Fresno, Calif.-based Community Health System will partner with Sound Physicians for hospitalist services, effective Sept. 1, The Fresno Bee reported July 17.
It is not immediately clear how many physicians will be affected by the change. A Community Health System spokesperson would not confirm which physician group is losing the hospitalist contract or how many physicians would be hired by Sound Physicians, according to the report.
Sound Physicians is a national staffing firm of more than 4,000 physicians, advanced practice providers, certified registered nurse anesthetists and nurses across more than 400 hospitals in 45 states. The 22-year-old company was acquired in 2018 by private equity firm Summit Partners and OptumHealth, a UnitedHealth Group subsidiary.
The change has drawn attention on social media. In a July 3 video posted to Instagram, ophthalmologist Will Flanary, MD, estimated that 120 physicians would be affected and called the deal a “massive healthcare private equity takeover,” according to the report. The Bee could not independently verify the estimate.
Sound Physicians is hiring for several positions at Community Regional Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center, including a hospitalist medicine program medical director, hospitalist physicians, hospitalist nurse practitioners, physician assistants and registered nurses, per the report. Salaries for the co-director and hospitalist physician roles range from $315,000 to $420,000, depending on location and shift schedule.
Danny Davis, BSN, RN, Community Health System’s division president of hospitals, told the Bee that the system issued a request for proposals for hospitalist services after more than a year of quality improvement efforts and feedback from physicians across the system, including hospitalists, according to the report.
“Sound was the strongest fit,” Mr. Davis said, citing the firm’s clinical data and benchmarking capabilities, physician performance metrics, operational support and experience helping hospitals improve quality outcomes, the Bee reported.
“This decision was carefully considered and not made lightly,” Mr. Davis said. “We are grateful to our hospitalists, who are valued members of our medical team, and we sincerely hope that many will choose to continue caring for patients in our hospitals.”
Sound Physicians is not the first national staffing firm to take over hospitalist services in Fresno. Vituity signed a contract with St. Agnes Medical Center to provide hospitalist services in December 2024, a deal that prompted a lawsuit from a local physician group.
Becker’s has reached out to CHS and Sound Physicians and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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