For over 50 years, the Medical Anesthesia Group (MAG) has worked in partnership with the Methodist Le

Bonheur Healthcare (MLH) system to provide the best possible anesthetic care in the region. Our
independent, local, physician-owned practice has a legacy of leadership, innovation, and an unrelenting focus
on patient safety. MAG spent decades creating and maintaining a practice tailored specifically to the changing
needs of MLH and our patients.

Many meetings, emails, and calls between MLH and MAG took place going back to March 2023 to address
outdated contracts, increasing labor costs, operating room inefficiencies, and decreasing provider satisfaction.
MAG communicated that without updates to the current contracts, many providers would leave the group.
What followed was months of growing provider dissatisfaction and turnover, and ultimately an impasse
between MLH and MAG on the best path forward. Once it reached a point in early July where physician
resignations would adversely impact our scope of coverage, we notified Methodist of our need for assistance
in securing temporary contract anesthesia coverage support (locums) to fill the staffing gaps. In November,
with both sides at an impasse, MLH elected to terminate our hospital contracts effective February 9th, 2024,
and move forward with Somnia Anesthesia. During the three months that followed the termination notice,
MAG worked closely with system and hospital leadership to distribute, to the best of our ability, our remaining
workforce in a manner that best fit the hospitals’ staffing needs. Additionally, since the transition on February
9th, MAG has remained ready, willing, and able to provide any support to the MLH system if needed.

The impact of these events on patients and their families has been, and remains, deeply concerning to every
current and former MAG physician, CRNA, RN, administrator, and staff member. It took MAG decades to build
a high quality, high reliability practice. Somnia has had 90 days. Hopefully with time, dedication, and sufficient
resources, that same level of high quality, reliable anesthesia coverage will be restored to the MLH system.
The people of this community deserve nothing less.

MAG greatly valued the partnership with MLH and we’re thankful for the opportunity to have provided
anesthesia services to MLH and its patients for the past 52 years. We wish nothing but the best for MLH
moving forward. MAG is still a very strong group, with 21 MDs and 50 CRNAs. Although the longtime
partnership with MLH ended on February 9th, MAG will continue to provide anesthesia coverage to our 7
surgery centers, and we look forward to forging new partnerships with groups and facilities throughout
Memphis and the Mid-South.