'Didn't expect to be fired;' Mayo dismisses Wisconsin doctor who wrote book on COVID pandemic
Mayo Clinic fired a doctor who published a book about his experiences treating patients through the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin.
Steven Weiss is an internal medicine doctor who worked at Mayo's Eau Claire, Wisconsin, location for 32 years. He said he was fired last month after he self-published a book, "Carnage in America: Covid-19, Racial Injustice, and the Demise of Donald Trump," identifying himself as a Mayo physician without approval from his employer.
“I expected a little bit of a pushback, but I certainly didn’t expect to be fired,” Weiss told Paste BN. “I wouldn’t have published the book if I thought that would be the outcome."
Mayo Clinic said the health system did not know of Weiss's book prior to publication and said the author did not adhere to the health provider's policies.
In a statement, Dr. Richard Helmers, Mayo Clinic's regional vice president of Northwest Wisconsin, said the health system has a “progressive disciplinary process” and “termination of employment is the last step in that process.”
As first reported by the Leader-Telegram, Weiss formally received a notice of termination last month and was told his contract was ending without cause. Weiss is on administrative leave and will be paid through Sept. 13, "after which his contract will end for reasons beyond the publication of a book," Helmers said.
He added: "In a prior media report Dr. Weiss referenced a June 4, 2021 letter that predated the formal notice of his termination. There is nothing precluding Dr. Weiss from sharing the full contents of that correspondence when he explains why his employment will be ending."
In the unredacted June 4 letter, which Weiss shared with Paste BN, Helmers and another Mayo administrator wrote a personnel committee chose to terminate his contract following an investigation launched after publication of his book.
The review by Mayo's public affairs staff "identified concerns about unauthorized use of confidential business information, self-identification as a Mayo employee without appropriate approval, inappropriate use of patient identifiers, and derogatory and unprofessional commentary placing Mayo in a negative light.”
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The letter also cites written warnings from three complaints over the past eight years. None of those complaints involved standard of care complaints lodged with a state licensing board.
In 2013, a female patient cited privacy concerns when a male student remained in the room as Weiss examined the patient. In 2016, another complained when Weiss, then single, asked a couple about the possibility of dating a female relative.
The third written warning came after a patient complained about a COVID article Weiss wrote in the Leader-Telegram. "The patient believed you were speaking as a Mayo representative on issues that a non-partisan organization should not be taking a political position on," the letter said.
'He's like your family'
Weiss began writing about the pandemic on March 2020 because he "thought it was important to have some kind of a record of what happened in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, from a person who was on the front lines."
With the help of his tech-savvy son, he turned the diary entries into a blog that had a few dozen subscribers. When he was off work, he'd spend hours researching and writing about his experiences.
Some blog entries involved details about patients, but Weiss said he changed names and identifying characteristics such as hair and eye color and where they lived to maintain confidentiality.
The book included his thoughts of taking care of patients from the early days of the pandemic through a fall and winter surge when pockets of Wisconsin and other Upper Midwest states were overwhelmed with patients.
He said much of the book "reflects quite well" on Mayo, but he also wrote Mayo restricted use of N-95 masks during the early weeks of the pandemic – a common complaint aired last spring by health care workers nationwide on the front lines of the pandemic.
Weiss was critical of allowing then-Vice President Mike Pence to tour Mayo's Rochester, Minnesota campus in April 2020 without a mask in apparent violation of the hospital's policy. "It was a perfect opportunity to force him to wear a mask," Weiss said. "But they didn’t do it."
The book also delved into political chatter around the pandemic, criticism of former President Donald Trump's handling of the pandemic and issues with Mayo's adoption of a new electronic health records system.
Although the June 4 letter describes past written reprimands, Weiss believes the catalyst for his firing was his decision to write a book in which he identified himself as Mayo physician.
He said his firing creates a "chilling" effect. "We need to have accurate information to be able to function well as a society," Weiss said. "Cancel culture is unfortunate regardless of which side is employing it against the other."
Mayo officials stressed the health care system is a non-profit organization not affiliated with any political party.
"Patients can be reassured that care they receive is not impacted by political views," Helmers said. "Mayo Clinic Health System does not make personnel decisions or take employment action against employees because of their political beliefs."
Several former patients who called and emailed Paste BN about Weiss's firing said they were frustrated they can no longer see him at Mayo Clinic.
James Ryder, who served as the Eau Claire health department director from 1986 to 2006, said Weiss has been his long-time physician. Four years ago, following a complicated six-hour surgery, Weiss comforted Ryder at his bedside and "we looked at each other and had tears in our eyes."
Now, Ryder and his wife, Mary, will be referred to new doctors at Mayo.
"When you have a doctor for 20-some years, he’s like your family," said Mary Ryder. "He’s a wonderful doctor. It's a sad thing for all of us."
Ken Alltucker is on Twitter as @kalltucker or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com