At the beginning of April, Jacksonville (Fla.) Orthopaedic Institute announced plans to shutter six clinic locations amid a physician buyout of Jacksonville-based Baptist Health.
In addition to the closures, JOI will lay off 153 physicians, radiology technologists, medical secretaries, patient account representatives, appointment schedulers and medical assistants between May 30 and July 13, according to WARN reports filed with the state.
In the wake of the layoffs, Jacksonville-based Southeast Orthopedic Specialists has begun to hire a number of physicians and clinicians who lost their roles with JOI, the practice told Becker’s via email.
Becker’s connected with Donnie Romine, CEO of Southeast Orthopedic Specialists and president of HOPCo Southeast Specialty Care Network, to discuss his reactions to JOI’s sudden closures and how SOS plans to grow in the aftermath.
Question: What was your reaction to learning about the practice closures and layoffs at JOI?
Donnie Romine: We were surprised to hear about the closures and layoffs at Jacksonville Orthopaedic Institute. JOI has served the Jacksonville/Northeast Florida market for many years and has a long history of providing exceptional care and service to our local communities. While the local market has experienced tremendous growth over the last several years, the closures and layoffs at JOI highlight the challenges we face in Florida as leaders in healthcare delivery. The combined challenges of declining reimbursements, escalating costs, workforce constraints and the transition to value-based payment models have placed unprecedented strain on many provider organizations.
Q: Why did SOS bring on a number of laid-off physicians?
DR: Several years ago, we made the conscious decision to focus on four things: quality, service, growth and innovation. We pride ourselves on our specialist model of care where our physicians focus their practice only on areas where they are fellowship trained. We believe our model of care sets us apart, and we are constantly looking to add physicians who understand and support that model. JOI has excellent physicians and some of those felt now was the right time to join SOS.
Q: How will this help your practice’s overall growth?
DR: At the core of any successful large practice is its physicians; they are the driving force behind growth, patient care and long-term sustainability. Those physicians enable a practice like SOS to support the numerous care options we have developed such as ASCs, advanced imaging centers, rehabilitation centers, interventional pain management centers and non-surgical care centers.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to expand on?
DR: While we wish nothing but the best for our colleagues at JOI, at SOS, our primary focus remains on providing leading-edge musculoskeletal care to the local communities we are proud to serve. Through our partnership with HOPCo, we have invested significant resources to expand our coverage area and offer advanced care options to our patients. SOS is made up of 140 providers, including 29 surgeons, nine non-operative physicians, 42 advanced practice providers, and 60 therapists, across 13 locations spanning the “First Coast” of Florida. Despite the ongoing market pressures we face, we will continue to execute our growth strategy by expanding into adjacent markets, developing additional surgery centers, introducing cutting-edge treatment options and partnering with like-minded practices that share our vision for the future. What we do is challenging, but the positive impact we make on our patients’ lives makes it all worthwhile.
