An Illinois hospital that recently changed hands from one health system to another has seen significant physician workforce changes, spurring concerns about healthcare access, The Beacon-News reported April 20.
On March 1, Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare acquired eight Illinois hospitals previously operated by St. Louis-based Ascension. One of those is Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, which is becoming a for-profit facility.
Advocate has been pulling physicians out of Mercy Medical Center for months, according to current and former hospital employees who spoke to The Beacon-News.
On April 5, the health system pulled its last physicians, eight cardiologists, from the medical center, according to the report.
“To provide the best and highest quality care for our patients where they need it most, Advocate Medical Group care providers have been shifting services to Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and surrounding hospitals,” a spokesperson told Becker’s. “This will help us continue to coordinate and integrate care for our patients who need these services. We are confident that Mercy Medical Center will make staffing decisions that align with their ongoing needs as they appropriately manage their operations.”
In the months leading up to Prime’s acquisition of Mercy Medical Center, Advocate pulled physicians from several service lines, including orthopedics, podiatry, pulmonology, urology, hospitalist care, critical care and ENT, according to the report.
“Advocate physicians had historically provided services in various departments,” a Prime Healthcare spokesperson told Becker’s, “but these were all transitioned to other clinicians well before the hospital [joined] Prime Healthcare.”
Mercy’s services include cardiology, emergency, lab, neurology, oncology, respiratory care, stroke care, surgical and orthopedic services, the spokesperson said.
Richa Sharma, MD, former internal medicine chief of Mercy Medical Center, told The Beacon-News in January that the hospital was working with local hospitals to take patients due to gaps in available care.
“There has been no disruption to patient care or services at Mercy Medical Center despite Advocate’s recent decision to prohibit their physicians from continuing to provide care at our hospital,” the Prime spokesperson said. “All services previously provided by Advocate physicians have been successfully transitioned to ensure no gaps in care or service offerings.”
