Beth Hothan-Zielinski, MD, filed a lawsuit in November 2024 accusing Fairfield, Iowa-based Jefferson County Health Center of gender-based pay discrimination and wrongful termination, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported July 25.
What happened?
- Dr. Hothan-Zielinski joined the hospital in April 2013 and served as its sole general surgeon for most of the next 11 years. In November 2021, the hospital hired a second general surgeon. He departed in November 2023.
- In September 2024, Dr. Hothan-Zielinski in the lawsuit alleges she discovered that the second surgeon, despite having graduated medical school in 2013 and possessing less experience, earned a base salary of $480,000, $105,000 more than her salary.
- The lawsuit claims the new surgeon lacked any additional qualifications to justify the pay difference. He was also offered a $20,000 signing bonus, annual student loan payments and a $6,000 retention bonus for five years, none of which were extended to Dr. Hothan-Zielinski, according to the report.
- The lawsuit also states that surgeon bonuses at the hospital are tied to Relative Value Units, which measure work volume and effort. On Sept. 11, 2024, hospital CEO Bryan Hunger told Dr. Hothan-Zielinski her contract would not be renewed for 2025, citing productivity concerns.
- Dr. Hothan-Zielinski, the lawsuit alleges, presented her surgical volume data to the hospital board and publicly contested the RVU calculations. Despite this, the board terminated her.
Becker’s has reached out to Jefferson County Health Center and will update this story if more information becomes available.
