BAYCARE MEDICAL: Cans CEO, Cancels Group’s Contracts
BayCare Medical Group has fired CEO Dr. Michael Martin and canceled its contracts with his Advocates for Primary Care management group, the San Francisco Business Times reports. In its place, BayCare has hired Santa Rosa-based Redwood Health Services to take over contracts until Jan. 31. Redwood will help BayCare "pay off reportedly numerous physician reimbursements that insiders say had lagged under Martin's command." While neither Martin nor BayCare could be reached for comment, one "industry observer" said, "[F]irst they brought in Mike Martin because they thought [former CEO] Walter Kopp was driving them into the ground. Then they fired Mike Martin because they thought he was driving them into the ground. After a while, you have to wonder where the problem is."
San Francisco Fray
The management shift comes at a time when BayCare is "coping with the defection of several key physicians to Brown & Toland Medical Group," resulting in a loss of about $1.5 million per year in patient admissions to St. Luke's Hospital, where BayCare is based. St. Luke's is suing Brown & Toland over an exclusivity clause requiring its doctors to send their patients to rival California Pacific Medical Center instead of St. Luke's (see past coverage) (Bole, 1/25 issue). Separately, the San Francisco Business Times reports that county Supervisor Tom Ammiano "has apparently jumped into the fray" in the pending lawsuit between St. Luke's and CPMC. According to "insiders," Ammiano is "voicing behind-the-scenes support for St. Luke's position" and plans to meet next week to discuss "how much support" the Board of Supervisors will be able to give (Bole, 1/25 issue).