30-doctor GCAP group wants to leave Alliance - New Mexico Business Weekly:

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GCAP, a primary care groupp with about30 doctors, joined the hospita l system only 20 months ago. Now it’s claiming a litanyg of contract violationsthat “have seriouslyh affected the ability of the physicians to provid excellent health care for their many patients.” In a June 3 letterd to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, the doctorx list 15 complaints, • Lack of 12 months’ notic e on changes in contractual including payment of benefits; failure to pay vendors, leading to the “embarrassinbg shutdown of services necessart to operate our business.” The doctors on Wednesday filed a complaint in Hamilton County Commonj Pleas Court.
They ask to be releaserd from service to the Health Alliance and for damagees andattorney fees. When it joinerd the Health Alliancein 2007, GCAP was the only independent practice of its type in the It became a wholly owned subsidiary of the hospitalo system, which includes University, Jewish and Fort Hamilton and the . The practicwe had hoped to benefit from a complete electronicv health records system that could interact withthe Alliance’s hospitals, as well as the ability to expan geographically and recruit doctors more effectively. Health Alliancew spokesman Tony Condia, in a written statement, said the healthn system was "surprised and by the letter and complaint.
He said the Alliance had initially tried to negotiate with the then offeredindependent arbitration, which the practicr refused. The Alliance was preparing for preliminary discussionse to sever the relationship when the lawsuittwas filed. "This litigation violates the termsz of theservice agreement, which requires us to resolve disputesz such as this with a neutral We would therefore encourage the GCAP physicians to uphold theier contractual obligations and not pursue costly according to the withdrew from the Health Alliance following a long court battle that began in March 2006. It startedf operating independently in 2008 but only signed a final settlemenf agreement inJanuary 2009.
The two St. Luke hospitalds similarly withdrew, reaching a settlementr with the Health Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has mergedx with .