Santa Fe cancer clinic asks for archdiocese's help

By Rick Ruggles rruggles@sfnewmexican.com

Apr 23, 2022

A Santa Fe cancer clinic embroiled in conflict with Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center has asked the Archdiocese of Santa Fe to intervene.

New Mexico Cancer Care Associates delivered a letter to the archdiocese Thursday, asking its leadership contact the hospital as a bitter contractual dispute continues.

The clinic and Christus St. Vincent have expressed interest in mediation, but none has taken place.

“We are turning to you, as a spiritual leader for our community, in the hopes that you can appeal to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center to see reason and put patients first,” the letter said. “The Hospital’s actions represent not just a business decision, but a health care decision for thousands of patients in need of ongoing care.”

Archbishop John C. Wester was out of town, an archdiocese spokeswoman said Thursday afternoon, and an immediate response wasn’t provided.

The archdiocese does not own nor operate the hospital, but Christus St. Vincent is part of a nonprofit Catholic hospital system.

Christus St. Vincent has said it expects to terminate New Mexico Cancer Care’s contract with the hospital May 27, seven months before its expiration.

In a written statement, Christus St. Vincent said the cancer clinic “will remain open and providing care for all patients regardless of the outcome of this situation.”

The clinic has said the hospital wants to incorporate its staff into employees of the hospital, while the clinic aims to remain independent. The hospital has said that while employment at Christus St. Vincent arose in discussions, the main reason for terminating the contractual relationship is the clinic’s breach of some provisions within their agreement.

“As we have stated before, during this transition, we are working hard to avoid having contractual issues affect our patients’ ability to continue to see their provider of choice, or otherwise disrupt care and treatment,” Christus St. Vincent said in a statement. “The Hospital has on multiple occasions asked NMCCA to participate in mediation and so far NMCCA has refused.”

The hospital has contracted with the cancer clinic since 2011. Christus St. Vincent has three cancer providers now employed, a hospital spokesman said, and it plans to have six or seven this summer.

That would be roughly the size of the clinic’s medical staff. Five physicians and two nurse practitioners signed the cancer clinic’s letter to the archdiocese. The clinic has said it can’t negotiate its own contracts with insurers by May 27.

The hospital holds those contracts, and clinic leaders have said without insurance contracts, they won’t be able to pay staffers and serve patients.

That “could leave all of our patients without doctors or care for an extended period of time,” the clinic’s letter said.

The clinic said if it can keep its current contract in place through late December, a transition plan can be devised that will put patients at ease.

In a statement Christus St. Vincent said it “is prepared to honor its commitment to continuity of care for all Cancer Center patients, with or without NMCCA’s cooperation.”