By Liz Freeman

Patients of several doctors employed by Physicians Regional Healthcare System are learning their doctors are moving on.

In most cases, patients receive letters explaining how they can obtain their medical records or transfer to another doctor with Physicians Regional Medical Group.

“We have more than 300 physicians on our medical staff, both independent and employed,” Renee Palin, hospital spokeswoman, said. “While a small number of physicians have elected not to renew their employment agreement, none have resigned their medical staff privileges. We are actively recruiting physicians and we receive resumes on a daily basis and continually conduct interviews.”

One orthopedic surgeon who was not employed but once served as chairman of surgery of the hospital system, Dr. Frederick Buechel Jr., shut down his practice Dec. 1. Some patients found out from his answering service, Jim Conway, a patient who lives on Marco Island, said.

Conway had left knee replacement surgery with Buechel two months ago and called his practice Dec. 1 and was told the surgeon was moving to Singapore.

When he had an appointment with Buechel in late November, the doctor gave no hint of his plans, Conway said.

“He’s a great doctor,” Conway said. “It’s very perplexing. I don’t understand the ethics of it.”

Buechel could not be reached for comment.

Even though the orthopedic surgeon was not employed by Physicians Regional, the system can help patients obtain their records that relate to when they had surgery by Buechel at the hospital, Palin said.

Patients of Dr. Bryan Murphey, who practices internal medicine with the medical group, is leaving Dec. 31, according to a letter to patients. He was based at the medical arts building behind Physicians Regional’s 101-bed Collier Boulevard hospital.

The Collier County Medical Society does not have a list of how many physicians are leaving the Physicians Regional group, April Donahue, executive director, said.

“It’s no more than 10 so far,” Donahue said, adding that she will have a better idea at the end of the year when society membership fees are due.

The changes are not surprising and happens often any time there are hospital ownership changes, she said.

Naples-based Health Management Associates, HMA, was sold in January to Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems for a deal valued at $7.6 billion. HMA owned the two-campus Physicians Regional and Lehigh Regional Medical Center in Lee County.

Last week, Physicians Regional’s chief executive officer, Scott Campbell, resigned and it was effective immediately.

“This is going to be (ongoing) and they will get some new people,” Donahue said.

When it comes to employee turnover, the hospital system has 1,300 employees, Palin said. That’s a decline from 1,432 employees reported in a 2013 report to the community about Physicians Regional providing $76 million in uncompensated care that year.

“Physicians Regional has made no staff adjustments in recent months,” Palin said. “In fact, we are currently hiring to fill more than 70 openings in nursing and other direct patient care positions, and look forward to welcoming new members to our team.”

Palin acknowledged that the hospital system, like other employers in the region that deal with seasonal population fluctuations, has routinely adjusted staffing based on the acuity and number of patients in the hospital.

“Currently, all full-time workers are scheduled for 40-hour work weeks,” she said.