Emergency medicine physicians under contract with Valley Health in Winchester, Virginia, said they were blindsided by the news that the health system planned to end their contract and partner with a private-equity owned practice management company instead.
"You're always taught as a young kid, you got to stand up for your rights," said Ronak Shah, MD, vice president of Emergency Medicine of Blue Ridge (EMBR), an independent, physician-led company. Those ideals, however, crashed headlong into harsh realities -- from the cost of litigation to the lack of strong legal protections for independent practice physicians in Virginia.
