Becker's Hospital Review

44 CMO / CARE DELIVERY How many physicians have exited Mission since HCA took over? Watchdog says 200+ By Ayla Ellison T he Asheville Watchdog reported March 23 that at least 223 physi- cians have exited Mission Health since HCA Healthcare took over the health system in 2019. Nashville, Tenn.- based HCA Healthcare has declined to say how many physicians have le. HCA, a 182-hospital system, acquired Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Health in February 2019. Aer the deal closed, physicians began parting ways with the health system. HCA has declined repeated requests for the number of physicians who have le, but Asheville Watchdog identified 223 physicians who appear to have depart- ed since August 2019. e physicians' names were listed on the Mission "Find a Doctor" website in August 2019 but had been removed as of February 2022. Asheville Watchdog noted that another 57 physicians whose names still appear on the website are listed as no longer affiliat- ed with or employed by Mission Health. An HCA spokesperson told Asheville Watchdog that the number of physicians on staff at Mission Health is "relatively the same" today as when HCA acquired the system. "Mission Health is grateful to our team members who provide quality care to our community every day … It is expected that the transition to HCA Healthcare, life events, effects of a global pandemic, and the increasing demand for healthcare services, etc., would lead to both some ad- ditions and departures," the spokesperson told Asheville Watchdog. e spokesperson also noted that health systems nationwide are struggling to attract and retain physicians. She said Mission added nearly 60 new physicians last year, according to the report. In interviews with Asheville Watchdog, physicians cited several reasons for ex- iting Mission, including burnout, con- cerns about patient care and frustrations with HCA's emphasis on profits. n It could take years to know what 'endemic COVID-19' looks like By Cailey Gleeson I t can take years for scientists to determine endemic patterns while pandemics settle, and consequences of widespread illness can be long lasting after new in- fections fade, leaving the endemic stage of COVID-19 a "mystery," The New York Times reported April 7. "There's been a political reframing of the idea of endem- ic as something that is harmless or normal," Lukas Engel- mann, a historian of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told the Times. Mr. Engelmann added that epidemiologists use the term for conditions that should be watched carefully, as endem- ic diseases have the potential to become epidemics again. Many scientists predict the endemic stage of COVID-19 will be similar to other respiratory viruses, but the burdens of endemic diseases are "unequal," according to experts who spoke with the Times, as communities' experiences with diseases often differ. "It will be no more deadly than seasonal flu or may be mild like one of the cold-causing coronaviruses," Lone Simon- sen, the director of the PandemiX Center at Roskilde Uni- versity in Denmark, told the Times. Immunity from vaccination and infection may wane over time, and the random mutation of future variants may cause severe disease. One thing is certain, according to the Times: A disease making the transition to an endemic state does not indi- cate the end of that disease. Countries must use control measures, such as testing and vaccinations, to keep diseas- es from becoming epidemics again. n HCA launches nurse hotline in Florida By Mackenzie Bean D avie-based HCA Florida Health- care is rolling out a free 24/7 nurse consultation line for Florida residents, the organization said April 7. Floridians can call the Consult-A-Nurse hotline to ask medical questions or speak with a nurse about symptoms. Nurses will use Schmitt-Thompson tri- age guidelines to help users decide the appropriate next steps. If emergency care is needed, nurses will use callers' zip codes to direct them to the closest HCA Florida emergency room. "Whether you're a parent of a newborn with questions in the middle of the night or a recently discharged hospi- tal patient overwhelmed by your next steps in care over a holiday weekend, we'll be there to provide information or direct you to the right place at the right time to receive care," said Tabitha Anglea, MSN, RN, associate vice presi- dent of customer relationship manage- ment-clinical operations at Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare. n

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