After her emergency medicine group was acquired by a staffing firm backed by a large private equity (PE) firm, Michelle Wiener, MD, said the workflow changes came swiftly.
"Our staffing has been greatly reduced," the Detroit physician said. "At this point, we have no say in anything. We have no say in the scheduling. We aren't allowed to see what is billed under our name. The morale has really gone down."
Wiener, who practices at Ascension St. John Hospital, said she and fellow physicians have repeatedly brought their concerns to TeamHealth, which in 2015 took over St. John Emergency Services PC. TeamHealth is owned by PE giant Blackstone.
"It's very frustrating," Wiener said. "We're taking it from all sides."
Blackstone and Ascension St. John did not respond to Medscape's request for comment.
TeamHealth would not respond directly to questions about the Ascension St. John Hospital physicians or their concerns.
Spokesman Josh Hopson provided only a general statement: "TeamHealth is committed to making sure that clinicians have the resources and support needed to provide first-class care to patients, particularly with regard to staffing and compensation. TeamHealth has and will always put patient care first, and that is not impacted by its ownership model."
