A dispute between Children's Minnesota and doctors caring for its fragile premature newborns has spawned a lawsuit and a professional divorce that could undermine neonatal intensive care in the Twin Cities.
Doctors with Minnesota Neonatal Physicians are leaving Children's Minneapolis hospital at the end of the year and instead will staff expanded neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) at Maple Grove Hospital and North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale. The move came after an unsuccessful attempt by Children's to switch them from private practitioners to hospital employees.
Children's top executive said the attempt was necessary to become more cost-efficient and improve the quality of care amid a national movement toward "accountable" medical care.
The doctors said they were being asked to give up too much control over how they practice and that Children's didn't adequately prepare for the consequences of losing the medical group that helped build its neonatal program.
"I don't think you can replace a whole group, at least not this group, at this point in time," said Dr. Jeanne Mrozek, medical director of the practice.
Children's chief executive, Dr. Marc Gorelick, disagreed. He said the size and reputation of Children's Minneapolis NICU will make it attractive to new doctors, who will work in an employee model that seeks to achieve the best outcomes at the lowest possible price.
"We're setting ourselves up for the best possible future," he said.
Neonatal intensive care involves the treatment of infants born prematurely, before 37 weeks gestation; born at low weights, less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces; or born with serious illnesses or congenital problems.