Banner Health Punishes Family Medicine Physician for Flagging Scheduling Error Affecting Patients

By <name>/u/UAPD_Official</name><uri>https://old.reddit.com/user/UAPD_Official</uri>

Hey everyone, I wanted to bring attention to something that happened recently to a family medicine physician at Banner Health in Arizona. What happened is truly upsetting, for her and the 3,000 patients she cared for. Dr. Syerra Lea was a family medicine physician at Banner for 15 years. A few months ago, she was placed on a six-month probation for flagging a scheduling error and raising the concern internally so that patients could be rescheduled and not have their care further delayed or disrupted. I know it sounds unbelievable but it's exactly why we, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), have filed an unfair labor practice charge against Banner Health. This is about protecting the rights of a primary care doctor who was silenced after advocating for her patients. Healthcare professionals should not be afraid to speak openly about an issue affecting patient care. Here's what happened: Dr. Lea discovered an error in which clinic management opened every physician's/APPs' schedule for every Saturday of 2026. Normally, clinicians only work one Saturday every other month. This error meant that patients who’d been scheduled would show up to a clinic with no physician on duty and would have to wait three months or more for a new appointment. She posted about it in the clinic's chat and asked that patients be rescheduled given that her co-workers and she are all booked out months in advance. This mistake could have had serious consequences for sick patients who believed they had an appointment. Instead of thanking or commending the catch, Banner management interpreted her comment as a personal attack. She was given a six month probation essentially banning her from discussing workplace issues with colleagues. It didn’t end there, several of her colleagues shared that management advised clinic staff to avoid her and even offered to move their desks away from hers. Dr. Lea had been at Banner for 15 years. She had never received a disciplinary action, she si

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