Emergency medicine physicians under contract with Valley Health in Winchester, Virginia, said they were blindsided by the news that the health system planned to end their contract and partner with a private-equity owned practice management company instead.
"You're always taught as a young kid, you got to stand up for your rights," said Ronak Shah, MD, vice president of Emergency Medicine of Blue Ridge (EMBR), an independent, physician-led company. Those ideals, however, crashed headlong into harsh realities -- from the cost of litigation to the lack of strong legal protections for independent practice physicians in Virginia.
EMBR has 45 full-time physicians, 18 advanced practice providers, and around 35 per diem physicians working across six Valley Health hospitals in Virginia and West Virginia.
'Blindsided' by Valley Health's Decision
On the morning of April 2, when EMBR President David Watts, MD, was called into an emergency meeting with Valley Health's leadership, the group was halfway through a 5-year contract, according to Shah.
