Facing the pressures of decreased insurance reimbursements and rising costs, private practice Monterey Spine and Joint in Monterey’s Ryan Ranch made the choice to become a part of Montage Health, it was announced earlier this month. Starting Monday, April 28, the clinic will operate under a new name: Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine.
“Sustainability of private practice has really become a thing of the past,” says Dr. Samera Kasim, an MSJ orthopedic physician.
Despite being a busy clinic with numerous patients, it was getting harder to meet budget demands. “It’s really created a necessity of support,” Kasim says.
Montage’s Dr. Mark Carvalho, who now serves as CEO of the clinic, declined to disclose the terms of the contract between Montage and MSJ.
In a written statement, Carvalho said MSJ approached Montage about “joining the Montage Health family of services. The integration of MSJ into Montage Health represents a thoughtful response to challenges faced by independent physician practices nationwide,” he said.
Montage offered employment to all MSJ physicians and employees, with the goal of keeping as many as possible, Carvalho said. Thirteen of 14 doctors are remaining, with only Dr. Sohrab Gollogly—one of the original founders of MSJ in 2006—leaving to start his own practice in Carmel, according to Gollogly’s website.
The facility offers a range of services from an urgent care center to joint replacement and other surgeries to physical therapy.
Kasim says recruiting new doctors to the area is a challenge in part because of the high cost of living. As part of Montage the orthopedic clinic will have access to the system’s incentive programs to attract physicians.
She says joining Montage increases resources and communication for patients. Eventually MSJ patients will be integrated fully into Montage’s electronic record system.
“The more broad based an organization is, the better for the patient population so they have access,” she says.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.