A resolution may be far off for Christie Clinic, a physician group in Champaign, Ill., and some OSF HealthCare hospitals, according to The News-Gazette.
Tensions have been growing since Peoria-based OSF's 2018 purchase of what is now OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana, Ill. In the past year, Christie Clinic leaders told the publication several disagreements over business practices and patient care issues have led 67 Christie physicians and other providers to resign from OSF Heart of Mary's.
Christie Clinic CEO Kenny Bilger told The News-Gazette that after several failed attempts to reach a solution, he sees the rift as permanent.
"This will not be resolved," he told the newspaper. "We've moved so far on." Mr. Bilger said that between August 2017 and September 2018, the leaders of both organizations had met many times to address disagreements over conflicting business models. Specifically, Mr. Bilger and Christie's COO Jason Hirsbrunner disagreed with how OSF transported some local patients needing stroke care to OSF facilities out of the community, even though those services were available from area providers.
While some Christie providers remain at OSF Heart of Mary, many specialists do not, according to The News-Gazette.
In an emailed statement to Becker's, OSF said "it has had a long standing relationship with Christie Clinic. However, over the past 17 months, we have seen 67 Christie Clinic physicians and other providers resign from our medical staff."
The statement continued: "After OSF HealthCare entered the Champaign/Urbana market in February 2018, Christie demanded that OSF HealthCare restrict our services to the hospital with no ambulatory presence in the community, which we do not believe is in the best interests of the community or its stakeholders. We have been and continue to be happy to partner with Christie and its excellent physicians. Indeed, we had hoped to continue the relationship with Christie that Presence had with them, but unfortunately Christie instead chose to punish OSF for its unwillingness to limit our services in the region. Many attempts have been made, and OSF HealthCare remains open to any discussions that are not contingent upon our abandonment of outpatient or any other necessary healthcare services."
In a statement to Becker's Christie Clinic said: "Our patients have continuously expressed their desire for local care, and we will provide care to our community and in our community. Not only is sending patients out of town hard on patients and their families, it also takes a certain volume of cases to recruit and retain high-level specialists in the community. If patients are transferred out of the community, it makes it more difficult for local medical providers to sustain those services. We needed to secure a long-term hospital relationship with someone we trust to do what is best for our community."
Editor's note: This article was updated March 23.