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Emergency room doctors resigning from Harlingen hospital
09/18/2007
Sixteen emergency room doctors have announced plans to leave a South Texas hospital over concerns that the hospital's performance measures are jeopardizing their incomes and patient care.
The doctors, operating as a partnership called Valley Emergency Physicians LLP, notified Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen this month of their intent to resign in December.
"We just couldn't come to terms (with hospital administrators) on what we wanted," said Dr. Michael Mohun, Valley Baptist's chief of emergency medicine. "We had an incredible group of doctors, and it truly is unfortunate."
The physicians group worked for 15 years at the hospital, which is the advanced trauma center for Cameron and Willacy counties. The hospital said it intends to find doctors who share its vision for patient care.
In a memorandum to hospital staff, the physicians group said it tried to meet the hospital administration's expectations, including performance measures in a program called "Six Sigma."
The program's goals have included reducing "door to doctor" emergency room wait times, reducing operating-room turnaround time and improving congestive heart-failure management.
The document, which was obtained by Valley Freedom Newspapers, doesn't identify specific goals the doctors took issue with. But it said the goals "would punish the doctors for caring for the sickest and most complex patients and working at the busiest times."
The memo said staff shortages and more patients have contributed to the doctors' loss in income. The doctors said they felt pressured to focus on "metric results over patient care or lose income."
Valley Baptist released a statement saying physicians are expected to adopt its goals for patient care.
"We embrace all efforts to improve care, and reject any insinuation or statement that our motives are otherwise," the hospital said.
Mohun said the group's doctors plan to seek jobs in the area or out of state.
Valley Baptist officials declined to comment on how the doctors will be replaced.
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Information from: Valley Morning Star, http://www.valleystar.com
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