FL health system, hospitalists sign a patient care deal

Lee Memorial Health System has signed a three-year deal with a newly formed physicians group that will provide doctors who specialize in patient care in hospital settings for its four primary hospitals. Inpatient Specialists of Southwest Florida, a partnership between Nashville-based Cogent HMG and Hospitalist Group of Southwest Florida, will provide these physicians, called hospitalists. In addition to the additional control the health system gets over physicians practicing in its hospitals, Inpatient Specialists has also agreed to share in some of the financial penalties from Medicare if certain federal safety and patient satisfaction measures aren’t met.