Last week, Gastonia, N.C.-based CaroMont Health filed a lawsuit against Cogent Healthcare, a healthcare staffing company based in Brentwood, Tenn., and its North Carolina subsidiary for "breach of contract and unfair and deceptive trade practices," according to a system news release.
CaroMont and Cogent had been in a contract for Cogent to provide hospitalist services at CaroMont Regional Medical Center, the 435-bed flagship hospital of CaroMont based in Gastonia. CaroMont planned to take control of its hospitalist program by Dec. 1, but Cogent informed the system it intended to end the contract by Oct. 8. Health system officials said they filed suit due to Cogent's alleged attempts to "obtain additional compensation" and the alleged breach of contract.
"Unfortunately, by choosing to withdraw from their contractual obligations, they have put us in the position of executing a very rapid and difficult transition, which was not necessary, nor in the best interest of our patients, physicians and staff," said Doug Luckett, interim CEO for CaroMont.
In a statement to the Charlotte Business Journal, Cogent officials said: "To assist with the transition, we have coordinated a fully staffed program through the end of November which will allow CaroMont to provide hospitalist services without interruption. We're pleased to have assisted CaroMont in providing high-quality medical services to the residents of Gastonia during the past year."
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