Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth has decided not to outsource hospitalists who treat patients at its Sacred Heart medical centers located in Springfield, Ore., and Eugene, Ore., according to The Register-Guard.
Rather, the hospitalists, who have been employed by PeaceHealth Medical Group, will still be employees of PeaceHealth, according to the report. They will report to Rand O'Leary, Sacred Heart's CAO, and the rest of the Sacred Heart executive team.
Last spring, administrators from PeaceHealth, announced the possibility of outsourcing hospitalist employment to a third party. As a result, 15 hospitalists (12 full-time equivalent physicians) gave their notice and left last summer, bringing numbers down from 39 hospitalists (37 FTE) to 27 hospitalists (25 FTE). That number will fall to 24 (22.5 FTE) in May, according to the report.
David Schwartz, a Sacred Heart hospitalist and spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association, told The Register-Guard hospitalists are thrilled they won't be outsourced. However, they believe the severe shortage of hospitalists still needs to be addressed.
Mr. O'Leary told The Register-Guard Sacred Heart is trying to hire more hospitalists "as soon as possible."
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