Appalachian Emergency Physicians

Programs: Appalachian emergency physicians ("aep") is a virginia nonstock corporation that is organized and operated for charitable purposes, which include the provision of emergency physician services to acute care hospital facilities in southwest virginia and northeast tennessee. Aep has no members and is governed by its board of directors. (continued on schedule o) appalachian emergency physicians helps to fulfill a need in southwest virginia and northeast tennessee for acute care facilities that have encountered problems in securing comprehensive physician coverage within the field of emergency medicine. Aep will ensure that patients are treated for medically necessary conditions regardless of race, religion, ethnicity or ability to pay, in a manner consistent with the patient financial assistance program applicable for each respective hospital where aep provides emergency services. In recognizing that not all individuals possess the ability to purchase essential medical services, aep will not pursue collection of amounts determined to qualify for patient financial assistance. The financial assistance policy for each respective hospital facility serviced by aep has been adopted by the aep board with respect to services at the respective facility. Aep is organized and operated as an emergency physician development service. Specifically, aep will (i) recruit and contract with a stable base of physicians and mid-level providers (e. G. Nurse practitioners and physician assistants) to support the level of emergency medical care required for msha acute care hospital facilities; (ii) create a vehicle for future collaboration between msha hospitals and their medical staffs; and (iii) stabilize the provision of emergency care through existing physician practices in southwest virginia and northeast tennessee. Aep provides emergency medicine professional coverage by contract for the following hospitals: johnson city medical center (tn) franklin woods community hospital (tn) niswonger children's hospital (tn) indian path medical center (tn) sycamore shoals hospital (tn) johnson county community hospital (tn) unicoi county memorial hospital (tn) norton community hospital (va) dickenson community hospital (va) russell county medical center (va), and smyth county community hospital (va) each of these hospital facilities is either wholly or partially owned by mountain states health alliance (msha). Msha is a nonprofit health system based in johnson city, tn. Msha is tax-exempt under irc section 501(c)(3). While some msha representatives are on aep's governing board, msha and its affiliates do not control aep's board or the manner in which aep is operated, managed, or governed. Medical services are provided to individuals presenting to the emergency department of one of the aforementioned hospital facilities and are based upon emergency medical need. Aep follows the patient financial assistance policies and procedures adopted by each of the aforementioned hospital facilities for the treatment of patients without regard to the ability to pay. As such services are made available to the general public, aep may incidentally provide emergency services to officers, directors, employees and independent contractors. However, such individuals would not be treated differently than other patients and such services would only be made available in the normal course of aep's business operations.