Doctors' stance leaves Pennsylvania hospital short-handed

Three orthopedic hand surgeons have lost the privilege to treat patients at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA, because they won't accept every hand injury case transferred to the facility's emergency room when they are on call. Specially trained hand surgeons are in short supply nationwide and the private practice is being inundated with cases from hospitals outside the service area, said one of the surgeons involved.