Overextended doctors blamed for pain clinic closing

By Sarah Arkin

Published: November 12, 2008

Hospital officials say an overextension of practicing anesthesiologists at the Pain Referral Center caused it to quietly close its doors on the first of this month.

Leslie Smith, director of public relations for Danville Regional Medical Center, said it was the physicians’ decision to stop providing services.

“Splitting time between surgical services and the pain clinic, it was a stretch on their time,” she said. “The physicians made a decision that they wanted to focus their attention in growing our surgical services.”

Repeated attempts to contact the physicians were unsuccessful.

The three anesthesiologists who run the clinic also provide services to surgical patients at Danville Regional.

“The three also cover the operating room here in the hospital,” Danville Regional Chief Operating Officer Eric Barber said. “They were having trouble trying to be in two places at once.”

He added that “their services are being offered by other physicians in the area.”

The anesthesiologists will continue providing services to surgical patients at Danville Regional. They’re not technically employed by Danville Regional, but work for an anesthesia coverage practice called Amsol that the hospital subsidizes.

That is, the doctors are on staff, but the hospital doesn’t pay them; rather, they pay their practice group. Barber said that was common for most hospital practices.

Barber said he didn’t know “the exact number of patients” being treated at the clinic alone. Smith later said that doctors were treating about 10 patients per day.

Patients of the clinic received letters informing them they would no longer be able to receive treatment about one week before the clinic closed its doors.

• Contact Sarah Arkin at or (434) 791-7983.