While exclusive contracts are more common in diagnostic or general areas of medicine, Kettering (Ohio) Medical Center has established three-year exclusive arrangements with cardiothoracic surgeons, according to a Dayton Daily News report.
The hospital put the arrangement in place about a year ago, saying having the same surgeons perform highly technical procedures over and over again is better for patient care. Hospital staff also becomes accustomed to working with the same four surgeons, according to the report, which can benefit patients.
Contracted arrangements with specialists, like KMC’s with Kettering Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons group, are less common than those for services such as radiology, anesthesiology, pathology, hospitalists and emergency physicians. This is the hospital’s only contracted arrangement, but that may soon change.
Walter Sackett, vice president of clinical services, said high-volume centers that specialize in highly technical procedures with exclusive arrangements of highly specialized surgeons may become more common. Some opponents to the concept, however, say the contracts can be anti-competitive and act as a hurdle to other physicians in the area who are trying to expand their practice.
Read the Dayton Daily News report on Kettering Medical Center and its exclusive contract.
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