Becker's Spine Review

60 HEALTHCARE NEWS New Hampshire hospital loses 12 physicians as interim CEO takes helm By Kelly Gooch T welve of 14 primary care physicians on staff have le or are in the process of leaving prac- tices affiliated with Frisbie Memorial Hospital, a 112-bed hospital in Rochester, N.H., according to Foster's Daily Democrat. e exodus, affecting five or six practices, comes aer Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare completed its acquisition of the hospital in March 2020. It also comes as Matt Larkin takes the helm of Frisbie Me- morial as interim CEO. "Yes, this has happened, and we are working to as- sure we can support the hospital with local coverage while we are actively recruiting new staff," Mr. Larkin told the Daily Democrat. "It is not a RIF [reduction in force]. Sometimes when an organization changes ad- ministration, we can see attrition. ose physicians who le are fantastic, and we hope as we reorganize some may come back." Mr. Larkin, who previously was COO of HCA's Portsmouth (N.H.) Regional Hospital, is serving as interim CEO of Frisbie Memorial aer Jeff Scionti retired. He said as the hospital is rebuilding practices, its aim is that some of the physicians leaving will want to re- turn, according to the July 15 Daily Democrat report. He also told the newspaper that the hospital is re- cruiting physicians in various areas, including hema- tology and oncology, and obstetrics and gynecology. He added that "HCA made no direct changes to ac- count for the attrition" and that the physician exodus is "a perfect storm of events that just happened. We have a really positive feel for our emergency and oth- er services, and we want people to know we are here to handle any situation." As part of HCA's purchase, the for-profit hospital operator agreed to make multiple investments in Frisbie Memorial, including in rooms, boiler systems and the pharmacy, Mr. Larkin said. n Walmart files to provide healthcare in 37 states, expand telehealth services with MeMD acquisition By Hannah Mitchell Walmart has filed paperwork to operate its healthcare business in 37 states, Insider reported July 19. A Walmart spokesperson told Insider in June that the filings are to oper- ate its telehealth services after it completes its acquisition of virtual care provider MeMD. "We've expressed our interest in offering telehealth via an acquisition that is pending regulatory clearance, and these filings are related to that effort, not physical Walmart Health locations," the spokesperson said. Walmart did not confirm that these filings are also for its telehealth ven- ture. In April and May, Walmart filed to conduct its healthcare business in 16 states. In June and July, the retail giant added another 17 states, accord- ing to public documents. Aside from operating 20 medical clinics in Arkansas, Georgia and Illi- nois, Walmart in the last few months has been working to position itself as a one-stop-shop for comprehensive medical care. Walmart launched a free digital wallet that people can use to store and share their health information, such as COVID-19 vaccine records. On June 29, Walmart said it will offer a less expensive private label version of analog insulin for diabetes patients who struggle to afford their medication. n Physician lives at Tennessee hospital to be available around the clock By Ayla Ellison B ig South Fork Medical Center in Oneida, Tenn., is one of dozens of rural hospitals across the country struggling to keep its doors open. The hospital's owner, Rennova Health, said in April that its Tennessee hospitals were operating at a cash deficiency. The West Palm Beach, Fla.- based company said payroll had been late, making it difficult to retain employees. The challenges have left Big South Fork Medical Center with only one physician, Deepak Reddy, DO. He lives at the facility to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to National Geographic. Six rural hospitals in Tennessee have closed since 2019, including two owned by Rennova. The company shut down Jamestown (Tenn.) Region- al Medical Center in June 2019 and closed Jellico (Tenn.) Community Hospital in March. n

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