Beaumont Care Partners, the clinically integrated network of Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health, will end its agreement with United Physicians, a roughly 2,500-member group also based in Michigan, according to Crain's Detroit Business.
Beaumont's CIN, which is made up of Beaumont's eight hospitals and roughly 4,300 affiliated physicians, voted out United Physicians after the group failed to pay $800,000 in capital payments during the last two years, according to the report. United Physicians President Mike Williams, MD, told Crain's the organization withheld payments because the founding principles of the CIN were not being upheld. One-third of United Physicians' members are employed by Beaumont and continue to be employed by Beaumont even though United Physicians is no longer part of Beaumont Care Partners.
Dr. Williams also told Crain's the motion to terminate the agreement during the CIN's mid-April meeting was unexpected and came from Beaumont CMO David Wood, MD. Beaumont Health and Beaumont ACO voted to remove United Physicians from the CIN without discussion, according to Dr. Williams.
John Fox, CEO of Beaumont, told Crain's that a number of physicians had expressed frustration with the late capital payments. Beaumont officials also told the publication that United Physicians didn't comply with decisions to grow the CIN through more payer and employer contracts.
While United Physicians will no longer be a part of Beaumont Care Partners, individual physicians within United Physicians will still care for Beaumont patients under the CIN's contracts covering about 60,000 lives, according to the report.
Becker's Hospital Review reached out to Beaumont and United Physicians for comment. This article will be updated as more information is provided.
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