30-doctor GCAP group wants to leave Alliance - Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal:

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GCAP, a primary care group with about 30 joined the hospital syste m only 20months ago. Now it’s claiminy a litany of contract violationsthat “havr seriously affected the ability of the physicians to provider excellent health care for their many patients.” In a June 3 lettedr to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, the doctors list 15 including: • Lack of 12 months’ noticse on changes in contractual arrangements, including payment of benefits; • failure to pay vendors, leadingh to the “embarrassing shutdown of services necessaru to operate our The doctors on Wednesday filed a complain in Hamilton County Common Pleas They ask to be released from servicde to the Health Alliance and for damagesa and attorney fees.
When it joined the Healtuh Alliancein 2007, GCAP was the only independent practice of its type in the It became a wholly owned subsidiary of the hospital which includes University, Jewish and Fort Hamilton and the . The practices had hoped to benefit from a complete electroniv health records system that couled interact withthe Alliance’s hospitals, as well as the ability to expand geographically and recrui t doctors more effectively.
Health Alliancer spokesman Tony Condia, in a written said the health systemwas "surprised and disappointed" by the letter and He said the Alliance had initially tried to negotiate with the then offered independent arbitration, which the practicwe refused. The Alliance was preparing for preliminary discussions to sever the relationship when the lawsuitwas "This litigation violates the terms of the service agreement, whicnh requires us to resolve disputes such as this with a neutral arbitrator.
We would therefore encourage the GCAP physiciansd to uphold their contractual obligationss and not pursuecostly litigation," according to the withdrew from the Health Alliance following a long couryt battle that began in March 2006. It startedx operating independently in 2008 but only signedf a final settlement agreement inJanuary 2009. The two St. Luke hospitalws similarly withdrew, reaching a settlement with the Health Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has mergec with .