St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson is hiring several new surgeons and doctors to join the public hospital’s physician group. It will be the first time the hospital has directly employed surgeons.
St. John’s CEO Lou Hochheiser says the new hires are needed to meet demand in the area.
“A year and a half ago, we had 4 and a half surgeons in this community,” Hochheiser said. “We have lost two and a half of those surgeons, leaving us with two. Therefore, it was the hospital’s responsibility to make sure that gap was filled.”
He also says new Affordable Care Act requirements make joining a physician group more appealing to some doctors.
“The Affordable Care Act is really putting lots of pressure on use of electronic medical records, electronic reporting, quality measures—which the hospitals and the doctors will be measured and paid on,” Hochheiser said. “And it’s always easier to do that as part of a group than to do it in solo practice.”
So far, St. John’s has hired two surgeons and two internists. Three of the new hires are from Jackson Hole, and one of the surgeons was recruited from outside the area.