6 Investigates continues an exclusive look into a big change at Christus SPOHN involving anesthesia providers.
Our initial reporting highlighted the hospital’s use of two words: "national firm" to describe a company then known only as "Emergenc," in an internal memo we obtained from sources close to the situation.
The memo announced Spohn’s decision to switch from one anesthesia group named Gulf Shore Anesthesia Associates – a local group of about 45 doctors and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) – to "Emergenc."
In a series of emails, 6 Investigates asked the hospital for interviews and information related to "Emergenc, national firm," only to be consistently told the new group had "local ties," and was "expanding."
And yet, some of the state’s most prominent anesthesiologists told 6 Investigates they’d never heard of them.
The revelations raised questions about the hospital’s transparency concerning the decision and whether the switch is good for the community, whose tax dollars and donations, in part, support SPOHN’s annual operations.
Now, a second memo, sent to medical staff last Friday and leaked to 6 Investigates soon after, is raising new questions about the so-called "national firm" the hospital has hired to handle a large portion of your anesthesia service.
An initial chain of emails between 6 Investigates and the hospital shows the organization’s reluctance to clearly communicate on the issue. Here’s the story:
