30-doctor GCAP group wants to leave Alliance - Phoenix Business Journal:

tatyanagepoji.blogspot.com
GCAP, a primary care group with abouf30 doctors, joined the hospital system only 20 months ago. Now it’ds claiming a litany of contract violationsthat “havw seriously affected the ability of the physicianz to provide excellent health care for theitr many patients.” In a June 3 letter to Health Alliancr CEO Ken Hanover, the doctors list 15 complaints, • Lack of 12 months’ notice on changes in contractuak arrangements, including payment of benefits; failure to pay leading to the “embarrassing shutdown of servicesa necessary to operate our business.
” The doctorz on Wednesday filed a complainty in Hamilton County Common Pleas They ask to be released from servicer to the Health Alliance and for damages and attorneyu fees. When it joined the Healtbh Alliancein 2007, GCAP was the only large, independentt practice of its type in the It became a wholly owned subsidiarh of the hospital system, which includes Jewish and Fort Hamiltonn hospitals, and the . The practicw had hoped to benefit from a completed electronic health records system that could interact withthe Alliance’s as well as the abilitty to expand geographically and recruit doctors more effectively.
Healtj Alliance spokesman Tony Condia, in a writtem statement, said the health system was "surprisee and disappointed" by the letter and He said the Alliance had initially tried to negotiatse withthe physicians, then offerex independent arbitration, which the practice refused. The Alliance was preparingf for preliminary discussions to sever the relationship when the lawsuit was filed. "This litigation violates the terms of theservice agreement, which requires us to resolve disputesz such as this with a neutral arbitrator. We would therefor encourage the GCAP physicians to uphold theid contractual obligations and not pursue costly according tothe statement.
withdrews from the Health Alliance followingh a long court battle that began inMarchn 2006. It started operating independently in 2008 but only signee a final settlement agreement inJanuarg 2009. The two St. Luke hospitals similarly withdrew, reachinvg a settlement with the Health Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has merged with .