A physician has filed suit against Milwaukee-based Aurora Health Care, claiming the system is trying to force out independent physicians through a policy of continuous on-call coverage, according to a Post Crescent report.
Plaintiff Albert Fisher, MD, claims Aurora enacted a policy requiring independent physicians to provide continuous on-call coverage for patients, which has eliminated independent providers from the hospital's staff and decreased patients' choices for physicians.
Dr. Fisher is an independent physician who entered into an agreement with Aurora in 2005 that allowed him to be a member of the medical staff. He claims that in 2011, he was notified that independent physicians would have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide coverage for Aurora patients.
Dr. Fisher claims he was denied renewal of his medical privileges at Aurora because he did not agree to the system's 24/7 coverage requirement. The lawsuit claims the coverage requirement works to systematically eliminate independent physicians from the medical staff.
In the news report, Aurora said it had not yet seen the lawsuit and was not able to comment.
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Plaintiff Albert Fisher, MD, claims Aurora enacted a policy requiring independent physicians to provide continuous on-call coverage for patients, which has eliminated independent providers from the hospital's staff and decreased patients' choices for physicians.
Dr. Fisher is an independent physician who entered into an agreement with Aurora in 2005 that allowed him to be a member of the medical staff. He claims that in 2011, he was notified that independent physicians would have to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to provide coverage for Aurora patients.
Dr. Fisher claims he was denied renewal of his medical privileges at Aurora because he did not agree to the system's 24/7 coverage requirement. The lawsuit claims the coverage requirement works to systematically eliminate independent physicians from the medical staff.
In the news report, Aurora said it had not yet seen the lawsuit and was not able to comment.
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