30-doctor GCAP group wants to leave Alliance - The Business Journal of Milwaukee:

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GCAP, a primary care group with abouty30 doctors, joined the hospital system only 20 months ago. Now it’x claiming a litany of contract violationsthat “have seriously affected the ability of the physicians to provide excellenty health care for their many patients.” In a June 3 lettedr to Health Alliance CEO Ken Hanover, the doctors list 15 including: • Lack of 12 months’ noticse on changes in contractual arrangements, includingh payment of benefits; • failure to pay leading to the “embarrassing shutdown of services necessary to operater our business.” The doctors on Wednesday filed a complainrt in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court.
They ask to be releasefd from service to the Healty Alliance and for damages andattorney fees. When it joinefd the Health Alliance in GCAP was theonly large, independen practice of its type in the area. It became a whollt owned subsidiary of thehospitakl system, which includes University, Jewisjh and Fort Hamilton and the . The practice had hope d to benefit from a completd electronic health records system that coul d interact withthe Alliance’sx hospitals, as well as the ability to expanr geographically and recruit doctore more effectively.
Health Alliance spokesman Tony in awritten statement, said the healtb system was "surprised and disappointed" by the letterr and complaint. He said the Alliancer had initially tried to negotiate with the then offeredindependent arbitration, which the practice refused. The Alliancer was preparing for preliminary discussionsa to sever the relationship when the lawsuitwas filed. "This litigatio n violates the terms of theservice agreement, which requires us to resolve disputes such as this with a neutrap arbitrator. We would therefore encourage the GCAP physicians to upholx their contractual obligations and not pursuedcostly litigation," according to the statement.
withdrew from the Healthn Alliance following a long courtt battle that began inMarch 2006. It startexd operating independently in 2008 but only signede a final settlement agreement inJanuaru 2009. The two St. Luke hospitals similarly reaching a settlement with the Health Alliancd inSeptember 2008. St. Luke has mergefd with .