The hospital has implemented bypass policies to send new obstetrics patients to Pioneers Memorial Hospital in Brawley, Calif., due to the contract impasse, according to the report.
The conflict centers on payment for pediatricians on-call to treat walk-in patients. The pediatrics department wrote in a memo that pediatricians were paid $41.66 per hour of coverage in the past, which helped offset liability costs and lost revenue from being called into emergencies from private offices, according to the report.
A hospital pediatrician said under the new contract, payment would be $14.58 per hour, according to the report.
While no pediatricians are on strike, at least six have decided not to pursue the new contract. Pediatricians will continue serving patients already assigned to them, but will not see new patients, according to the report.
ECRMC spokeswoman Kathleen Pipkin said, “This is very important to the community and we want to be able to work out an agreement,” according to the report.
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