Baldwin urges Ascension Wisconsin to ‘reconsider’ plans to outsource ICU doctors

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin is raising alarm bells about a Wisconsin health system’s plan to outsource some of its intensive care unit doctors using a firm backed by private equity.

Those doctors will provide both in-person and telehealth care, according to plans being developed by the nonprofit Catholic hospital chain Ascension Wisconsin.

Baldwin wrote a letter last week to Ascension Wisconsin President and CEO Daniel Jackson, urging him to reconsider the hospital system’s partnership with TeamHealth. That Tennessee-based company is owned by the Blackstone Group, an asset management and private equity firm.

“You are choosing to do business with a firm that has drawn intense scrutiny and litigation over its staffing practices and allegations of improper billing, overcharging patients to the point of fraud,” the Wisconsin Democrat wrote in the letter. “Physicians in Milwaukee are sounding the alarm about reduced staffing levels and overreliance on electronic intensive care units, and I urge you to heed their warnings about patients care and safety.”

The letter asked Ascension to respond to a list of questions, including whether staffing levels will be reduced because of the changes. It also asked the health system to provide a detailed staffing plan and to explain how patient safety would be prioritized.

“We appreciate the senator’s questions and look forward to engaging with her and her staff on this matter,” Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson Mo Moorman wrote in an email to WPR. “We welcome the opportunity to share how Ascension Wisconsin is improving care for the people of Wisconsin.”

Several nurses told WPR they’re worried the changes will lead to worse care for patients. And they said the increased reliance on telehealth could slow down response times in hospitals.

The Ascension spokesperson previously told WPR the organization is switching up its staffing model to “enhance care coordination.”

“Ascension Wisconsin is adapting critical care services across our health system to better align staffing and resources to match the acuity level of the patients our hospitals treat,” the statement said. “This includes transitioning from multiple critical care contractors and models to a single physician group of intensivists employed by TeamHealth.”

On Aug. 28, TeamHealth vice president of communications Josh Hopson wrote to WPR in a statement that the company’s billing practices “have always been fully compliant with all laws and regulations,” and that the company “fully supported” the federal No Surprises Act, which banned surprise medical billing.

“TeamHealth never engaged in the practice of sending surprise medical bills to patients and always protected its patients when underpaid by insurers,” Hopson said.