Eleven orthopedic surgeons who resigned from SSM Health Dean Medical Group in Madison, Wis., plan to open a specialty hospital and multiple ASCs in the next two years, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Nov. 3.
Jason Sansone, MD, who's leading the group, said Phoenix-based Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company will manage the independent practice. The partnership will be HOPCo's first in Wisconsin.
By January 2025, the surgeons plan to establish a specialty orthopedic hospital and an ASC, with more outpatient centers planned. They can see their previous or current SSM Health patients, but they can't solicit them directly.
Dr. Sansone said the surgeons were motivated by the desire to have more autonomy and ability to adapt in their practice.
"It's not about pay and reimbursement," he told the Wisconsin State Journal. "We don't even know that doing this will necessarily be more profitable for us."
The SSM Health surgeons' plans are unrelated to a proposed ASC by orthopedic surgeons at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Sansone said. That ASC, which would have been majority physician-owned, was denied and prompted UW Madison's orthopedic chair, Thomas Zdeblick, MD, to resign.
Along with Dr. Sansone, Kashif Ali, MD; Aaron Carpiaux, MD; Rajit Chakravarty, MD; Richard Glad, MD; Brian Keyes, DO; Dayton Opel, MD; James Prosser, DO; Joseph Sizensky, MD; Brian Steffin, MD; and David Wolff, MD, are leaving SSM Health.