On Sept. 1, Ascension Wisconsin will contract with critical care physicians from TeamHealth, a national staffing company. The move may reduce physician levels in some ICUs, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Aug. 11.
The Wisconsin division of St. Louis-based Ascension is ending contracts with local physician groups and switching to Knoxville, Tenn.-based TeamHealth, according to the report.
Ascension Wisconsin is considering a hybrid ICU staffing model, but no final decision has been made, the health system said.
“Ascension Wisconsin is adapting critical care services across our health system to better align staffing and resources to match the acuity level of the patients our hospitals treat,” the system said in a statement. “This includes transitioning from multiple critical care contractors and models to a single physician group of intensivists employed by TeamHealth. We are in the process of developing the final coverage plan. Our current plan is for all of our acute care hospitals to have providers on site 24/7 and 24/7 access to intensivists.”
Four physicians at Ascension Wisconsin, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel they worry patient safety could be compromised if physician staffing levels drop.
Ascension Wisconsin said it chose TeamHealth after a “robust and competitive request for proposal process.”
“We selected TeamHealth due to their capacity to provide comprehensive intensivist services across our entire Ascension Wisconsin footprint,” the health system said.
Becker’s has reached out to TeamHealth and will update this article should more information become available.
