Medical group escalates dispute with Atrium Health, sending complaint to the state

A group of doctors seeking to leave Atrium Health is accusing the hospital system of intentionally misleading patients so they don't follow the physicians to a new practice they plan to open.

In the latest development involving 92 Mecklenburg Medical Group doctors, the group said Atrium is reassigning their patients without their permission to Atrium doctors who are not looking to leave. The moves violate North Carolina Medical Board directives, according to claims an attorney for the doctors made to the board this week.

The medical group wants the board to demand that Atrium immediately stop its "wrongful actions."

Atrium denies it's reassigning patients, and said it supports the decision of those who want to continue receiving care from doctors who might leave the system.

At issue are emails Atrium sent this month to Mecklenburg Medical Group patients alerting them that the doctors are considering leaving.

The doctors' group attorney, Noah Huffstetler, cited one email that he says shows a patient apparently being reassigned by Atrium to a doctor she'd never seen before.

For its part, Atrium said the emails were an attempt to keep patients informed.

"Because patients can see multiple physicians, a small percentage of patients may receive a letter listing a physician who they do not consider their primary care provider," Atrium stated. "In the case when a patient disputes who is listed as their primary provider, we provide the appropriate information for their physician."

Medical board spokeswoman Jean Brinkley said the body, which licenses and regulates physicians, doesn't have oversight of hospitals.

But there have been times where the board informed hospitals or health care organizations that their actions were inconsistent with the board's expectations for professional conduct for physicians, Brinkley said.

The board has received a handful of such concerns over the years involving other health care organizations that were similar to what Atrium doctors have raised, Brinkley said.

The allegations add to an already tense relationship between the doctors and Atrium, which bought their practice in 1993.

This month, the doctors sued Atrium to free themselves of non-compete agreements so they can operate independently of the system under the name Mecklenburg Multispecialty Group. The suit accuses Atrium, formerly known as Carolinas HealthCare, of monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior, including ordering doctors to refer patients only to Atrium facilities.

Atrium has not yet filed an answer to the lawsuit, but it has reiterated that it will grant the doctors' request to break away.

In another twist, this week Atrium told Mecklenburg Medical Group staff members, such as nurses who work with the doctors looking to leave, they will get bonuses if they stay with Atrium through the end of this year. The bonuses equal up to 10 percent of their salaries.

This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 3:42 PM with the headline "Medical group escalates dispute with Atrium Health, sending complaint to the state."