Trinity Clinic losing doctors?

By Bob Belcher

June 15, 2007 11:49 am

— The Daily Sun has learned that six current Trinity Clinic physicians are in talks with Navarro Regional Hospital about leaving the clinic and joining the hospital.
Trinity Mother Frances Hospital, operators of Trinity Clinic in Corsicana, have been tight-lipped about stories circulating in the community concerning changes said to be coming to the facility.
Daily Sun staffers have fielded several calls this week from concerned patients and residents, with speculation about doctors leaving the facility the main concern voiced. One patient said he was told by his physician at Trinity that changes taking place included maintaining only a number of primary care physicians and a cardiology practice at the Corsicana facility.
Fred Woody, CEO of Navarro Regional Hospital, said his facility is in talks with a number of current Trinity Clinic physicians about them moving across the parking lot to the hospital.
“We recently have been talking with two other doctors from Trinity (about joining the hospital) and just within the last 10 days, four more physicians from Trinity have approached us,” Woody added. He declined to identify those physicians as talks are still underway with them.
In 2006, three other Trinity Clinic physicians left the clinic to join the hospital. Dr. Matthew Branch, Dr. Oswald Binford and Dr. Ronald Rodriquez are all former Trinity Clinic physicians now affiliated with Navarro Regional.
“We don’t comment on any matters involving personnel. It’s just a policy issue,” Trinity Mother Frances spokesman John Moore told the Daily Sun Thursday, adding, “I’m not aware of any changes planned.”
Advised of the concerns expressed to the Daily Sun, Moore said “If people choose to seek comfort from the media, that’s certainly their prerogative.”
Trinity announced in May it had scrapped its previously announced plans to construct a new hospital and clinic facility in Corsicana, saying at the time the pending sale of Navarro Regional Hospital to Community Health Systems, Inc. provides them with an “opportunity to explore a potential collaboration” with the hospital’s new owners.
Navarro Regional’s Woody told the Daily Sun Thursday he had met with officials of Community Health Systems as recently as a month ago and was told there had been no discussions with Trinity about any such partnership.
“We asked them that question directly when we met, and they said they had not been contacted.”
Dr. Dan McCoy, former medical director of Trinity Clinic, has confirmed he is leaving Trinity Clinic effective July 31, though not to join Navarro Regional.
McCoy, who stepped down as medical director several weeks ago, told the Daily Sun he is forming a new partnership with a Dallas-area dermatologist, and they will both be working through Baylor.
“We’re forming a new practice called Texas Dermatology Associates,” McCoy said. “We’re going to continue to do general dermatology but I’ll also be able to do research at Baylor.” He said that he would still continue to see patients in Corsicana, however.
McCoy declined to comment on the reasons for his departure from Trinity Clinic.
Trinity Mother Frances Hospital Systems, based in Tyler, took over what was Medical Arts Clinic in 2005. Less than a month later they announced bold plans for the construction of a state-of-the-art hospital to accompany the local clinic.
Plans shown to the Daily Sun in July 2006 outlined a 50-bed facility that would open in 2008, expanding to 82-beds by 2015. Alongside the proposed new hospital was to be a new medical clinic with offices for 40 doctors, expanding to accommodate another 10 by 2015.
Signs announcing the projects displayed at both Trinity Clinic and the proposed construction site on South U.S. Highway 287 were taken down by Trinity Clinic maintenance workers the day Trinity announced its change of plans.
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Bob Belcher may be reached via e-mail at belcher@corsicanadailysun.com