http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20120930/OPINION02/709309959

As Lewis County General Hospital struggles like many other rural hospitals to stay afloat, they are looking to cut costs wherever possible.  Obviously cutting costs in a hospital setting is never easy, but in the setting of a municipal hospital,  these decisions have the added advantage/disadvantage of the public's close scrutiny and voting power to effect these decisions.  In an attempt to cut costs, LCGH has recently considered terminating its contract with a local group of ER physicians and bringing in an outside group.  The community has responded with adamant disproval.  This article exemplifies the type of community response regarding the desire to keep the local ER physician group and the resistance to outsiders.   Health care attorney Ann Phillip asks: "Will they live in your community or commute? Will they have a vested interest in the local people and hospital?"  In a small, rural community, these are valid concerns, as so much of medicine is centered around the patient physician relationship.  This relationship is very unique in rural areas, where interaction with the local physicians spans beyond the hospital.  These are our neighbors, our fellow church-goers, our golfing partners, etc.    Ann Phillips argues, "The ER physicians in place are skilled, dedicated and local. They have established relationships with their peers and patients. They have made their livelihood amongst you, for you and serve you well."  It is this relationship with their physicians, and the trust that it engenders, that the community doesn't want to lose.