CentraCare Severs Trauma Care Partnership with the Independent Clinic, Large Healthcare Affecting Patient Choice & Cost

Centra Care, a large non-profit healthcare in CN Minnesota is limiting other local independent healthcare organizations. Limiting patient CHOICE!

SAINT CLOUD, MINNESOTA, USA, June 30, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- For nearly 70 years, St. Cloud Orthopedics has provided orthopedic trauma service for St. Cloud Hospital (CentraCare) and patients who find themselves in the emergency room for trauma care. As of January 3rd of this year, CentraCare made the exclusive decision to remove St. Cloud Orthopedics physicians from their trauma care options, limiting patient choice to CentraCare physicians only.

This decision was made without consulting St. Cloud Orthopedics, who has since lost their main trauma care surgeon, Dr. Mitch Kuhl, due to the CentraCare change since there are no other hospitals in Central Minnesota.

Because patients who find themselves in the emergency room for trauma care like broken bones do not have direct access to any other doctors besides those employed by CentraCare, patients are not presented with the options they once had to select doctors from independent specialty clinics.

Decisions like these have been made in other areas of the CentraCare health system, limiting patient access to independent healthcare providers in our area in general.

Changes like this affects more than just choice. Independent healthcare clinics oftentimes provide patients with lower healthcare costs overall, higher quality of care due to strict board-certification standards and requirements set by each individual clinic, additional treatment options, providers who are specialists in their line of work, and locally employed (rather than traveling) staff. In the Central Minnesota area, one large healthcare system has continued to take over independent healthcare choices as well as making it a challenge for other healthcare clinics to offer patient care. Resulting in, less patient choice, less care offered in the community, longer patient access and higher healthcare costs.

Despite changes in trauma care staffing at St. Cloud Hospital, St. Cloud Orthopedics remains accessible to any patient at any time by doctor request, 24/7. No referral is needed to be seen by at St. Cloud Orthopedics specialist. Patients with urgent orthopedic injuries can also be seen directly at each St. Cloud Orthopedics clinic via OrthoDirect, where imaging and injury care is provided by staff on a walk-in basis or by calling ahead to 320-257-STAT.

In a statement published on their website, St. Cloud Orthopedics stated:
“Just as we’ve always done, St. Cloud Orthopedics will continue to provide subspecialty orthopedic care for elective surgical procedures, non-operative management of musculoskeletal disease and injuries, as well as expert physical therapy and occupational therapy. This has not and will not change. We respect the patient’s right to choose. A health system should not dictate how you receive your care and should not limit your access to board-certified physicians.”

St. Cloud Orthopedics is an independent medical practice that has provided advanced orthopedic care in Central Minnesota since 1955. With locations in Sartell and South St. Cloud, their services cover all treatments for every bone, joint, and muscle in the body, including physical and occupational therapy. Learn more at StCloudOrthopedics.com.

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Carrie Karki, WhiteBox Marketing, President
Phone: 320.270.0722 • Email: carrie@whitebox.marketing

Bill Worzala
St. Cloud Orthopedics
+1 320-259-4100
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Dr. Mitch Kuhl talks about the importance of medical choice