DOCTORS SEEK MORE SAY IN MERGER

Some Cape Girardeau physicians have stepped forward, saying they want to have more say about how any merger of the two local hospitals will work, should authorities approve it. Specifically, the doctors are concerned with the issue of governance of the merged entity after any merger is completed. Leaders of the group include Dr. Richard Martin, an ear, nose and throat surgeon, and Dr. Matt Coleman, a local internist.

We regard this as all to the good. Physicians practice daily in the hospitals, admitting and discharging patients, performing surgery and other procedures. They should have some significant say in how these vital community assets are governed. Today there are three physicians on the board of St. Francis Medical Center, while on the larger board of Southeast Missouri Hospital there are no fewer than eight physicians and a dentist. There isn't any reason why the doctors whose practices make up so vital a part of the lifeblood of these hospitals shouldn't have a great deal to say in the governance of the merged entity.

Last December, Dr. Martin, who currently serves as president of the Cape Girardeau County Area Medical Society, had this to say in a statement on the proposed merger: "We're all very pleased to see the two hospitals working together. We feel that a duplication of services has always been recognized as a depletion of resources. When we can define the market, so to speak, or the needs of the people of Southeast Missouri, and help to more effectively and efficiently treat those illnesses and problems, I think we'll all be better off."

The issue of local control is an important one for practitioners, Martin said, and an affiliation between the two hospitals will help preserve that and lessen the chance of an out-of-town organization taking over one or both hospitals.

"We have an opportunity to be proactive and participate and be competitive with other places, ... outside our area, without that threat. If we hang together we're less likely to hang separately."

We agree. Viewed correctly, the desire of these physicians for more of a say in hospital governance is favorable to merger prospects. Board members and administrators from both hospitals should work closely with these physicians to ensure that their concerns on hospital governance are addressed.