Becker's ASC Review

107 HEALTHCARE NEWS Viewpoint: Physician exodus from North Carolina system is a win for patients By Ayla Ellison D ozens of physicians have decided to part ways with Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health, but the Association of Independent Doctors says the change could be good for physicians and pa- tients, according to WLOS. WLOS reports that 79 physicians plan to leave or have left Mission Health since it was acquired by Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare in February 2019. Though concerns about care quality have been raised over the physician departures, the Association of Independent Doctors said these moves could be a win for patients. "It's a good thing. It's a good thing for patients when doctors are inde- pendent," Association of Independent Doctors Executive Director Marni Jameson Carey told WLOS. "If a hospital comes in and is giving a doctor a contract that he or she does not want to sign on to and a doctor decides to go on his or her own way, that's a good thing. That will be higher quality for the patient, more independence for the doctor, better care all around," Ms. Carey said. "The same visit is half the price or less at an independent doctor's office than it is in the hospital." In April, 13 physicians who used to work at Mission Health are going to work at two new clinics being opened by Hendersonville, N.C.-based Pardee UNC Health Care, according to WLOS. AdventHealth has hired physicians who used to work at Mission Health as well, according to the report. n New York hospital takes $34M hit from nearly 2,700 canceled surgeries By Ayla Ellison E rie County Medical Center in Buf- falo, N.Y., is working to recover rev- enue lost due to canceled surgeries and lower patient volumes tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 573-bed hospital reported a 6 per- cent year-over-year decline in emergency department visits in 2020, leading to a revenue drop of $1.5 million, according to Buffalo Business First. Canceled elective surgeries took a big- ger financial toll on the hospital. The sus- pension of elective procedures last year led to nearly 2,700 canceled surgeries and $34 million in lost revenue, accord- ing to the report. "It is a financial hit for us to have less visits, but the more severe financial hit was lack of surgeries, that is the heart financially of the organization," Erie County Medical Center President CEO Thomas Quatroche Jr., PhD, told Buffalo Business First. n Spectrum Health ends probe of insensitive Instagram posts, takes 'corrective action' By Molly Gamble S pectrum Health said it has concluded its investigation and taken "corrective action" aer photos taken in operating rooms accompanied by insensitive com- ments were posted to an Instagram account linked to 35 medical residents at the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based system. A Spectrum spokesperson said patients have been informed of the incidents. Becker's did not receive a response about what the corrective measures taken with employees involved in the since-deactivated Instagram account entailed. WOOD-TV, the NBC affiliate for Grand Rapids, aired a segment about the OB-GYN residents' Instagram account March 12. e account was not officially affiliated with 14-hospital Spectrum Health, although the residents were employees of the system, and photos were taken in Spectrum operating rooms. Since-deleted posts included a photo of a physician holding an organ removed in a cancer operation. "e other game we play in the OR is guess that weight," the poster of the organ picture wrote. "It applies to much more than just babies. As always, 'Price is Right' rules apply so if you go over then you're out!" At least one patient was visible in a post on the operating table. Spectrum Health shared the following state- ment with Becker's March 24: "We completed a thorough and detailed investigation of the situation involving inap- propriate posts on an Instagram account not officially connected to Spectrum Health. Our team members are expected to follow strict guidelines regarding patient confidentiality and social media use, and this incident did not reflect those standards. "We have informed the patients about this incident and have taken corrective action with the team members involved in the posts. We deeply regret this incident oc- curred despite strong policies and guidelines in place. We are working to further strength- en our educational programs to ensure this type of situation does not happen again." n

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