From Staff Reports

More than a hundred doctors and nurses at Mission Health in Asheville learned that their jobs could be in jeopardy after Mission indicated — just before Christmas — that it might sever ties with the company that employs them.  

Citing concerns about access to care and costs — now that the provider has been acquired by an “out-of-area, for-profit entity,” Mission told the workers that the hospital is looking at alternatives to extending a contract with AllCare Clinical Associates, which is a provider of anesthesia services.  

The action reportedly was taken swiftly after the nonprofit Mission was made aware that AllCare would be acquired by Surgery Partners. Both are for-profit entities.  

In a statement, Mission Health President and CEO Ron Paulus said the company is looking at alternatives, including employing its own doctors and nurses, which would sidestep AllCare altogether.  

Noting that the company already is posting the jobs, Mission said in a statement, “It is likely that we will not continue our agreement with them (AllCare) past April 30.”

 Frank Sutton, a practicing anesthesiologist and executive committee director for AllCare in Asheville, told Asheville radio station WCQS-FM (88.1) that his job is one of the ones on the line. He said employees learned Mission was posting their jobs on the morning of Dec. 21, when they came into work to find flyers advertising their positions.

A Mission spokesperson said no one would be available to comment on the week of Dec. 20-27, but wanted to emphasize that the affected employees are AllCare employees, not Mission employees, and that Mission itself was not laying off anyone, saying it will be “business as usual” through the end of the contract, as Mission explored its options. 

In addition, the aforementioned Mission employee provided a statement, credited to Ron Paulus, and dated Dec. 21, 2015:

“As part of our ongoing commitment to provide quality healthcare, Mission Health continues to establish relationships that allow us to offer the breadth of services and excellent care that are important to our patients, families, physicians, and the community we serve.

“Although Mission had been in discussions with AllCare Clinical Associates, PA, to provide anesthesiology services, we were just recently notified by them that they had been acquired by a for-profit competitor.  Subsequently, we made a determination that it is in the best interests of our patients and Mission to explore all alternatives, including bringing the service in-house.  Accordingly, we have posted positions. We truly value and greatly appreciate AllCare’s clinicians and staff, and to ensure continuity for our patients we have entered into an interim agreement that runs through April 30, 2016.

“We do not anticipate any interruption in services while we continue to consider all options for meeting our service needs by identifying partners who share our values and are able to contribute to the caring and safe environment we provide to our patients and community,” Paulus said in Mission’s statement.

In a follow-up statement, Paulus asserted, “I appreciate and respect AllCare’s decision to be acquired. They have every right to do with their organization what they choose to do. But for Mission, it comes down to a very simple choice. Our obligation is to make sure that care is available to all patients in Western North Carolina, whether they can pay for services or not. And with the information that AllCare no longer exists and Surgery Partners is the entity that controls all of the anesthesiologists and associated staff, that created very significant concerns for Mission.”