Editorial (December 03, 2004)

Hospital didn't back down

There are many reasons for the high cost of health care, but El Camino Hospital appears to have eliminated at least one of them when it called the bluff of its anesthesiologists and replaced them last week.

The reason: The hospital's 19 anesthesiologists continued to refuse to accept reimbursement from some insurance carriers as payment in full for their services. Instead, the anesthesiologists decided not to sign a contract with the hospital so they could continue to charge surgery patients additional fees.

It was a practice that brought cries of protest from patients who often were surprised by seeing hundreds of dollars in additional charges added to their hospital bills. After studying the issue and resolving that its own anesthesiologists were among the highest paid in the state, hospital officials decided that the billing practice must be stopped and attempted to negotiate a settlement that would keep the anesthesiologists happy.

But after several attempts, negotiations broke down and on Nov. 17, a strongly worded letter from the anesthesiologists to the hospital board said the group would only provide emergency services after Nov. 19, a deadline set by the board to decide the issue. The anesthesiologists added that they would leave the hospital altogether by the end of the month if the issue was not resolved.

Hospital officials said they were shocked at what they perceived to be a threat, and immediately began seeking replacement staff to provide anesthesia for surgeries scheduled the following week. When El Camino officials signed up a new group to provide the services, police were called to escort the recalcitrant group from the hospital's premises.

Despite the upheaval, and scattered complaints from surgeons who were upset at seeing their longtime friends and colleagues being forced to leave, the hospital has continued operations with 20 or more surgeries taking place on its busier days.

And despite agreeing to meet with the ousted anesthesiologists this Monday, we expect hospital officials to remain firm and require any doctor who returns to accept the current contract as total payment for their services.

One hospital official said it was a difficult time for both sides, but that now the impasse is over and it is time to move on. In the long run, the patients who will not see additional charges for their surgery are the real winners in this dispute. And at El Camino, health care costs are being held in check, at least for now.

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