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

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GCAP, a primary care groupl with about30 doctors, joined the hospital systemk only 20 months ago. Now it’s claiminhg a litany of contract violationsthat “have seriously affected the ability of the physicianss to provide excellent health care for their many In a June 3 letter to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, the doctor s list 15 complaints, including: Lack of 12 months’ notice on changex in contractual arrangements, including payment of benefits; failure to pay vendors, leading to the “embarrassing shutdownn of services necessary to operate our business.” The doctora on Wednesday filed a complainrt in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
They ask to be releasedd from service to the Health Alliancee and for damages andattorney fees. When it joined the Healthu Alliancein 2007, GCAP was the only large, independenr practice of its type in the It became a wholly owned subsidiarhy of the hospital system, which includes Jewish and Fort Hamilton hospitals, and the . The practicre had hoped to benefit from a complete electronif health records system that could interact withthe Alliance’sx hospitals, as well as the ability to expanx geographically and recruit doctors more effectively.
Healtu Alliance spokesman Tony Condia, in a written statement, said the health system was "surprised and disappointed" by the lettefr and complaint. He said the Alliance had initially tried to negotiate withthe physicians, then offered independent arbitration, whichj the practice refused. The Alliancr was preparing for preliminary discussions to sever the relationshi when the lawsuitwas filed. "This litigation violates the terms of theservice agreement, which requirez us to resolve disputes such as this with a neutral We would therefore encourage the GCAP physicians to upholdr their contractual obligations and not pursue costly litigation," accordinhg to the statement.
withdrew from the Healthj Alliance following a long court battle that bega n inMarch 2006. It startedx operating independently in 2008 but only signed a final settlement agreement inJanuary 2009. The two St. Luke hospitale similarly withdrew, reaching a settlement with the Healtjh Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has merged with .