The fight that jeopardized top care at Fresno hospital appears to end. What we know
Community Medical Centers and a medical group on Saturday signed a new long-term agreement following months of negotiations that in September led to the interruption of neurosurgical trauma services for more than a week.
The suspension of those critical services forced at least 21 patients to be flown to hospitals outside of the area.
On Sept. 15, the Central California Faculty Medical Group announced both parties had reached a short-term agreement to fill the gap in services as negotiations for a permanent contract continued. The parties had until the end of October to ink a new permanent deal.
Both parties signed a long-term contract on Saturday, impacting a total of 28 physicians who span across 12 different specialties.
“Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) and Community Medical Centers are pleased to announce that they have reached a long-term agreement,” according to a Monday joint statement. “This new agreement allows CCFMG and CMC to continue providing the highest quality healthcare to Central Valley patients while providing the necessary support for CCFMG’s critically needed faculty physician specialists. “
The statement further said both organizations remained committed to their “long-standing partnership to train the next generation of talented physicians and provide essential healthcare to Valley residents.”
Details of the new contract weren’t disclosed on Monday.
Contract negotiations between CCFMG and CMC intensified in September, interrupting neurosurgical trauma services for more than a week. The neurosurgical trauma services are needed for Community Regional Medical Center to maintain its elite Level I Trauma Center status, which was put at risk.
CRMC was warned by Fresno County Emergency Medical Services, which oversees the elite designation, that it would revoke the Level I Trauma Center status if the hospital failed to restore its neurosurgical trauma services by a specific deadline. The hospital contracted with outside neurosurgeons to meet that deadline, and days later, it reached a short-term agreement with CCFMG.
CCFMG had maintained that funding for 28 physicians, including six neurosurgeons, who also teach at UCSF, had expired on Sept. 2, and no new contract had been signed due to the hospital not offering a mutually beneficial deal.
Both sides had said negotiations hadn’t stalled due to a disagreement in the dollar amount, but rather a funding model and a funding mechanism. CCFMG has had a working relationship with CMC for the past 24 years.
This story was originally published November 3, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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