(Updated, 8:55 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 5)

The Willis-Knighton Board of Trustees has scheduled an emergency meeting at noon today to discuss a "no confidence" statement in health system Chief Executive Jim Elrod.

A group of doctors on the Medical Executive Committee have asked that Elrod resign or be fired.

USA Today Network will provide coverage of the meeting.

(Original Story, posted Wednesday, Oct. 4)

Willis-Knighton's Medical Executive Committee has issued a statement of no confidence in Chief Executive James Elrod, asking that he resign as leader of northern Louisiana's largest health care provider.

The doctors on Monday sent a letter obtained by USA Today Network to the Willis Knighton Board of Trustees and its chairman, Dr. Frank Hughes, outlining their "no confidence" position.

"Our preference would be that Mr. Elrod voluntarily step down from his position and retire with the dignity and respect due him for his great service to both WK and the Shreveport-Bossier community," the doctors wrote. "Should he prove incapable of graciously stepping aside, you, as the board, must initiate a transition to new leadership."

Those signing the letter include: Dr. H. Ryan Bicknell, president, Willis Knighton Medical Staff; Dr. Paul Crawford, chairman, credentials committee; Dr. Andrew Werner, chairman, surgery department; Dr. Margaret Crittell, chairman, pediatrics department; Dr. Gene Mack, member at large.

Also signing the letter: Dr. Kristy Waltman, vice president, medical staff; Dr. David Scott, past president, medical staff; Dr. Wen Liu, chairman, medicine department; Dr. Kristi Michael, chairman, OBGYN department; and Dr. Frederick Kinder, member at large.

Hughes confirmed Wednesday that the trustees had received the letter.

"The Willis Knighton Board of Trustees is aware of and evaluating the situation," he said.

No further response was provided, including none from Elrod.

The doctors claim Elrod is intolerant of disagreement and unable to respond adequately to the changing health care market.

"Recent decisions made by the CEO display a distinct lack of understanding of these realities," the doctors wrote. "Failure to fully embrace the transition to a new information system, inflexibility in responding to the rise in Medicaid, failure to appreciate the importance of actively managing the care of hospitalized patients are simple examples of this deficit in understanding.

"Communication with the CEO is limited by his intolerance of disagreement and his refusal even to discuss alternative viewpoints," the letter continued. "This rigidity of thinking threatens the morale of the employees, the effectiveness of the managers and the confidence of the professional staff."

The doctors expressed "strong support" for Chuck Daigle and Steve Randall in their leadership positions. "Dr. Charles Powers and Mr. Cliff Broussard are also considered vital leadership resources for the health system."

Elrod, 80, came to Willis-Knighton 52 years ago and turned an 80-bed hospital into an empire, the Willis-Knighton Health System.

The original hospital has been joined by three satellite hospitals, a regional physician network of 350 employed physicians, a hospital-owned HMO and the state’s largest retirement community, The Oaks of Louisiana.

Willis-Knighton is one of northwestern Louisiana's largest private employers with about 7,200 employees.

Elrod even wrote a book about the transformation — "Breadcrumbs to Cheesecake."

But the system announced layoffs last week that it blamed on the state inadequately funding the Medicaid expansion. Fifty-five employees were laid off with another 177 jobs to be eliminated through attrition.

And Willis-Knighton has been embroiled in an antitrust lawsuit filed against it by BRF, the operator of the state's safety net hospitals University Health in Shreveport and University Health Conway in Monroe.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1

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