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Hospital should take action
Dear editor:
I am writing in response to the letter submitted by "Boise resident" Mr. Floyd Gene Wilson.
I'm not sure if Mr. Wilson was intentionally trying to be as condescending as possible with the tone of his letter or if he was just responding in ignorance of the situation with obvious misinformation he was either being given (perhaps by a neighbor who is a member of the Trinity Physician Group LLC) or just manufactured on his own. Regardless of his sources, bias or lack of viable or accurate information, it is unfortunate that the letter was published.
With regard to misstatement of facts in the issue, I will try to clarify for him, and anyone else who happened to read his diatribe.
1. Trinity Mountain Medical Clinic (TMMC) is not a privately owned company. It is "owned and operated by Elmore Medical Center (EMC). Elmore Medical Center contracts with the Trinity Physicians Group (Drs. Brininger, Olsen, Crossley and Bledsoe) to provide professional services for the clinic." The physical structure, as well as support staff, is all provided by EMC.
2. While Mr. Wilson states that "most negotiations involve an offer/counteroffer" in this particular instance this did not take place -- neither did "a number of meetings" nor "various offers." To date, the public has not been made aware of the decision process that resulted in the non-renewal of the contract (between EMC and the two physicians). A contract was never offered to the two physicians to turn down.
3. No credit for the hiring of the new physicians should be extended to Trinity Physician Group LLC as they were under contract by the hospital to recruit the physicians... no expense was incurred by them.
4. Elmore Medical Center, through Mr. Greg Maurer, stated in the board meeting that Trinity Physician Group was approached with the idea of mediation, but they turned it down. Later, according to the newspaper, he stated that a mediator met with Trinity Physician Group and the mediator said that the issues between the parties were not amenable to mediation. Dr. Baldridge stated at the meeting that he had never been contacted with regard to mediation.
5. Elmore Medical Clinic, to our knowledge, has not made any attempt to "place both doctors in other medical programs in Mountain Home." However, Mr. Maurer was quoted in the Mountain Home News as stating that when the contract was not renewed, "the hospital began, and is continuing, its efforts to find another local practice that will accept the doctors..." No specific effort, if any, has been made known to the public.
6. Dr. Baldridge has not influenced or encouraged any action by his patients on his behalf. His ONLY influence has been through his high standard of care and the loyalty said care induces in his patients that is unprecedented in this community. That is what motivates our actions.
Perhaps, as more people educate themselves with the facts of this matter, they, too, will become concerned that we, as a community, have been placed into a situation in which we are in extreme and urgent danger of losing two extraordinary physicians, through no misconduct or unethical practice on their part.
What should cause concern for the citizens and taxpayers of Elmore County is the fact that Elmore Medical Center Hospital District, governed by our elected board of trustees, has a group of physicians under contract with the hospital to provide services in the hospital-owned clinic.
This same physician group has also been given the power to hire/fire (not renew their contract), without cause, the two additional physicians (Baldridge and Jeffery) who are providing services in a separate section of the hospital-owned clinic.
The non-renewal of their contract does not comply with the Mission Statement of Elmore Medical Center "...to provide quality healthcare services that enhance the quality of life for the communities we serve."
The community would be best served if the Hospital District Board exercised their contractual right to overrule this decision and retain Drs. Baldridge and Jeffery in their current location.
Robert and Michelle Yalch