Steamboat Springs, Colo.-based UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center is weighing how to move forward with plans for a multispecialty orthopedic surgery center after a team of orthopedic surgeons pulled out of the proposal, the Steamboat Pilot reports.
Here's what you should know:
1. On Sept. 18, hospital CEO Frank May wrote in a letter to colleagues that the hospital was finalizing plans for the center. Later that day, Mr. May announced the hospital's local orthopedic group partners backed out of the deal.
2. The surgeons reportedly became uneasy about the project after the hospital submitted plans to build a new facility and began searching for new orthopedic surgeons.
3. Spokesperson Patrick Johnston, MD, said the surgeon group declined an offer from the hospital because it wanted to explore other avenues, which "included finding more affordable options to house our practice." However, Mr. May contended the surgeons turned down "a collaborative relationship that put patients first."
4. The hospital also wanted to set the center up as a hospital outpatient department while the surgeons preferred an ASC.
5. The surgeons and the hospital have resumed negotiations. Dr. Johnston said the surgeon group is considering all options.