Loss of Funding Threatens Access to World-Class Patient Care in Central Valley

Expired Agreement Impacts Specialty Care, Medical Education

FRESNO, CA – Today, 28 physicians in 12 specialties lost the funding they need to continue serving patients at Community Medical Center. A contract between Central California Faculty Medical Group (CCFMG) and Community Medical Centers (CMC) that directly funded these physicians expired
September 1 without a new agreement in place, jeopardizing access to much-needed specialty care. In addition, the impacted physicians serve as faculty for UCSF Fresno and play a critical role in addressing the Central San Joaquin Valley’s doctor shortage.

CCFMG is a leading healthcare provider that employs the qualified physicians serving local hospitals, outpatient offices and care facilities, including CRMC, Clovis Community Medical Center, Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital, the Deran Koligian Ambulatory Care Center, Saint Agnes Medical Center and 21 private faculty practice sites. CCFMG’s 230+ physicians, additional practitioners and staff bring expertise in approximately 65 specialties and sub-specialties to the greater Fresno area. Each year, its physicians also train nearly 300 medical residents and fellows in affiliation with the UCSF School of Medicine Fresno branch campus, and 40 to 50 percent stay in the Central Valley to care for local patients.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, when vital healthcare workers are more essential than ever, the loss of funding is extremely disheartening and will undoubtedly impact patient care if a new agreement is not signed quickly,” said Dr. James Davis, a CCFMG physician who serves as Chief of Trauma at CRMC, Professor of Clinical Surgery at the UCSF Fresno Center for Medical Education and Research. “We, the teaching faculty, value our relationship with both CCFMG and CRMC and believe this partnership is the best model to continue providing world-class patient care.”

The expired contract funded specialties such as pediatrics and oncology, as well as 6 CCFMG physicians/UCSF faculty who provided the 24-hour neurosurgical trauma coverage required for CRMC to maintain its status as a Level 1 Trauma Center. Approximately 15 patients a day or nearly 5,500 patients a year require the highly specialized care provided by these neurosurgical trauma surgeons. The next closest Level 1 Trauma Center equipped to care for them is in Sacramento at the UC Davis Medical Center.

“A long-term funding agreement with CMC is needed to provide patients with access to specialty care such as neurosurgery and to provide our physicians with greater protections and certainty so they can focus on patients’ health and wellbeing,” said Joyce Fields-Keene, CEO of CCFMG. “This stability, along with UCSF faculty appointment through CCFMG employment, is critical to retaining highly qualified healthcare professionals in an area that is plagued by doctor shortages and barriers to access.”

In addition to providing critical specialty care, the physicians funded through the expired contract help to educate the next generation of healthcare providers through UCSF Fresno’s medical education program. CCFMG was founded in 1979 to bring UCSF’s world-class services to the Central Valley, which has one of the lowest ratios of primary care and specialist physicians per population in the state. The loss of funding for any UCSF faculty physicians hinders the university’s ability to continue building this pipeline of new providers, which is critical to addressing the region’s doctor shortage.

CCFMG is actively working with CMC on a new long-term agreement to maintain the critical services funded through the expired contract.

CCFMG is a leading healthcare provider that employs the qualified physicians serving hospitals, outpatient offices and care facilities in Fresno County. Their 230+ physicians and additional practitioners and staff bring expertise in approximately 65 specialties and sub-specialties to the greater Fresno area. CCFMG physicians are UCSF faculty who provide high-quality care and train more than 250 medical residents and fellows every year in affiliation with the UCSF School of Medicine Fresno branch campus. For more information visit www.universitymds.com.

Website with additional information available here: https://www.universitymds.com/ccfmg-cmc-funding-faq/

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