Agreement on catheterizations leaves out some cardiologists

A North Carolina hospital limits privileges to one group, sparking an outcry over the exclusive arrangement.

By Mike Norbut, AMNews staff. Dec. 1, 2003.

While it's not uncommon for hospitals to sign service contracts with radiology or anesthesiology groups, one North Carolina facility plans to extend that courtesy to a local cardiology group, effectively closing privileges to other heart physicians in the area.

The Board of Trustees at Presbyterian Healthcare, an affiliate of Novant Health, recently decided to forge an agreement with a single group to provide diagnostic catheterization services at its facility in Matthews, just outside of Charlotte. Stephen Wallenhaupt, MD, executive vice president of medical affairs for Presbyterian, said that while no agreement has been reached yet, the expectation is the group will be Mid Carolina Cardiology, a 29-physician practice with six clinic locations.

The decision leaves out two other large, prominent cardiology groups, though the health system's policy does not extend to its flagship facility in Charlotte.

"The real story is a hospital system is getting between patients and their doctors," said F. Scott Valeri, MD, a cardiologist and president of Charlotte Cardiology Associates, a 15-physician group with five locations. "It sets a bad precedent in our community to have hospitals not promoting good, board-certified physicians to practice in their facilities."

Dr. Valeri said his group had been asked by Presbyterian less than a year ago to create more of a presence in Matthews, and it responded by relocating a physician to an office next to the hospital. Now, there's a possibility they will lose their patients in that area, because if people choose to visit the Matthews location and undergo a procedure performed by a Mid Carolina cardiologist, they may continue to see that physician for follow-up care, he said.