- Joined
- May 10, 2002
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 4
For the past 6 years I have worked in a private practice, all MD, community hospital doing the gamut of cases (except for hearts and trauma). We were a very egalitarian, transparent group. Financials were available to me my first month of employment and for every month there after until becoming a partner three years in.
We worked well with the surgeons, covered the hospital's inane schedule in the OR and all the satellite locations they could dream up. Most important we asked for nothing. No stipends, no benefits, no remuneration of any kind from the hospital (in a locale with 60% Medicare/Medicaid/self-pay.) Meds and machines, that's all we got.
So what could a stable group like this possibly have to worry about in this time of upheaval? Everything. In the past 9 months my group has gone from hospital fixture of over 30 yrs to any other replaceable item.
Administration basically presented a contract that made us indentured servants. Servants without any guarantee of income, benefits, or even employment. Things like 90 day release without cause, call coverage as the hospital sees fit, complete control over hiring and firing and even deciding who will be department chair.
When we resisted they threatened. When we pleaded they scoffed. When we offered solutions they denied. When finally the only option left was to sell our souls to an AMC they smiled and handed us a RFP (put the contract up for bid). "We hope you will participate in the process," they said.
As I write this I am thinking about the newest members of my group and the CA3 residents looking for jobs. This is a wonderful specialty, necessary, and appreciated by those who truly know what it is that we do. As a group we have to do a better job of letting administration know and more importantly see how valuable our services are.
-scorned B
We worked well with the surgeons, covered the hospital's inane schedule in the OR and all the satellite locations they could dream up. Most important we asked for nothing. No stipends, no benefits, no remuneration of any kind from the hospital (in a locale with 60% Medicare/Medicaid/self-pay.) Meds and machines, that's all we got.
So what could a stable group like this possibly have to worry about in this time of upheaval? Everything. In the past 9 months my group has gone from hospital fixture of over 30 yrs to any other replaceable item.
Administration basically presented a contract that made us indentured servants. Servants without any guarantee of income, benefits, or even employment. Things like 90 day release without cause, call coverage as the hospital sees fit, complete control over hiring and firing and even deciding who will be department chair.
When we resisted they threatened. When we pleaded they scoffed. When we offered solutions they denied. When finally the only option left was to sell our souls to an AMC they smiled and handed us a RFP (put the contract up for bid). "We hope you will participate in the process," they said.
As I write this I am thinking about the newest members of my group and the CA3 residents looking for jobs. This is a wonderful specialty, necessary, and appreciated by those who truly know what it is that we do. As a group we have to do a better job of letting administration know and more importantly see how valuable our services are.
-scorned B
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