Physicians' hidden employers

 In this ER, the doctors don't work for the hospital

   For years, hospitals and nursing homes have filled open nursing shifts with people from staffing agencies. A nurse might work a singe shift or cover it for a week. But the rest of the nurses would be employees of the facility.
   But, as the complaint described in the story above reveals, at Samaritan Hospital in Troy, most, if not all the physicians in its emergency room are employees not of the hospital but of a separate legal entity.
   And not just one agency. In the lawsuit filed by William and Anne Kramek, there are 10 legal entries listed as defendants. Five of them appeared to be wholly owned by one company, Envision Healthcare Corporation.
   And more puzzling is that another four are evidently creations of St. Peter’s Health Partners - which owns and operates another of the defendants, Samaritan Hospital, where William Kramek alleges his injury occurred. 
    In May, citing debts of almost seven billion dollars, and after missed an interest payment, Envision Healthcare Corporation filed for protection under the bankruptcy laws. The company says it will continue to operate during the bankruptcy proceeding. 
   Not clear is why a hospital a would have some, maybe all its emergency room physicians employed by a separate legal entity. And if, every unwell person who arrived St. Peter’s Health Partner ERs prior the implementation of the No Surprises Act was told and clearly understood that their health insurance might not be accepted by the entity paying the physician, and that they, the patient, would be responsible for physicians’ bills.

—David Baker