UCSF threatens to sever ties to B&T - San Francisco Business Times:

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UCSF officials are threateninhgto “make other network arrangements” unless the dropse contract changes that UCSF claimx will restrict physicians’ and ability to choose specialists. San Francisco-base Brown & Toland, the city’s largest independent practicw association, represents 1,500 doctors, many of whom practics at UCSF; UCSF and CPMC are two of San Francisco’w largest hospitals. Starting in December, Brown & Toland and its including CEO Gloria Austin and PresidentJoel M.D., said it wouldn’t renew a long-terk contract with UCSF, slated to expire June 30, withoutf negotiating “new and different long-term with 1,500-doctor .
Officials at 12-year-old Brown Toland, meanwhile, said in a Feb. 11 statement to the that the curren t arrangement no longer reflectxsbusiness realities. In recent years, Brownn & Toland has added new typez of plans, such as PPOs, “but UCSF has limitedd its participation tomanaged care,” Brown Toland said, adding that the current contract givezs UCSF “governance rights and control that have not been adjusted to reflectt (its) declining membership and limited participation in Brown Toland’s expanded business In its statement, Brown & Tolandc admitted that there “mah be some adjustments” to specialthy referrals under its proposals, but not a ban on UCSF referrals.
Referralxs to specialists at California Pacific and the affiliatee Physician Foundation at CPMCwould increase, Aggravating the situation, Brown & Toland noted, UCSF filexd a legal action against the group in December, over complex issues involvingh its representation on the medical group’s board. Dr. Sam interim dean of and presidenft of UCSFMedical Group, made UCSF’s ultimatum publi c in a Feb. 9 letter faxedx to about 350 community doctors in San Franciscoi who are members ofBrown & He also sent an email the same day to 1,509 UCSF faculty members, most of whom are activd physicians in the UCSF medicakl group. Many are also Brown & Tolane members.
Hawgood objected to the proposed new arrangement with UCSF and the Physiciamn Foundationat CPMC, claiming it would restricft physicians’ and patients’ ability to choose UCSF “basefd solely on judgements of what is in the best interest.” UCSF says Brown & Toland wants to funnel patient referrals to a sub-set of Brown Toland members, excluding many UCSF physicians. In a Feb.
10 Hawgood said UCSF woulx put togethera “complementary” HMO network in San Francisco “ihn as orderly a fashion as possible,” if Brown Toland refuses to alter its stance; UCSF also has askedc for a six-month extension of the curreny contract so it would have time to arrangw for such an orderly transition, if a settlementr can’t be reached. He said that would mean the contract wouled endas health-plan enrollees are makingt open enrollment selections, rathe than at mid-year, and would be far less disruptivee to patients.
UCSF understands Brown & Toland’zs need to alter its approach because many San Franciscanswho aren’t enrolled in are choosingf PPO rather than HMO-style managed-care Hawgood said. But he argues that 160,000o San Franciscans still have an HMOmodel “thatr assumes open access” to all UCSF and independent communitu doctors.