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South Peninsula Hospital has received approval from the Kenai Peninsula Borough to acquire Homer Medical Clinic (HMC), in a move expected to improve overall health care for the southern Kenai Peninsula while maintaining local community control. The purchase will be a gradual transition, with no immediate changes to current practices, staff and systems at HMC.
The development began nearly one year ago in conversations between William Bell, MD, owner of HMC, and Robert Letson, CEO of South Peninsula Hospital, and is beneficial for both parties and the community in many ways. Dr. Bell was facing the challenges of growing clinic management demands on top of his clinical practice, and was exploring the possibility of relinquishing administrative duties.
Simultaneously, South Peninsula Hospital had been struggling with recruitment efforts as physicians willing to relocate are looking for employment with a hospital system, and are not seeking ownership of a practice.
“Clinic ownership greatly enhances our ability to negotiate, guarantee patient capacity, and provide the incentives that qualified physicians are looking for. A hospital-owned clinic will significantly improve the hospital’s ability to bring new physicians and specialists to the community, which will ultimately provide true benefit to the residents,” Letson said.
Clinic acquisition will keep the hospital in line with industry trends and position it to succeed within new models proposed in the national healthcare reform act, including but not limited to requirements related to electronic health records and bundled payments to hospitals and physicians.
Finally, the new arrangement will provide better stability, benefits and job security for the current providers and staff at HMC, who will become hospital employees after the contract is final. Joining the hospital environment will open up new opportunities for the clinic’s employees, including the potential for career development and advancement, and trainings not previously offered in the smaller clinic setting. It is expected that the clinic’s 30+ employees will remain in their current roles.
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South Peninsula Hospital was recently named a Top 100 Critical Access Hospital out of more than 1,300 critical access hospitals nationwide. The designation was announced on September 28, 2011 at the National Rural Health Association’s Critical Access Hospital Conference.
The top 100 critical access hospitals scored best on the iVantage Health Analytics’ Hospital Strength Index, which includes a unique set of measures rating Market Strength, Value-based Strength and Financial Strength as key pillars for benchmarking. It incorporates 56 different performance metrics, including quality, outcomes, patient perspective, affordability and efficiency.
iVantage Health Analytics, Inc. manages the HealthStrong Awards Program, which recognizes exceptional performance among all eligible U.S. general acute care hospitals, including all rural hospitals and the more than 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals. |
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South Peninsula Hospital is one of numerous partnering agencies in our local MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Parntership) which just completed the first ever community wide health needs assessment. Utilizing a partner driven model, the assessment looked at local public health essentials, community strengths and themes, local data and forces of change. Click here for the assessment results.
The assessment findings are the foundation of a community health improvement plan, currently being developed by members of the community and the partners from the assessment. For more information, visit the project website at www.mappofskp.net. |
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 South Peninsula Hospital announces the opening of South Peninsula Orthopedics and welcomes Dr. Brent M. Adcox to the community. Dr. Adcox, orthopedic surgeon, is now here on a full time basis, offering a full range of orthopedic services including sports medicine, orthopedic surgeries, total joint replacements and care of cervical and lumbar spinal disorders.
Dr. Adcox, his wife and two young children recently relocated from Texas where he has been practicing orthopedics for nearly 10 years. He received a bachelor’s and master’s of science in biology from Texas Tech University, and earned his doctor of medicine degree at the University of Texas Medical School. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, and completed his spine fellowship at South Texas Spinal Clinic, where he continued on as medical staff for several years. By welcoming Dr. Adcox to our medical staff, the hospital is pleased to fill a much-needed service in our community.
The clinic is open Monday through Friday and located just below the hospital at 4201 Bartlett Street, Suite 201, in the Kachemak Professional Building, next to Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 235-0310. |
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