode, responding to crisis after crisis. We have to look at some preventative care for our system,” O’Keefe said. Eastern Health says they are trying to allocate clinic space fairly, while the provincial Department of Health says changes are coming to allow doctors to do some allergy testing in their offices. But O’Keefe says it could take months or years for the change to be approved. (Paul Daly/CBC) In a statement, Eastern Health says it cannot comment on the condition of an employee or physician. “East Health values its relationship with all healthcare professionals who provide services to patients in our region,” the statement said. The health authority says it is working with doctors to allocate limited clinic space and other resources as fairly as possible. Like Eastern Health, the provincial Department of Health also said in an emailed statement that it cannot speak about employment-related matters. But they say they recently consulted with the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and are making changes to the province’s health insurance program — known as the MCP, or medical care plan — to allow certain low-risk tests in private practices when the test is completed by board-certified allergists. and immunologists. “Work is currently underway to introduce changes to the fee code to appropriately compensate clinical allergists/immunologists who perform this work in their private offices,” the statement said. O’Keefe says the change would allow him to do most drug allergy testing in his office and outside of the hospital, but he said a request to change the billing code was filed in October 2019. He said it could be years before changes to the fee code are finally approved. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
title: “The Doctor Of St. John Resigns From Eastern Health Says He Didn T Have The Resources To Do The Job Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-24” author: “Adam Williams”
Dr Andrew O’Keefe is an allergist and clinical immunologist who has worked part-time for the health authority since 2014, while running his own community clinic. But he says he can’t do it anymore. “I resigned from Eastern Health because I no longer had the resources to meet the needs of my patients,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he has access to clinic space at Janeway Children’s Hospital to see pediatric patients, but other things he needs to work, such as administrative support, have been reduced. “Those bits of access that we had in the hospital were getting smaller and smaller and it was getting harder and harder to provide proper care to patients.” O’Keefe also said he was unable to secure dedicated space at the Health Sciences Center to see adult patients and work in the full scope of his practice as an allergist and immunologist. “This has become a real issue because some of the procedures that we do, like any medical specialty, again have to be done in the hospital for safety reasons,” O’Keefe said. “Someone could have an allergic reaction, an anaphylactic reaction, and it’s just safer to do it in the hospital where there’s more support if someone gets very sick.” Traditional allergy testing may involve putting drops of diluted allergens on the skin and then irritating the skin with a needle to see what reactions occur. (Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock) O’Keefe also said he would be doing some hospital procedures and would need access to nursing staff, pharmacists to compound medications, the emergency department as backup and management.
The letter of resignation
O’Keefe said he and a colleague proposed creating an allergy and clinical immunology department at the Health Sciences Center, similar to what exists in other provinces, but their requests were never granted. O’Keefe treats and manages patients with food and drug allergies, as well as conditions such as asthma, eczema and people with primary immunodeficiency. Before he established his practice in the province, he says, there was no other board-certified allergist in the province who had completed two years of training in allergy and clinical immunology. “I know the care people need and I have the skills to be able to provide it, but whenever I’ve tried over the last eight years to support my patients in accessing that care, I’ve faced barriers. O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he sent a letter of resignation to Eastern Health on Aug. 18, but will continue to see patients there until mid-January. “I find myself no longer willing to participate in the morally damaging process whereby Eastern Health prevents me from providing the care patients in NL require,” O’Keefe’s resignation letter to Eastern Health states. In his letter, O’Keefe calls the situation a “systems failure” that “does not embrace the values that Eastern Health promotes as their own: accountability, care, collaboration, excellence and respect.” O’Keefe says most patients who are told they have a penicillin allergy don’t actually have the allergy. He says testing to see if a patient actually has the allergy can save the health system money. (CBC) “It’s hard to hear the kind of corporate talk about responsibility, caring, equality, things like that, and then being treated that way. I feel a little bit of a gaslighter,” she said. He said he began to feel overwhelmed after years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an allergy and immunology department at the hospital. O’Keefe said some work he intended to do at the hospital would result in cost savings. He said that among 10 percent of patients admitted they believe they have an allergy to the antibiotic penicillin. O’Keefe says allergists can run tests to check if people actually have the allergy. “Probably 95 percent of people who think they’re allergic to penicillin aren’t,” he said, adding that if they find someone can take the drug, rather than an alternative, it could save the health care system $3,000 or more per face. O’Keefe’s resignation comes as the province’s health care system faces a shortage of doctors, which led to the closure of some rural emergency rooms this summer and with some prospective recruits criticizing efforts to recruit doctors. “The more we lose health care providers from the system, the worse everything is going to be,” he said. “So we can’t always be in crisis mode, responding to crisis after crisis. We have to look at some preventative care for our system,” O’Keefe said. Eastern Health says they are trying to allocate clinic space fairly, while the provincial Department of Health says changes are coming to allow doctors to do some allergy testing in their offices. But O’Keefe says it could take months or years for the change to be approved. (Paul Daly/CBC) In a statement, Eastern Health says it cannot comment on the condition of an employee or physician. “East Health values its relationship with all healthcare professionals who provide services to patients in our region,” the statement said. The health authority says it is working with doctors to allocate limited clinic space and other resources as fairly as possible. Like Eastern Health, the provincial Department of Health also said in an emailed statement that it cannot speak about employment-related matters. But they say they recently consulted with the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and are making changes to the province’s health insurance program — known as the MCP, or medical care plan — to allow certain low-risk tests in private practices when the test is completed by board-certified allergists. and immunologists. “Work is currently underway to introduce changes to the fee code to appropriately compensate clinical allergists/immunologists who perform this work in their private offices,” the statement said. O’Keefe says the change would allow him to do most drug allergy testing in his office and outside of the hospital, but he said a request to change the billing code was filed in October 2019. He said it could be years before changes to the fee code are finally approved. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
title: “The Doctor Of St. John Resigns From Eastern Health Says He Didn T Have The Resources To Do The Job Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-02” author: “Mavis Pantoni”
Dr Andrew O’Keefe is an allergist and clinical immunologist who has worked part-time for the health authority since 2014, while running his own community clinic. But he says he can’t do it anymore. “I resigned from Eastern Health because I no longer had the resources to meet the needs of my patients,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he has access to clinic space at Janeway Children’s Hospital to see pediatric patients, but other things he needs to work, such as administrative support, have been reduced. “Those bits of access that we had in the hospital were getting smaller and smaller and it was getting harder and harder to provide proper care to patients.” O’Keefe also said he was unable to secure dedicated space at the Health Sciences Center to see adult patients and work in the full scope of his practice as an allergist and immunologist. “This has become a real issue because some of the procedures that we do, like any medical specialty, again have to be done in the hospital for safety reasons,” O’Keefe said. “Someone could have an allergic reaction, an anaphylactic reaction, and it’s just safer to do it in the hospital where there’s more support if someone gets very sick.” Traditional allergy testing may involve putting drops of diluted allergens on the skin and then irritating the skin with a needle to see what reactions occur. (Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock) O’Keefe also said he would be doing some hospital procedures and would need access to nursing staff, pharmacists to compound medications, the emergency department as backup and management.
The letter of resignation
O’Keefe said he and a colleague proposed creating an allergy and clinical immunology department at the Health Sciences Center, similar to what exists in other provinces, but their requests were never granted. O’Keefe treats and manages patients with food and drug allergies, as well as conditions such as asthma, eczema and people with primary immunodeficiency. Before he established his practice in the province, he says, there was no other board-certified allergist in the province who had completed two years of training in allergy and clinical immunology. “I know the care people need and I have the skills to be able to provide it, but whenever I’ve tried over the last eight years to support my patients in accessing that care, I’ve faced barriers. O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he sent a letter of resignation to Eastern Health on Aug. 18, but will continue to see patients there until mid-January. “I find myself no longer willing to participate in the morally damaging process whereby Eastern Health prevents me from providing the care patients in NL require,” O’Keefe’s resignation letter to Eastern Health states. In his letter, O’Keefe calls the situation a “systems failure” that “does not embrace the values that Eastern Health promotes as their own: accountability, care, collaboration, excellence and respect.” O’Keefe says most patients who are told they have a penicillin allergy don’t actually have the allergy. He says testing to see if a patient actually has the allergy can save the health system money. (CBC) “It’s hard to hear the kind of corporate talk about responsibility, caring, equality, things like that, and then being treated that way. I feel a little bit of a gaslighter,” she said. He said he began to feel overwhelmed after years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an allergy and immunology department at the hospital. O’Keefe said some work he intended to do at the hospital would result in cost savings. He said that among 10 percent of patients admitted they believe they have an allergy to the antibiotic penicillin. O’Keefe says allergists can run tests to check if people actually have the allergy. “Probably 95 percent of people who think they’re allergic to penicillin aren’t,” he said, adding that if they find someone can take the drug, rather than an alternative, it could save the health care system $3,000 or more per face. O’Keefe’s resignation comes as the province’s health care system faces a shortage of doctors, which led to the closure of some rural emergency rooms this summer and with some prospective recruits criticizing efforts to recruit doctors. “The more we lose health care providers from the system, the worse everything is going to be,” he said. “So we can’t always be in crisis mode, responding to crisis after crisis. We have to look at some preventative care for our system,” O’Keefe said. Eastern Health says they are trying to allocate clinic space fairly, while the provincial Department of Health says changes are coming to allow doctors to do some allergy testing in their offices. But O’Keefe says it could take months or years for the change to be approved. (Paul Daly/CBC) In a statement, Eastern Health says it cannot comment on the condition of an employee or physician. “East Health values its relationship with all healthcare professionals who provide services to patients in our region,” the statement said. The health authority says it is working with doctors to allocate limited clinic space and other resources as fairly as possible. Like Eastern Health, the provincial Department of Health also said in an emailed statement that it cannot speak about employment-related matters. But they say they recently consulted with the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and are making changes to the province’s health insurance program — known as the MCP, or medical care plan — to allow certain low-risk tests in private practices when the test is completed by board-certified allergists. and immunologists. “Work is currently underway to introduce changes to the fee code to appropriately compensate clinical allergists/immunologists who perform this work in their private offices,” the statement said. O’Keefe says the change would allow him to do most drug allergy testing in his office and outside of the hospital, but he said a request to change the billing code was filed in October 2019. He said it could be years before changes to the fee code are finally approved. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
title: “The Doctor Of St. John Resigns From Eastern Health Says He Didn T Have The Resources To Do The Job Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Willie Stickel”
Dr Andrew O’Keefe is an allergist and clinical immunologist who has worked part-time for the health authority since 2014, while running his own community clinic. But he says he can’t do it anymore. “I resigned from Eastern Health because I no longer had the resources to meet the needs of my patients,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he has access to clinic space at Janeway Children’s Hospital to see pediatric patients, but other things he needs to work, such as administrative support, have been reduced. “Those bits of access that we had in the hospital were getting smaller and smaller and it was getting harder and harder to provide proper care to patients.” O’Keefe also said he was unable to secure dedicated space at the Health Sciences Center to see adult patients and work in the full scope of his practice as an allergist and immunologist. “This has become a real issue because some of the procedures that we do, like any medical specialty, again have to be done in the hospital for safety reasons,” O’Keefe said. “Someone could have an allergic reaction, an anaphylactic reaction, and it’s just safer to do it in the hospital where there’s more support if someone gets very sick.” Traditional allergy testing may involve putting drops of diluted allergens on the skin and then irritating the skin with a needle to see what reactions occur. (Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock) O’Keefe also said he would be doing some hospital procedures and would need access to nursing staff, pharmacists to compound medications, the emergency department as backup and management.
The letter of resignation
O’Keefe said he and a colleague proposed creating an allergy and clinical immunology department at the Health Sciences Center, similar to what exists in other provinces, but their requests were never granted. O’Keefe treats and manages patients with food and drug allergies, as well as conditions such as asthma, eczema and people with primary immunodeficiency. Before he established his practice in the province, he says, there was no other board-certified allergist in the province who had completed two years of training in allergy and clinical immunology. “I know the care people need and I have the skills to be able to provide it, but whenever I’ve tried over the last eight years to support my patients in accessing that care, I’ve faced barriers. O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he sent a letter of resignation to Eastern Health on Aug. 18, but will continue to see patients there until mid-January. “I find myself no longer willing to participate in the morally damaging process whereby Eastern Health prevents me from providing the care patients in NL require,” O’Keefe’s resignation letter to Eastern Health states. In his letter, O’Keefe calls the situation a “systems failure” that “does not embrace the values that Eastern Health promotes as their own: accountability, care, collaboration, excellence and respect.” O’Keefe says most patients who are told they have a penicillin allergy don’t actually have the allergy. He says testing to see if a patient actually has the allergy can save the health system money. (CBC) “It’s hard to hear the kind of corporate talk about responsibility, caring, equality, things like that, and then being treated that way. I feel a little bit of a gaslighter,” she said. He said he began to feel overwhelmed after years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an allergy and immunology department at the hospital. O’Keefe said some work he intended to do at the hospital would result in cost savings. He said that among 10 percent of patients admitted they believe they have an allergy to the antibiotic penicillin. O’Keefe says allergists can run tests to check if people actually have the allergy. “Probably 95 percent of people who think they’re allergic to penicillin aren’t,” he said, adding that if they find someone can take the drug, rather than an alternative, it could save the health care system $3,000 or more per face. O’Keefe’s resignation comes as the province’s health care system faces a shortage of doctors, which led to the closure of some rural emergency rooms this summer and with some prospective recruits criticizing efforts to recruit doctors. “The more we lose health care providers from the system, the worse everything is going to be,” he said. “So we can’t always be in crisis mode, responding to crisis after crisis. We have to look at some preventative care for our system,” O’Keefe said. Eastern Health says they are trying to allocate clinic space fairly, while the provincial Department of Health says changes are coming to allow doctors to do some allergy testing in their offices. But O’Keefe says it could take months or years for the change to be approved. (Paul Daly/CBC) In a statement, Eastern Health says it cannot comment on the condition of an employee or physician. “East Health values its relationship with all healthcare professionals who provide services to patients in our region,” the statement said. The health authority says it is working with doctors to allocate limited clinic space and other resources as fairly as possible. Like Eastern Health, the provincial Department of Health also said in an emailed statement that it cannot speak about employment-related matters. But they say they recently consulted with the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and are making changes to the province’s health insurance program — known as the MCP, or medical care plan — to allow certain low-risk tests in private practices when the test is completed by board-certified allergists. and immunologists. “Work is currently underway to introduce changes to the fee code to appropriately compensate clinical allergists/immunologists who perform this work in their private offices,” the statement said. O’Keefe says the change would allow him to do most drug allergy testing in his office and outside of the hospital, but he said a request to change the billing code was filed in October 2019. He said it could be years before changes to the fee code are finally approved. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
title: “The Doctor Of St. John Resigns From Eastern Health Says He Didn T Have The Resources To Do The Job Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-23” author: “Kendra Tuten”
Dr Andrew O’Keefe is an allergist and clinical immunologist who has worked part-time for the health authority since 2014, while running his own community clinic. But he says he can’t do it anymore. “I resigned from Eastern Health because I no longer had the resources to meet the needs of my patients,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he has access to clinic space at Janeway Children’s Hospital to see pediatric patients, but other things he needs to work, such as administrative support, have been reduced. “Those bits of access that we had in the hospital were getting smaller and smaller and it was getting harder and harder to provide proper care to patients.” O’Keefe also said he was unable to secure dedicated space at the Health Sciences Center to see adult patients and work in the full scope of his practice as an allergist and immunologist. “This has become a real issue because some of the procedures that we do, like any medical specialty, again have to be done in the hospital for safety reasons,” O’Keefe said. “Someone could have an allergic reaction, an anaphylactic reaction, and it’s just safer to do it in the hospital where there’s more support if someone gets very sick.” Traditional allergy testing may involve putting drops of diluted allergens on the skin and then irritating the skin with a needle to see what reactions occur. (Anthony Ricci/Shutterstock) O’Keefe also said he would be doing some hospital procedures and would need access to nursing staff, pharmacists to compound medications, the emergency department as backup and management.
The letter of resignation
O’Keefe said he and a colleague proposed creating an allergy and clinical immunology department at the Health Sciences Center, similar to what exists in other provinces, but their requests were never granted. O’Keefe treats and manages patients with food and drug allergies, as well as conditions such as asthma, eczema and people with primary immunodeficiency. Before he established his practice in the province, he says, there was no other board-certified allergist in the province who had completed two years of training in allergy and clinical immunology. “I know the care people need and I have the skills to be able to provide it, but whenever I’ve tried over the last eight years to support my patients in accessing that care, I’ve faced barriers. O’Keefe said. O’Keefe said he sent a letter of resignation to Eastern Health on Aug. 18, but will continue to see patients there until mid-January. “I find myself no longer willing to participate in the morally damaging process whereby Eastern Health prevents me from providing the care patients in NL require,” O’Keefe’s resignation letter to Eastern Health states. In his letter, O’Keefe calls the situation a “systems failure” that “does not embrace the values that Eastern Health promotes as their own: accountability, care, collaboration, excellence and respect.” O’Keefe says most patients who are told they have a penicillin allergy don’t actually have the allergy. He says testing to see if a patient actually has the allergy can save the health system money. (CBC) “It’s hard to hear the kind of corporate talk about responsibility, caring, equality, things like that, and then being treated that way. I feel a little bit of a gaslighter,” she said. He said he began to feel overwhelmed after years of unsuccessful attempts to establish an allergy and immunology department at the hospital. O’Keefe said some work he intended to do at the hospital would result in cost savings. He said that among 10 percent of patients admitted they believe they have an allergy to the antibiotic penicillin. O’Keefe says allergists can run tests to check if people actually have the allergy. “Probably 95 percent of people who think they’re allergic to penicillin aren’t,” he said, adding that if they find someone can take the drug, rather than an alternative, it could save the health care system $3,000 or more per face. O’Keefe’s resignation comes as the province’s health care system faces a shortage of doctors, which led to the closure of some rural emergency rooms this summer and with some prospective recruits criticizing efforts to recruit doctors. “The more we lose health care providers from the system, the worse everything is going to be,” he said. “So we can’t always be in crisis mode, responding to crisis after crisis. We have to look at some preventative care for our system,” O’Keefe said. Eastern Health says they are trying to allocate clinic space fairly, while the provincial Department of Health says changes are coming to allow doctors to do some allergy testing in their offices. But O’Keefe says it could take months or years for the change to be approved. (Paul Daly/CBC) In a statement, Eastern Health says it cannot comment on the condition of an employee or physician. “East Health values its relationship with all healthcare professionals who provide services to patients in our region,” the statement said. The health authority says it is working with doctors to allocate limited clinic space and other resources as fairly as possible. Like Eastern Health, the provincial Department of Health also said in an emailed statement that it cannot speak about employment-related matters. But they say they recently consulted with the Medical Association of Newfoundland and Labrador and are making changes to the province’s health insurance program — known as the MCP, or medical care plan — to allow certain low-risk tests in private practices when the test is completed by board-certified allergists. and immunologists. “Work is currently underway to introduce changes to the fee code to appropriately compensate clinical allergists/immunologists who perform this work in their private offices,” the statement said. O’Keefe says the change would allow him to do most drug allergy testing in his office and outside of the hospital, but he said a request to change the billing code was filed in October 2019. He said it could be years before changes to the fee code are finally approved. Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador
