Compromising Safety and Quality is Never a Question at Atrium Health
To our patients and the communities we are privileged to serve:
This week, Mednax, the corporate parent company of Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants, filed a complaint against Atrium Health. We believe the claims are without merit and are an attempt to distract from real issues.
Recently, we made the decision to terminate our business relationship with Mednax and enter into a new partnership for anesthesia services at many Atrium Health facilities.
Now, Mednax is running a campaign that is spreading false and misleading information in advertisements surrounding our decision to transition to a new anesthesia services provider.
Here are the facts:
- Mednax is a for-profit company that purchased Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants for $200 million in 2010 and is beholden to its stockholders. Recent tactics Mednax has taken are typical for companies trying to protect a sizeable book of business.
- Mednax’s own anesthesiologists filed formal complaints with the North Carolina Medical Board against Mednax/Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants, asserting Mednax’s business practices violated North Carolina medical ethics rules and state and federal laws.
- Mednax filed suit in July 2017 against its own Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants anesthesiologists, accusing them of extortion – resulting in a public health crisis that jeopardized the safety of our patients and the communities we serve.
- During negotiations with Atrium Health over a renewal of the Mednax agreement, they refused to cooperate and ultimately rejected specific provisions Atrium Health requested to ensure patient safety and continuity of care – making an agreement with Mednax unacceptable.
Decisions like switching our anesthesia services provider are not ones we make lightly. Ultimately, we weren’t comfortable in partnering with a company like Mednax whose definition of patient safety is so different than ours.
Atrium Health is committed more than ever to our patients and local communities. We have never compromised on quality and safety, and we never will.
Visit www.carolinashealthcare.org/facts to learn more about our continued commitment to patient safety and quality.