Official Letter of Protest
July 14, 1999
Anthony J. Kazlauskas, MD
Senior Medical Director
UnitedHealthcare of New England
475 Kilvert St.
Warwick, RI 02886
Dear Dr. Kazlauskas:
On behalf of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine (ACP-ASIM), representing over six hundred general internists, internal medicine subspecialists, residents, and students, we are writing to urge you to cancel UnitedHealthcare's proposed mandatory hospitalist program.
ACP-ASIM's official policy opposes hospitalist programs that are mandatory. The College supports voluntary hospitalist programs that provide opportunities for patients to discuss the potential advantages and disadvantages of such programs with their primary care physicians and to make a choice. The National Association of Inpatient Physicians, the professional organization that represents hospitalists, shares this policy.
We understand that UnitedHealthcare is looking for ways to reduce costs while maintaining or improving the quality of patient care. A mandatory hospitalist program will not achieve these goals. Rather, it will further fragment the delivery of care, resulting in additional inefficiencies and increased patient and physician dissatisfaction. We doubt that this is what UnitedHealthcare desires.
The Rhode Island Chapter of ACP-ASIM's Health and Public Policy Committee looks forward to discussing these and other concerns at its meeting with you on August 5. In the meantime, we strongly recommend that UnitedHealthcare abandon its plans to impose a mandatory hospitalist program.
Sincerely,
Fred J. Schiffman, MD, FACP
Governor
Yul D. Ejnes, MD, FACP
Transitional Governor
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Contact Information
Thomas A Bledsoe, MD FACP
ACP Governor for Rhode Island
Donna Goodnow
ACP Rhode Island Chapter
Chapter Administrator
