GW / MFA / UHS Negotiations

Dear Colleagues:

I have received many of your questions about the status of the discussions among GW, MFA, and UHS and I am aware that UHS will be hosting closed-door Town Hall meetings for MFA physicians and advanced practice providers beginning Monday November 24. Since information is being conveyed to you through different channels, some of which could create the impression that certain issues have been settled that, in fact, remain subject to negotiations, I wanted to write as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday to be sure you have the facts of where things stand and what we expect in the near term.

Although we do not anticipate having signed agreements by November 30 given the number of open matters that must still be worked through, we are prepared to continue our discussions with UHS and MFA after the Thanksgiving holiday. The November 30th milestone was included in the negotiation process solely at UHS’s request, and GW and MFA do not have any obligations or requirements related to this date, nor does it trigger any changes in operations or the agreements that are in place today. We remain committed to continuing our good faith negotiations.

In the negotiations, as we reported previously, we have an established framework on the financial terms of a new agreement with UHS. More recently, we have had detailed discussions around quality measures and reporting, but more work remains on those key quality issues. In addition, there are many other matters that we know are of great importance to our faculty that we still need to address. These include: the structure of the faculty practice, governance issues related to decision-making at GWUH, protections to ensure the integrity of academic programs and the clinical learning environment including time allocated for education, research, and clinical activities for individual faculty members, the final composition of faculty and staff, and transition considerations, among others.

While we continue to believe that an April 1 transition date is still possible, there is a lot of work to be done, and we remain committed to working diligently with UHS and MFA to address these issues.

GW and MFA leaders will work tirelessly to proceed with full respect and acknowledgment of the very significant potential impact of changes in employment for the currently MFA-employed GW faculty physicians, staff, and advanced practice providers. I am grateful to each of you for your commitment to your professions and to the unwavering dedication you continue to show each day to patients, students and trainees, and to each other despite the current uncertainty. As I have more information, I commit to sharing it with you. We will be in touch about future sessions next week and beyond where we can continue to address questions and concerns.

I hope that each of you can find a restful period, be that on Thursday or another day as schedules allow, with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving blessings in the week ahead.

With gratitude,

Barbara Lee Bass, MD, FACS
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Walter A. Bloedorn Chair of Administrative Medicine
Professor of Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

As I’ve shared in many forums throughout this process, I think it’s vital to keep you updated on the discussions between UHS and GW about the future state of the MFA.

Today, I write to report that negotiations are continuing to progress and the parties remain committed to creating a sustainable future for the organization—especially on behalf of our patients and all of you.

You may be aware, that UHS had included November 30 as a key milestone date in the negotiation process. Because of the complexities involved in these discussions, it is now unlikely that we will have a signed agreement by then, and it is important to note that there will not be any changes in operations or agreements based on this date. To be clear, the parties expect to continue their dialogue with the goal of reaching agreement as soon as possible, so that the future path for the MFA can be determined.

I am grateful to each of you for your continued hard work and for your dedication to our patients and each other.

Again, as updates become available, I will share them with you as soon as possible.

Warmest regards,
Bill Elliott
GW MFA, CEO

Dear Members of the GW SMHS, GW Hospital and MFA Community,

As you know, GW, MFA and UHS are engaged in negotiations regarding a new physician group affiliation that will sustain both GWU’s academic medical enterprise and the provision of patient care at GW Hospital and Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center.

MFA and GW university leaders provided an update in early October, noting that we reached an initial agreement on some important financial terms, which provides the foundation for continued discussion and negotiations. We understand that as these discussions are underway, the uncertainty can be challenging and unsettling and we remain committed to sharing what we can, even though there are matters yet to be resolved. As always, we are grateful for your continued patience, support, and engagement, as we work through the next phase of this process.

Status of Negotiations:

There are a number of issues that remain in the next phase of negotiations, including our shared approach to governance, leadership, and operational matters, as well as the overall composition of the physicians, clinicians and administrative staff in the practice. Meetings are taking place this week and next with department chairs and leaders to solicit input and consultation on the process and future structure. No final decisions have been made.

Clinical and Administrative Staffing:

If negotiations are successful, UHS’ physician practice affiliate plans to directly employ a significant number of MFA physicians, clinicians, and staff, through a new not-for-profit physician practice group that serves GW Hospital, Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, and outpatient sites.

Preliminary Staffing Forecasts:

UHS has created preliminary physician staffing forecasts that are currently being discussed with department chairs, and leaders from the MFA and SMHS. Subsequently, UHS will also create clinical and administrative staffing forecasts for ongoing clinical operations, which will also be reviewed and discussed with department chairs, and leaders from the MFA and SMHS.

• These staffing forecasts will be analyzed by GW/SMHS, to ensure that they satisfy UHS’ commitment to meet the academic needs of the SMHS.
• These forecasts have also been shared with MFA leadership.
• As these reviews take place, input from SMHS Chairs, GW, and the MFA will be considered as part of the process.

The University, SMHS, the MFA, and UHS are seeking to identify the best path forward – one that supports MFA physicians, clinicians, and staff, and also maintains the excellence of SMHS teaching and research while meeting the clinical needs of the hospital and the community. We are collectively committed to providing high-quality care along a breadth of service lines to best serve our patients. We sincerely appreciate your dedication to our patients and academic missions, and the exceptional professionalism you have demonstrated during this process.

In health,

Barbara Lee Bass, MD
Vice President for Health Affairs, GW and
Dean, School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Bill Elliott
Chief Executive Officer,
The GW Medical Faculty Associates
 

Jason Barrett, MBA, FACHE
Group VP, District of Columbia Market and
Chief Executive Officer,
The George Washington University Hospital

Dear Members of the GW MFA Community,

As you may know, the GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) has experienced significant financial distress over many consecutive years as a result of multiple factors including: the financial strain MFA experienced during the COVID 19 pandemic; changes to the national healthcare landscape that have impacted our revenues; and inadequate funding to support the increasing cost of providing clinical services for The GW University Hospital.

Since I joined the organization as CEO nearly 18 months ago, I have worked closely with our University and UHS partners to identify the financial challenges facing the MFA and to develop and implement operational initiatives to increase efficiencies.

Today, I would like to share recent, meaningful progress in the negotiations to finalize a new affiliation agreement that will replace the current, unsustainable arrangement. As part of the first phase of the discussions, The George Washington University (GW) and Universal Health Services (UHS) have agreed to a financial arrangement in which UHS will co-fund the MFA during the remainder of the negotiations and through the conclusion of any potential definitive agreement. Additionally, the new affiliation framework being negotiated will provide for UHS to directly employ clinical and non-clinical staff and faculty. These physicians would also remain faculty members at GW. Importantly, GW’s current financial expenditure for the MFA would be significantly reduced over time; however, GW will continue to fund the delivery of its clinical medical education, as it does now.

It is important to underscore that this is not a done deal—we have many complicated and material issues to work through in this next phase of the negotiations, and the input and perspective of MFA clinicians and staff and GW faculty will be invaluable to this process.

The initial agreement provides a pathway for the parties to now focus on the other aspects of an agreement that are important to the MFA and GW, including the academic enterprise, clinical research, and the quality of patient care and facilities at GW Hospital, among other issues. We will continue to operate under our existing structure as we continue to work on details related to the academic, research, and clinical care missions of our academic medical enterprise.

As these conversations proceed, I ask that each one of us continue to carry on with the important work of taking care of our patients, that we are committed to doing each day. We will endeavor to keep you updated as this process continues, and we hope that some of you will provide important perspective and feedback on the complex issues UHS, GW and the MFA will be discussing in the coming weeks.

As always, I am grateful for each person’s contributions and dedication to the MFA and to our patients. As we work through this process, our highest priority is to create an arrangement where we can continue to provide high quality care to our patients, educate the next generation of physicians, and conduct important medical research.

In health,
Bill Elliott, MFA CEO