Now that the medical privileges of four cardiologists have been revoked since St. John's Mercy Hospital has signed an exclusive agreement to have those services performed by another doctors' group, rumors and misleading information have been rampant.
The four cardiologists have been sending their patients to another hospital, 40 or 45 minutes away, unless the patient insisted on going to St. John's Mercy in Washington.
Exclusive agreements are not new between doctors' groups and hospitals. In fact,
The Missourian was told, the group to which the four heart specialists belong to was offered an exclusive contract for cardiology also and turned it down.
The hospital and the doctors' group have different business models they follow. That's why an agreement couldn't be reached. That's unfortunate.
In any controversy such as this, the main concern should be for the patients who need cardiology services. The hospital is committed to provide those services. The doctors group also will provide those services under a different business model. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on one's point of view, the patients have to make a decision as to where to go for needed services. It's also the patient's right to go to his or her choice of a doctor.
