PP in Charlotte

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yobynaes

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Hey all,

Can someone shed some light on the situation in Charlotte? There was an article out a while back basically saying that the MedNax group pissed off the administration of Carolina Medical and lost their contract. A local group called Scope Anesthesia swoop in and took the contract. Does anyone know people working in that group? How is it?

They have been posting jobs openings on gaswork but I noticed that they say they don't have exclusive contract with the hospital. What does that even mean?

Appreciate any input here.

Yobynaes
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Hi

Have you read the thread on the main forum on this topic?

Maybe bump it and ask for updates.
 
Charlotte is near my hometown, I know several physicians in different practices there including Anesthesiology. Best advice - stay far away until this settles out.
 
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yobynaes said:
Hey all,

Can someone shed some light on the situation in Charlotte? There was an article out a while back basically saying that the MedNax group pissed off the administration of Carolina Medical and lost their contract. A local group called Scope Anesthesia swoop in and took the contract. Does anyone know people working in that group? How is it?

They have been posting jobs openings on gaswork but I noticed that they say they don't have exclusive contract with the hospital. What does that even mean?

Appreciate any input here.

Yobynaes
Click to expand...
Not having a contract with a specific hospital can be a good thing. What happens is, the hospital gives doctors privileges to work there without regard to what group they work for. So different anesthesiology groups are working with different surgeons or surgical groups. This leads to more autonomy in the group with regards to the hospital. The group can't get dumped by the hospital aka "lose a contract". But of course you could lose privileges if the hospital decides on going exclusive or if you misbehave. You typically end up doing this at a few different facilities because you are following the surgeons around. So requires more driving but some groups do this anyway even with exclusive contracts.
 
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yobynaes said:
Hey all,

Can someone shed some light on the situation in Charlotte? There was an article out a while back basically saying that the MedNax group pissed off the administration of Carolina Medical and lost their contract. A local group called Scope Anesthesia swoop in and took the contract. Does anyone know people working in that group? How is it?

They have been posting jobs openings on gaswork but I noticed that they say they don't have exclusive contract with the hospital. What does that even mean?
Click to expand...

Scope Anesthesia is a newly formed AMC that is a puppet for the hospital. You don't need an exclusive contract with the hospital when you are the hospital.
 
chocomorsel said:
Not having a contract with a specific hospital can be a good thing. What happens is, the hospital gives doctors privileges to work there without regard to what group they work for. So different anesthesiology groups are working with different surgeons or surgical groups. This leads to more autonomy in the group with regards to the hospital. The group can't get dumped by the hospital aka "lose a contract". But of course you could lose privileges if the hospital decides on going exclusive or if you misbehave. You typically end up doing this at a few different facilities because you are following the surgeons around. So requires more driving but some groups do this anyway even with exclusive contracts.
Click to expand...

Interesting counter point.

However, this isn’t at all what’s going on in Charlotte. Google the Charlotte Observer for all the details if you’re curious.
 
AdmiralChz said:
Interesting counter point.

However, this isn’t at all what’s going on in Charlotte. Google the Charlotte Observer for all the details if you’re curious.
Click to expand...
I know of what’s happening there. I figured there has got to be more than one hospital or system. I am not from there so I don’t know the town but I figure a city that big has a bunch of hospitals and more than one group in town.
But if it’s a monopoly, that’s not a good place to practice.

Oh, I see. OP is asking about the drama evolving. Stay away from that. If you don’t make sure you don’t sign a noncompete for the twin.
 
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chocomorsel said:
I know of what’s happening there. I figured there has got to be more than one hospital or system. I am not from there so I don’t know the town but I figure a city that big has a bunch of hospitals and more than one group in town.
But if it’s a monopoly, that’s not a good place to practice.

Oh, I see. OP is asking about the drama evolving. Stay away from that. If you don’t make sure you don’t sign a noncompete for the twin.
Click to expand...

The two major players are Carolinas/C
Atrium Health and Novant Health, if I remember correctly.
 
If I were a younger chap, I’d see what I could get out of locums at that place. No way they will have all those spots filled with permanent docs by July 1.
 
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Hiram Coggin said:
Scope Anesthesia is a newly formed AMC that is a puppet for the hospital. You don't need an exclusive contract with the hospital when you are the hospital.
Click to expand...

That's an interesting piece of information. So you are saying this group is really owned by the hospital? Then what's their partnership track? All this smells so fishy.
 
https://www.bizjournals.com/charlot...w-judge-s-decision-could-impact-longtime.html

Most of Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants' physicians spend their days in operating rooms across Atrium Health facilities.

But a Atrium's decision not to renew that contract will sever that long-term relationship starting July 1 unless the courts intervene.

An N.C. Business Court judge listened to nearly five hours of testimony on Monday, focusing on whether to issue a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Atrium Health and Dr. Thomas Wherry.

Wherry is founder of Scope Anesthesia, which has been tapped to become Southeast’s replacement for anesthesia services in the Charlotte market.

A written order will be issued in the next several days.

For Southeast, the decision will likely have significant implications for the roughly 90 physicians it employs in Charlotte.

The medical group is an affiliate of Florida-based Mednax (NYSE:MD). It has been providing anesthesia services locally for 37 years.

It conducted more than 135,000 procedures in the Charlotte market in 2017.

“Obviously, if there’s no work, we would have to have a staff reduction,” says Mark Stafford, an attorney representing Southeast.

Southeast’s individual doctors had committed to contracts through 2022 to provide services in the market.

During Monday’s hearing, he said physicians would remain on Southeast’s payroll for 180 days after July 1, but without need for their services, they would be terminated without cause.

The anesthesia group also has a handful of smaller contracts to provide services in the market. It also could contract with other medical groups.
 
Man o War said:
If I were a younger chap, I’d see what I could get out of locums at that place. No way they will have all those spots filled with permanent docs by July 1.
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It's funny ...

I've been actively looking for some cardiac locums work in the North Carolina / Virginia area for the last year or so, though I've left the door open to do some general work too. Charlotte isn't real close or convenient for me, but I told them I could do a week or two at a time every month or two. Even got credentialed and spent a day doing their mandatory EMR training in Charlotte. Then around September/October of last year they just said they didn't need anyone after all.

For a place that's allegedly so desperate for locums people - especially ones with no ties to the previous group - they sure don't seem to be looking very hard. They've got my number. My feelings aren't really hurt; I've got two other, better cardiac-only locums jobs for better pay lined up for when I get home from some mandatory Navy-related travel in a couple months. I just wonder if they're really as desperate as they are rumored to be.
 
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pgg said:
It's funny ...

I've been actively looking for some cardiac locums work in the North Carolina / Virginia area for the last year or so, though I've left the door open to do some general work too. Charlotte isn't real close or convenient for me, but I told them I could do a week or two at a time every month or two. Even got credentialed and spent a day doing their mandatory EMR training in Charlotte. Then around September/October of last year they just said they didn't need anyone after all.

For a place that's allegedly so desperate for locums people - especially ones with no ties to the previous group - they sure don't seem to be looking very hard. They've got my number. My feelings aren't really hurt; I've got two other, better cardiac-only locums jobs for better pay lined up for when I get home from some mandatory Navy-related travel in a couple months. I just wonder if they're really as desperate as they are rumored to be.
Click to expand...


Did you talk to SEA or Scope?
 
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nimbus said:
Did you talk to SEA or Scope?
Click to expand...
It's a locums agency that has approached literally everyone involved. The original people who said "yeah, get credentialed, we've got work for you" was Mednax. The locums agency paid me to go and get credentialed.

I'm sure that I'm not the problem. Well, pretty sure. I've got no malpractice history, a decent pedigree, coming up on 10 years experience, and everyone knows what a swell nice guy I am.

Maybe I (and/or the locums company) were asking for too much money.

To be honest I haven't followed up with them about Charlotte in a few months.
 
pgg said:
It's a locums agency that has approached literally everyone involved. The original people who said "yeah, get credentialed, we've got work for you" was Mednax. The locums agency paid me to go and get credentialed.

I'm sure that I'm not the problem. Well, pretty sure. I've got no malpractice history, a decent pedigree, coming up on 10 years experience, and everyone knows what a swell nice guy I am.

Maybe I (and/or the locums company) were asking for too much money.

To be honest I haven't followed up with them about Charlotte in a few months.
Click to expand...

I bet this was before the contract changed hands, because they've been dying to get people over there the last few months. One of my senior colleagues was planning on retiring June 30 from our academic place but got sweet-talked into taking a per diem position with Scope. Gets to choose when she wants to work and is making a nice little haul. Granted that's on the peds side, so it might be too late, but might not.

We'll see how things play out in about, oh, say, a week or so. Might be some more openings shortly ;-)
 
SolidWater said:
If I'm understanding this correctly, the good guys won...

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bi...allows-atrium-health-to-bring-on-new.amp.html

Edit: Oops didn't see the other thread on the general anesthesia forum.
Click to expand...

Not sure who’s good and who’s bad in this situation. Mednax lost, so did some of the physicians that works for Southeast.
Scope won. But doesn’t sound like the head is on the up and up. Atrium may have won too.

Maybe the other hospital systems now can see AMCs aren’t as great as they once thought.
 
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