Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (Va.) and its clinics are dealing with a shortage of civilian physicians amid a dispute involving companies contracted to staff the hospital, according to The Virginian-Pilot.
The military uses contractors to staff its medical facilities. One of the staffing firms contracted with Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, however, failed to hire enough civilian physicians, according to the report.
An undisclosed number of physicians chose to not sign the contract, which took effect Oct. 1. The Virginian-Pilot obtained an internal briefing card stating the physicians weren't signing the contract because of payment rates.
In a Sept. 30 Facebook post, the Naval Medical Center Portsmouth said it is "making every effort to prevent any disruption in healthcare services including filling vacancies with military providers and extending hours at certain facilities."
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