Columbus Regional Health said Friday that it plans to end its sports medicine program and close an affiliated practice at NexusPark, citing a range of external pressures on the hospital system.
The closure of Columbus Regional Health Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, located at NexusPark, 2100 25th St., is scheduled for Aug. 21, officials said.
In addition, CRH said it will not renew contracts that provide athletic trainers to Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. and IU Columbus.
The contract with IU Columbus is set to expire on Aug. 31, while the BCSC contract will end a month later. CRH said it is working with the schools on a transition plan.
CRH officials said a range of “outside pressures” influenced the decision to end the program, including reductions in government funding, changes to reimbursement rates, “a lot of uncertainty just with government legislation and administration in general,” among other factors have added further pressure to an already challenging landscape in the healthcare industry.
CRH officials emphasized that the decision was not made lightly and comes after a review of the potential impact in the community, whether there are alternate options for affected patients, among other factors.
“We are really having to look hard at our organization and what we can do to continue to be viable and independent and maintain the services we provide in the community and also remain financially viable,” said CRH spokeswoman Kelsey DeClue. “…Ultimately, it was determined that the orthopedic and sports medicine practice really was … no longer financially viable to sustain.”
Dr. Cary Guse said he was “shocked and surprised” Tuesday when he received a letter saying he was terminated as director of sports medicine at CRH.
Guse is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon at Southern Indiana Orthopedics, which is not affiliated with CRH.
“This is a big deal for the community,” Guse said. “They can’t go uncovered. They have to make sure they have the help available. It mostly hurts the kids and the trainers, who have done a great job for the kids and the community.”
Five athletic trainers — McKensie Hurt and Michaela Swafford at Columbus East, Kate Cockerham and Chance Newkirk at Columbus North and Tim Lappas at IUC — are in limbo. Todd Hostetler, who worked with CRH for 32 years and was the lead athletic trainer and manager of sports medicine and wellness department until leaving CRH in May, still is the athletic trainer at Columbus Christian.
“The hospital has pulled out and is giving the schools time to find out what they’re going to do,” Hostetler said. “I know the schools would like to keep the trainers they have there, but I don’t know what their measures of doing that are.”
Steve Souder, who was the athletic trainer at North for nearly 40 years, came out of retirement to fill in at Hauser. But he has indicated that this will be his last year there.
“It’s affecting them more than me since I’m retired anyway,” Souder said. “My license runs out at the end of December. We just need to get somebody in there to take care of the kids. That’s my concern.”
“BCSC is aware that Columbus Regional Health will be ending its sports medicine program and that our current agreement for athletic trainers will conclude on Sept. 30,” BCSC Communications Coordinator Josh Burnett said in a statement. “We are grateful for the partnership we have had with CRH and regret that the current arrangement is concluding. The CRH athletic trainers have provided exceptional care to our student athletes for many years. As CRH will no longer provide athletic trainers through the sports medicine program, this creates a potential financial impact on BCSC.”
“Our priority is maintaining the health and safety of our students, and we are committed to having a plan in place before the transition takes effect,” Burnett added. “BCSC is actively exploring options to ensure that the current high-quality athletic training services continue without interruption for students. We’ll be happy to share more details as they become available.”
Guse said he is concerned that more hospitals are getting out of the sports medicine and sports training business than are getting in.
“CRH probably has a half-million dollar investment in the program,” Guse said. “It’s a big financial commitment, but it has to be a two-way street where (schools are) sending kids to the doctors and the therapists that are part of that contract. If a system is paying a half-million dollars a year, and three-quarters of the athletes leave to go north, it’s not sustainable to take that kind of a hit and a loss.”
Guse has been the team doctor for East and North for the past 20 years. CRH bought the sports medicine contract 10 years ago, and Guse was appointed director of sports medicine at CRH.
“It’s all kind of up in the air right now,” Guse said. “If a hospital system picks up the contract, then more than likely, I’ll be out, and they’ll bring in their own doctors. If BCSC picks up the contract, they could contact me, and it would be like the old days.
“I like being on the field,” he added. “I’ll miss that aspect of it. But until September, I’ll be there. The last two days, I’ve talked to all the trainers. I’ll be OK. The only question is, will I be on the sidelines or sitting in the stands?”