CRMC, medical group reach a short-term deal. What does that mean for long-term care?
Community Regional Medical Center and the Central California Faculty Medical Group on Tuesday morning announced both parties have reached a short-term agreement to fill the gap in services as negotiations for a permanent contract continue.
Contract negotiations between CRMC and CCFMG had been intensifying over the last couple of weeks, interrupting neurosurgical trauma services for more than a week. The neurosurgical trauma services are needed for CRMC to maintain its elite Level I Trauma Center status, which was put at risk last week.
“Community Medical Centers and Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) agree wholeheartedly that putting patients first is, and always will be, the right thing to do,” the joint statement reads. “Having that common ground is the foundation and motivation for working toward restoring our partnership.”
CCFMG has said funding for 28 physicians, including six neurosurgeons who also teach at UCSF Fresno, expired earlier this month. Meanwhile, for the first time last week, CRMC said CCFMG decided to stop offering neurosurgical trauma services, despite being funded through the end of September.
“We have a short-term agreement in place that will give both parties more time to work through the finer details of a long-term agreement,” according to the joint statement. “In the meantime, CCFMG will resume neurosurgery call coverage to support Community Regional Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center.”
A critical component of the hospital’s mission is to have “strong, long-term physician and hospital partnerships,” according to the statement.
“We will continue to work together with transparency and in good faith on a renewed partnership and remain committed to training the next generation of talented physicians and providing essential healthcare to Valley residents,” according to the statement.
The hospital on Friday had contracted with two neurosurgeons to provide neurosurgical trauma services in order to prevent having its elite status yanked by Fresno County Emergency Medical Services, which oversees the designation. At least 21 patients were transported out of Fresno to hospitals elsewhere during the time that neurosurgical trauma services were unavailable at CRMC.
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