We hope you are doing well and enjoying the winter season. We are writing to advise you about some troubling changes taking place at Mercy Hospital South, formerly St. Anthony's Hospital. Effective January 1, 2024, only doctors employed by Mercy South will be allowed to manage and provide primary care treatment while patients are admitted to the hospital. This means doctors, including the Esse Health doctors, who have been providing outstanding medical care to patients at Mercy Hospital South for years, will no longer be able to care for their patients in the hospital. In addition, we will no longer be able to choose the individual hospital-based physician that we feel will provide you with the best care and the best communication with our offices. We are strongly opposed to Mercy South’s new policy and any policy which prevents or interferes with our being able to provide the best care possible for our patients.
Esse Health is an independent medical group, and our patients have a choice when it comes to hospitals. Although the goal is always to keep you out of the hospital, in a non-emergency situation, should you need to go to a hospital, we would urge you to use SSM St. Clare Hospital in Fenton or St. Luke’s Des Peres Hospital in Des Peres. These hospitals may be a little further from your home, but we believe our ability to be involved in your care will provide you with a better outcome and a better patient experience.
It is important for you to know – the changes at Mercy will have no effect on the office. Your Esse Health team will continue to be available to answer your questions, provide you with the highest quality healthcare service, and give you the best patient experience. It is and will continue to be a privilege to help care for you, because at Esse Health, We Want You Well!!!
We encourage you to ask us questions during your next office visit.
Sincerely,
The physicians at Esse Health
