||| FROM HILARY CANTY |||
The Orcas clinic transition is scheduled to officially occur on April 1. This has been years, if not decades, in the making and as we near the date, things have grown complicated. Two of the doctors who currently are at the UW clinic have opted not to sign on with Island Hospital and join a consolidated practice. Dr. Russell has stated that he is taking a break and will consider options in a while. Dr. Alperin has not expressed his plans. Patients for both are understandably sad and dismayed.
For those of you who have been on Orcas for a while, this will feel like a familiar situation. As a community, we have struggled with medical care. We are too small a population to support multiple clinics, yet we have had doctors splinter off from the primary clinic (built by the community in the 90s) when they feel it is no longer a good fit. A couple of years ago, we turned to UW hoping its Neighborhood Clinic model would be a good fit, but the model relies on access to after-hours care and other urban supports unavailable in our rural setting so the model did not quite fit.
When Orcas passed the Public Hospital Taxing District in 2018 and elected a qualified team of commissioners to the Orcas Island Health Care District, the commissioners went right to work, researching the issues, assessing the tax funding, and developing a strategic plan. The goal was to create a sustainable model. And it is just about to. The commissioners are navigating consolidation of the two clinics and contracting with Island Hospital to establish a unified medical system providing basic care as well as after-hours care, behavioral health, and even a working x-ray machine.
The news of Doctors Russell and Alperin’s departure have started a buzz about opening a new separate practice. But before we run off to establish an additional clinic, I hope everyone will stop and think about where we have been and what we are striving for. History shows that it is not economically feasible (even with deep philanthropic support) to sustain multiple clinics. If we go back to that, we will forever be struggling with inadequate resources and lack the needed support system to manage healthcare locally. For many who go off island for care, that is fine. But for the many who cannot travel for care or need immediate attention, access to local healthcare is essential.
The Orcas Island Health Care District commissioners have so diligently worked to establish a vision and it is so close to being a reality. Let’s give it a shot. A unified clinic will be a great step forward in better care for all.
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Thanks, Hilary. I couldn’t agree with you more.
UW attracted the return of two great doctors, Russel and Fleming. Then they attracted another great doctor, Alperin. OIHCD first needs to figure out how to keep great doctors in one clinic, then how to fund it. If Island Hospital, along with OIHCD, is not able to acheive economically feasibility (even with deep philanthropic support), in a single clinic staffed by great long-term doctors, then their model does not quite fit either.
Blame VCITA, the business management app company that the County hired.VCITA’s website says, “Build a business you’re proud of.
Manage clients, appointments & payments from one single app.” Well, we’re NOT proud! FIRE THEM!!
But this doesn’t need to be rocket science either. We were all asked our age in the questionnaire. Just simply take a list of peoples ages in chronological order, start with the oldest and go down the line!
Sorry, my last comment was for the other thread on the vaccine appointments!
The strength of an institution ultimately resides in the quality of the personnel it can attract and keep, not on the infrastructure and equipment it can finance and the services it offers. Which are important, too, but not as important as the people who make it thrive.
Cross posting from OIHCD Superintendent Presson provides an update on progress toward new clinic.
I am a patient of Dr. Russell’s. He has always treated me well. He does it with great care, empathy and respect. He is one of the best primary care docs I have had.
As a healthy type 1 diabetic for 45 years and one who had diabetic retinopathy for 25 of those years, I have spent a lifetime seeing doctors on a very frequent basis. Great doctors have come and gone. This is no different for me, and I know there will be others to come and go.
I do not judge these doctors for leaving. We all have to make decisions which are suited for ourselves, and we do not want to keep people a part of something that they do not feel in their heart especially when what they do is so important to our health and well-being. They will find the things that work for them. I know they will, and I would want nothing less for any of us.
I have confidence that Anne Presson and her team will find equally good doctors to care for our community. Change can be hard. Harder on some than others, but change is our only constant in life.
When our new docs come on board, I will gladly sign up for my next appointment at the Clinic when I need it. It’s the right thing to do for me. I need to believe this will work and trust the people who are working so hard for us and know a lot more than me about these issues. For the well-being of our community, we need this clinic to work.
With great respect and admiration to you all.
As a physician, let me say that salaries are important because there is a shortage and recruitment and retention are real problems, especially in rural areas, even those that are considered the Garden of Eden (Orcas.) But, just as important for most of us physicians is having some power and authority over our work and the environment in which we practice. When the health care systems sees a doctor as simply a “cost center with a number” and not caring, empathic, human partners in managing the whole package, doctors tend to leave or just retire early and give up the fight. The response nationally when doctors complain has simply been to label physicians as narcissistic and difficult and demanding and to replace us with nurse practitioners and PA’s in every role possible. As we see our health care system crumble, doctors should be made part of the solution and our input desired rather than shunned.
Amen Hilary! Thank you!
I QUESTION WHAT HAS CHANGED AT ISLAND HOSPITAL? WE HAVE USED THEM BEFORE. A LOT OF US WILL STILL BE USING PEACE HEALTH, UW, SKAGITT, PROVENDENCE AND OTHER MAJOR HOSPITALS. IT HAS BEEN NICE TO BE ABLE TO GO ONLINE AND SEE YOUR RECORDS FROM ALL THE HOSPITALS, EVEN HAWAII. ISLAND HOSPITAL DOES NOT BELONG TO THE SYSTEM. THIS MEANS WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE OUR RECORDS ARE UP TO DATE AT THE PROVIDERS WE USE. ISLAND HOSPITAL IMAGINING HAS BEEN GREAT, BUT IT HAS BEEN VERY DIFFICULT TO GET THEM TO SEND RESULTS TO OTHER HOSPITALS. THE CROWNING BLOW IS THAT WE LOSE THE BEST DOCTORS (IN MY OPINION), WE HAVE EVER HAD (EXCEPTION MIGHT BE DR. WILLIAMS).
Hillary’s Editorial is a reasoned, mature foil to my knee-jerk inclination to recall that recurring Peanuts cartoon scenario, where holder Lucy pulls the football away from kicker Charlie Brown . . . again! And the news that the Transition is set for April Fool’s Day doesn’t help. But this isn’t make-believe, I’m grateful to be reminded to put it all in perspective, and I’m especially thankful to be among caring neighbors, since 1992. Thanks, HC. Onward!
As a retired CRNA , having practiced in small rural communities as well as Miami and L.A., my reaction to OIMC
is mixed. Dr Russell may be eying a boutique
practice; I hope so, as my husband dislikes the clinic
experience.
Problems:
-very difficult to contact; -the UW phone system no workee.
-tourists clog the system; no resident or long time patient
capability
-no x-ray equipment-on an island where elderly residents fall and hip fractures need X-RAY
-no good chest xray capability. I mean, REALLY?
-front desk folks try hard, but maybe if salary made it
possible to hire experienced help, the desk gal wouldn’t question me about why I need prescriptions, or
other time-wasting inappropriate questions.
-The nurses are super, but overworked. Need more
of them, and A TRIAGE SYSTEM- maybe by email, too.
-Teleconferencing works well; and should be a priority.
I worked hard along with several others, including Anne,
to get the funding for OIMC. So I’m glad
my doctor, Dr. Fleming. will stay—at
least so far BUT if business/profit trumps patient care, color me gone.