Moab Regional Hospital is turning over staffing of its Emergency Department to a private physician group called CarePoint, a move that will change how doctors are employed and how patients are billed. Emergency care will continue without interruption, with few visible changes for patients.
The partnership with CarePoint takes effect July 1. Many of MRH’s emergency providers already worked for the group, and the rest—who previously operated as independent contractors—have signed contracts to remain on staff.
“Change is always challenging, but it can feel especially personal in healthcare, where relationships run deep and the work is so meaningful,” said MRH CEO Jennifer Sadoff.
Why the change?
Hospital leadership says the decision was driven by ongoing scheduling challenges, staffing burnout, and heavy reliance on short-term ER doctors.
“We recognized that the current system wasn’t sustainable in the long term,” Sadoff said.
CarePoint, based in Colorado, is a physician-owned emergency medicine group that staffs dozens of hospitals across the western U.S., including in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. These “physician groups,” sometimes referred to as “medical groups,” contract with hospitals to provide clinical services while managing staffing and scheduling internally.
While some MRH providers worried about staffing changes, Sadoff said the hospital required that all existing emergency department staff be retained under the agreement—a condition CarePoint supported. Additional providers from the CarePoint network will be used as backup during staffing gaps.
“CarePoint’s model keeps our core group of doctors in place,” Sadoff said, “and adds a small, dedicated back-up team who will get to know our hospital and staff—helping us maintain high-quality care, even during staffing gaps.”
What does it mean for patients?
Patients may not notice much difference in care, but they will now receive two separate bills for an emergency room visit: one from MRH and one from CarePoint for provider services.
This billing model is common in hospitals that contract with independent physician groups. The Health Care Cost Institute reports that more than 65% of U.S. hospitals use split billing for emergency, radiology, or anesthesia services.
MRH says patients who qualify for its financial assistance program will see that aid automatically applied to CarePoint’s bill as well, with no additional paperwork required.
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