Physicians leave Dignity Health after contract change in Santa Cruz
Key Takeaways
- More than a dozen physicians and advanced practice providers have left Dignity Health Dominican Hospital after a contract change affected the Santa Cruz Medical Group. Some patients are waiting up to a year for a new primary care physician.
More than a dozen physicians and advanced practice providers have left Dignity Health Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif., after the health system’s medical foundation changed its contracting arrangements with the Santa Cruz Medical Group late last year, according to a June 29 report from Lookout Santa Cruz.
Several physicians said the departures were greater than normal annual turnover. Those who left included primary care, OB-GYN and specialty physicians, and some moved to competing systems such as Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health.
The Santa Cruz Medical Group, a physician group of roughly 120 members that was established in 2014, is now closing. According to the report, Dignity Health Medical Foundation ended its contract with the group and shifted to contracting with a different physician organization.
The departures have affected patients as well. Some are reportedly facing waits of up to a year to see a new primary care physician.
Dignity Health said it is bringing in new clinicians across several specialties and expects to fill most open roles by the end of the year. However, the system declined to say how many patients lost their doctors or explain why the contract change was made.
Dignity Health Medical Group – Dominican Hospital also provided Becker’s with a statement saying its commitment to communities and high-quality, compassionate care guides its decisions. The statement said its physicians and advanced practice providers are central to its care delivery system and acknowledged concerns about recent staffing changes tied to physicians pursuing other opportunities.
The statement said the contract change was essential to positioning the organization for growth in the Santa Cruz area, particularly in light of current external factors affecting the healthcare landscape. It added that the organization is welcoming clinicians in multiple specialties, with some starting immediately and others joining over the next several months.
The health system said it anticipates having most positions filled by the end of the year and said its commitment to attracting and retaining talent remains steadfast. It also said it aims to maintain a meaningful and expanding presence while continuing to provide care over the long term.