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

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GCAP, a primary care groupo with about30 doctors, joined the hospital system only 20 months ago. Now it’ claiming a litany of contract violationsthat “have seriously affected the ability of the physicians to providee excellent health care for their many patients.” In a June 3 lette r to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, the doctords list 15 complaints, • Lack of 12 months’ notice on changesa in contractual arrangements, including paymeng of benefits; • failure to pay leading to the “embarrassing shutdown of services necessarg to operate our business.” The doctors on Wednesdayg filed a complaint in Hamiltonm County Common Pleas Court.
They ask to be releasedc from service to the Health Alliance and for damages andattorneyg fees. When it joined the Healtnh Alliancein 2007, GCAP was the only independent practice of its type in the area. It becamw a wholly owned subsidiary of the hospital whichincludes University, Jewish and Fort Hamilton hospitals, and the . The practices had hoped to benefit from a completr electronic health records system that could interactg withthe Alliance’s hospitals, as well as the ability to expandd geographically and recruit doctors more effectively.
Healtgh Alliance spokesman Tony Condia, in a written statement, said the healtb system was "surprised and disappointed" by the lette r and complaint. He said the Alliancre had initially tried to negotiate with the then offeredindependent arbitration, which the practicr refused. The Alliance was preparing for preliminaryt discussions to sever the relationship when the lawsuitwas "This litigation violates the terms of the servicre agreement, which requires us to resolve disputes such as this with a neutralo arbitrator.
We would therefore encourage the GCAP physicians to uphold their contractual obligationsa and not pursuecostly litigation," according to the withdrew from the Health Alliance followingg a long court battle that begah in March 2006. It startefd operating independently in 2008 but only signed a final settlemenyt agreement inJanuary 2009. The two St. Luke hospital similarly withdrew, reaching a settlement with the Healtnh Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has mergeds with .