Monopoly on hospital surgical services called into question

Dr. Bill Rodman has held a monopoly on surgical services at Aspen Valley Hospital for nearly 20 years and at the time he arrived in 1993, the deal was inked so it would guarantee he'd have an income and the community would have a surgeon. Fast forward almost two decades and some community members, who say having a choice of more than one physician is a paramount to their health, are questioning why that so-called "exclusive provider contractor" still exists. The issue has arisen as fallout after Rodman last month abruptly fired the only other surgeon in Aspen, Dr. John Schultz, who worked under a separate contract with the elder physician.