Amador County - The Board of Supervisors heard a pitch Tuesday from supporters of Assembly Bill 648, which would authorize rural hospitals to directly employ physicians to provide medical services. It would also require a rural hospital to develop and implement a policy regarding the independent medical judgment of the physician. The Existing California Health and Safety code requires the department to provide expert technical assistance to “high-risk rural hospitals.” AB 648 would allow hospitals to be more proactive in directly recruiting and hiring doctors. The bill was introduced by Assembly Members Wesley Chesbro and Sandre Swanson, and is now before the California Legislature. “Physicians coming out of medical school are hesitant about the risks of operating their own business,” said Anne Platt, Sutter Amador Hospital CEO. “If a hospital is able to employ a physician, it can provide security and health insurance that would be difficult to obtain otherwise,” she added. The bill itself states that many hospitals in the state are having great difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians. There is a shortage of physicians in rural communities across California. Dr. Bob Hartmann, a hospital physician and resident at Health and Human Services, said the average medical student coming out of training owes $147,000 and is reluctant to set up in rural areas. Furthermore, 90 percent go into larger, more established groups like Kaiser Permanente, he said. Supervisor Brian Oneto questioned whether physicians would lose their autonomy or remain happy under the umbrella of the hospital. Platt said she had “never seen that situation” and “if there were a situation where a physician were being dictated to, the physician would leave.” Also on hand was a representative from the Amador County Commission on Aging who said attracting quality care to our area was all the more important because we have one of the highest county populations over age 65. Platt and Hartmann warned of resistance from the California Medical Association, although the group has not stated a position on the bill. A motion in support of the bill was passed 4-0, with Supervisor Oneto abstaining because he wanted to confer with doctors. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wednesday, 25 March 2009 09:28
Assembly Bill 648 Approval
Amador County - The Board of Supervisors heard a pitch Tuesday from supporters of Assembly Bill 648, which would authorize rural hospitals to directly employ physicians to provide medical services. It would also require a rural hospital to develop and implement a policy regarding the independent medical judgment of the physician. The Existing California Health and Safety code requires the department to provide expert technical assistance to “high-risk rural hospitals.” AB 648 would allow hospitals to be more proactive in directly recruiting and hiring doctors. The bill was introduced by Assembly Members Wesley Chesbro and Sandre Swanson, and is now before the California Legislature. “Physicians coming out of medical school are hesitant about the risks of operating their own business,” said Anne Platt, Sutter Amador Hospital CEO. “If a hospital is able to employ a physician, it can provide security and health insurance that would be difficult to obtain otherwise,” she added. The bill itself states that many hospitals in the state are having great difficulty recruiting and retaining physicians. There is a shortage of physicians in rural communities across California. Dr. Bob Hartmann, a hospital physician and resident at Health and Human Services, said the average medical student coming out of training owes $147,000 and is reluctant to set up in rural areas. Furthermore, 90 percent go into larger, more established groups like Kaiser Permanente, he said. Supervisor Brian Oneto questioned whether physicians would lose their autonomy or remain happy under the umbrella of the hospital. Platt said she had “never seen that situation” and “if there were a situation where a physician were being dictated to, the physician would leave.” Also on hand was a representative from the Amador County Commission on Aging who said attracting quality care to our area was all the more important because we have one of the highest county populations over age 65. Platt and Hartmann warned of resistance from the California Medical Association, although the group has not stated a position on the bill. A motion in support of the bill was passed 4-0, with Supervisor Oneto abstaining because he wanted to confer with doctors. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
