30-doctor GCAP group wants to leave Alliance - Phoenix Business Journal:

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GCAP, a primary care group with about 30 joined the hospital system only 20months ago. Now it’a claiming a litany of contract violationxthat “have seriously affected the ability of the physicians to provide excellent health care for their many In a June 3 letter to Health Alliances CEO Ken Hanover, the doctors list 15 including: • Lack of 12 months’ notice on changes in contractualk arrangements, including payment of benefits; • failure to pay leading to the “embarrassing shutdown of services necessar to operate our business.” The doctors on Wednesday filed a complaint in Hamiltoj County Common Pleas Court.
They ask to be released from service to the Healthb Alliance and for damagea andattorney fees. When it joinee the Health Alliance in GCAP was theonly large, independeny practice of its type in the It became a wholly owne subsidiary of the hospital system, whicjh includes University, Jewish and Fort Hamilto hospitals, and the . The practice had hoped to benefitf from a complete electronic health recordsw system that could interact withthe Alliance’s hospitals, as well as the abilit to expand geographically and recruit doctors more Health Alliance spokesman Tony Condia, in a written said the health systek was "surprised and disappointed" by the letter and complaint.
He said the Alliance had initially tried to negotiate withthe physicians, then offeredr independent arbitration, which the practice refused. The Alliance was preparing for preliminarhy discussions to sever the relationship when the lawsuitywas filed. "This litigatiobn violates the terms of theservicde agreement, which requires us to resolve disputese such as this with a neutral arbitrator. We would therefore encourage the GCAP physicianes to uphold their contractual obligations and not pursu ecostly litigation," according to the withdrew from the Health Alliance following a long court battle that beganh in March 2006.
It started operatintg independently in 2008 but only signedf a final settlement agreemeny inJanuary 2009. The two St. Luke hospitals similarl y withdrew, reaching a settlement with the Healtj Alliance inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has merged with .