Possible Cuts Prompt UHS Doctor to Resign

A top University Health Services (UHS) physician has resigned in what sources said in part a reaction of proposed cutbacks to the Urgent Care clinic staff.

Dr. Peter J. Zuromskis '66, chief of the Urgent Care clinic and a staff member of UHS for 16 years, will become the new medical director of the Beth Israel Medical Center in Lexington this fall.

In addition to serving about 650 patients, Zuromskis was a medical consultant to Environmental Health and Safety, a member of the safety review board for University research programs and the founder of the UHS AIDS clinic.

Zuromskis, whose last official day was yesterday, said the one-stop AIDS clinic he helped establish last year will be discontinued once he leaves.

Zuromskis is the second veteran doctor to leave UHS in the last month. Dr. Loring Conant Jr. '61, who treated about 640 patients, left to lead the Cambridge Hospice two weeks ago. Conant said his decision to leave had nothing to do with UHS policies.

Zuromskis, who will take a $3,000 pay cut in new $128,000 per year job, said that part of his reason for leaving was related to disagreements with UHS Director Dr. David S. Rosenthal '59.

"Part of my decision is my belief that Dr. Rosenthal should have 100 percent support of the staff renovations he is making," Zuromskis said. "He and I have some honest disagreements about the best way to deliver health care to students."

Zuromskis would not elaborate further on his disagreement with Rosenthal. But sources said Rosenthal plans to "drastically cut" service at the day-time urgent care clinic, which serves students with emergency medical problems who walk in without appointments.

According to the new plan, sources said, urgent care staff members who work in the day shift will be decreased and a doctor who staffs the clinic full-time will be eliminated.

But Rosenthal yesterday denied the sources' account of the proposed changes, although he said changes were on the way for the clinic in the next few months.

"We're not cutting any staff," he said. "We'renot planning on firing anybody or anything likethat."

Rosenthal also denied there was any tensionbetween him and Zuromskis, claiming Zuromskis leftsimply for the career opportunity offered him.

Rosenthal said the only changes to the clinicwould be the elimination of overlappingphysicians, many of whom "spend time in urgentcare and sometimes they sit there waiting."

Only one physician will staff the clinic at atime, and doctors who doubled up will be movedupstairs to the primary care area.

Rosenthal also said the new plan will allowstudents who have primary care physicians to seethem directly in a daytime emergency, rather thanoccupying the time of the urgent care doctor.

He said the reorganization would not increasewaiting time for patients at the clinic.

Sources said Rosenthal was planning the changesto the clinic as an attempt to save money at thefinancially strapped UHS.

And, sources said, Zuromskis left UHS in partbecause he thought Rosenthal was puttingcost-cutting above adequate care for Harvardstudents.

"He hopes the demand will lessen if he cutsback on the staff of urgent care," one sourcesaid. "If the new system makes it more difficultto use, then it will save money."

Sources also said Rosenthal might not try toreplace Zuromskis in another effort to cut costs."It is a financial issue," another source said."There are cost-cutting controls in effect."

Rosenthal, who said UHS was "financiallysound," denied that the changes were part of aplan to increase efficiency, not cut costs, andsaid he now hopes to replace Zuromskis.

Rosenthal has hired Dr. Rosemary Pomponio, aphysician at Boston University Health Services, asa temporary physician.

"There is a plan being worked on [to replacethe doctors], but I don't think I can say at thistime what the details are," said Dr. CharlesWeingarten, chief of medicine at UHS.

UHS administrators are scrambling to fill bothZuromskis's and Conant's responsibilities.Weingarten said he and Rosenthal have offered tosee more patients.

"Zuromskis did quite a lot," Weingarten said."His loss will be felt very significantly."

But Rosenthal said that doctors would not beworking more time in order to fill Zuromskis's andConant's shoes.

"Doctors will better utilize their time,"Rosenthal said. "We are reapportioning the hours,not adding more hours."CrimsonEric P. WilfridPETER J. ZUROMSKIS '66

"We're not cutting any staff," he said. "We'renot planning on firing anybody or anything likethat."

Rosenthal also denied there was any tensionbetween him and Zuromskis, claiming Zuromskis leftsimply for the career opportunity offered him.

Rosenthal said the only changes to the clinicwould be the elimination of overlappingphysicians, many of whom "spend time in urgentcare and sometimes they sit there waiting."

Only one physician will staff the clinic at atime, and doctors who doubled up will be movedupstairs to the primary care area.

Rosenthal also said the new plan will allowstudents who have primary care physicians to seethem directly in a daytime emergency, rather thanoccupying the time of the urgent care doctor.

He said the reorganization would not increasewaiting time for patients at the clinic.

Sources said Rosenthal was planning the changesto the clinic as an attempt to save money at thefinancially strapped UHS.

And, sources said, Zuromskis left UHS in partbecause he thought Rosenthal was puttingcost-cutting above adequate care for Harvardstudents.

"He hopes the demand will lessen if he cutsback on the staff of urgent care," one sourcesaid. "If the new system makes it more difficultto use, then it will save money."

Sources also said Rosenthal might not try toreplace Zuromskis in another effort to cut costs."It is a financial issue," another source said."There are cost-cutting controls in effect."

Rosenthal, who said UHS was "financiallysound," denied that the changes were part of aplan to increase efficiency, not cut costs, andsaid he now hopes to replace Zuromskis.

Rosenthal has hired Dr. Rosemary Pomponio, aphysician at Boston University Health Services, asa temporary physician.

"There is a plan being worked on [to replacethe doctors], but I don't think I can say at thistime what the details are," said Dr. CharlesWeingarten, chief of medicine at UHS.

UHS administrators are scrambling to fill bothZuromskis's and Conant's responsibilities.Weingarten said he and Rosenthal have offered tosee more patients.

"Zuromskis did quite a lot," Weingarten said."His loss will be felt very significantly."

But Rosenthal said that doctors would not beworking more time in order to fill Zuromskis's andConant's shoes.

"Doctors will better utilize their time,"Rosenthal said. "We are reapportioning the hours,not adding more hours."CrimsonEric P. WilfridPETER J. ZUROMSKIS '66