Jersey City Medical Center Documents

This is part of an ongoing series of articles about the systematic mismanagement of the Jersey City Medical Center by Liberty Health Care Services, headed by CEO Jonathan Metsch and patronized and supported by many high ranking public officials of the Democratic Party here in Jersey City, and at the Level of Hudson County and even Statewide.

If you have any information regarding this abuse, please contact this reporter. Or if you would just like to make your feelings known, contact this reporter.

If you think you are not affected by any of this, you better think again. “Oh, I go to Bayonne.” If it is up to you, you will go to Bayonne. But this is the Trauma Center of Hudson County and if you are in a serious accident, you will be brought by EMS to the Jersey City Medical Center. Even if you don’t live in the area, but just drive your car through Hudson County, you will be brought here by EMS and you are at risk to receive trauma care at Jersey City Medical Center. That can kill you as it has others. Conditions at the hospital under Liberty’s management continue to deteriorate, as four key members of the Department of Anesthesiology have just left decimating the strength of that key department.

The family of the man in the story was shocked to learn of the circumstance surrounding his death. They were assured by Liberty Health Care management that the death was an “acceptable outcome,” under the circumstance. We have withheld the name at the request of the family who are understandably distraught. The review of the surgery leading to the death was performed by the surgeon who actually performed the surgery resulting in the man’s death. The surgeon, is now practicing in Pennsylvania where he is CEO of Wyoming Valley Health Care System. Dr. William Host maintains that the procedure was correct and the death of the patient, unavoidable. Dr. Host declined to discuss the matter saying only that he was bound by confidentiality of patient records, but added that he would have no interest to discuss any aspect of the case. Mr. Metsch, as always, was not available.

The hospital under Liberty’s management is hazardous to the health of any body brought there seriously injured. What follows are carefully documented events that have occurred on Liberty’s watch at the Jersey City Medical Center. A copy of this story, exactly as it appears here, was emailed to Jonathan Metsch with a request for his comment, prior to publication:

It was autumn, 1998.
It was getting late and the negotiations were getting nowhere.  Jonathan Metsch, CEO of Liberty Health Care, accompanied by his former Director of Surgery, were paying a call on a doctor up on the boulevard to try and recruit him to admit patients to Jersey City Medical Center. 

Metsch looked at his watch and broke it off saying “I have to get to an appointment across town.” The recruiting target looked at Metsch and raised his eyebrows.  “How are you going to do that, since he just (pointing to the former Director of Surgery) killed your driver?”

The word was out and circulating in the medical and healthcare community.  It was an open secret that Metsch's driver, much beloved and widely known by even many members of the Board at JCMC, died needlessly.  Metsch ordered a complete review by his SVP for Medical Affairs, who ruled that the death was an unavoidable outcome from surgery. The Board of Trustees, probably the family as well, trusted in the report of the SVP for Medical affairs. What the entire community of local physicans knew, but most of the Board probably did not, was that the sole reviewing agent, the SVP for Medical Affairs with such impeccable credentials, was also the operating surgeon on the case.

Metsch put the surgeon who killed Mr. Driver in charge of the investigation of the circumstances surrounding Driver’s death, with Metsch and legal counsel stage managing the preparation of the review.

Many local physicians also knew several of the members of the Department of Medicine who had felt very good in finally arriving at the diagnosis causing the patient's problems. Unfortunately, the Surgeon in question unexplainably scheduled (and began,) a different operation four days later for a nonexistent diagnosis.

Through a series of mishaps, a tragedy ensued within days. Had the surgeon troubled to read the patient’s chart, the records, or had he visited the patient prior to surgery, he would have known he was about to perform the wrong operation.  But that is exactly what happened. The attending in the department of Medicine were livid. The physicians all knew. The admitting physician has since left. The nurses knew. Half of the ancillary staff knew. The surgeon in question was the boss of every physician in the institution.

Ironically, he was also in charge of Quality Control for all these physicians. The surgeon answered only to Jonathan Metsch.  Metsch ordered the surgeon to investigate his own performance. When the cover-up ensued, the entire hospital now knew exactly where their bosses stood on Quality Control and patient care. 

Word of this episode got around the county's Medical Community like wildfire. This is one of many reasons why so many local physicians refuse to admit patients at the Medical Center. True to form, Metsch later promoted the SVP for Medical Affairs to the additional post of Chief Operating Officer at JCMC. A story appeared in this publication detailing various abuses occurring routinely at the Jersey City medical Center under Jonathan Metsch and included a number of wrongful deaths that have been documented and covered up.

But Mr. Driver’s case was prominent because he was a very well known and highly popular figure at the hospital and around Jersey City generally. The family did not know. Now they do and they are justifiably seething and preparing action to redress their loss. Liberty appears to be circling the wagons, bracing for an onslaught, and Hudson County appears to be about to have its healthcare infrastructure reconfigured.

Area hospitals are understandably nervous about the possible fallout should Liberty fail. The overflow would inundate hospitals in the County. The governor has been alerted to the state of affairs but as yet to signal any inclination to act. When do the citizens of this County get Medical Care that they deserve - care that is dictated by the Physicians at the Medical Center? Maybe when they demand it.

That was an acceptable outcome at the Jersey City Medical Center under the management of Liberty Healthcare Systems. So concluded the review. The review went off to Mt. Sinai in New York, where it was approved by the vice chairman of the department of Surgery and the matter was closed.

The family was told that Mr. Driver died because of complications arising from a gall bladder operation. That was about five years ago.

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