PORT LUDLOW — Jefferson Healthcare won’t provide medical services specifically in Port Ludlow, because the town is within 35 miles of Bremerton’s Harrison Medical Center and the possibility that such proximity could jeopardize Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
Even so, there is a health care need it is poised to satisfy, hospital commissioners said at a special meeting at the Port Ludlow Beach Club on Wednesday night.
Jefferson Healthcare, unlike Harrison, is designated as a critical access hospital and is prohibited from opening new medical facilities within 35 miles of another hospital.
To do so could violate the critical access status and endanger all reimbursements, said Vic Dirksen, hospital administrator.
“Even with the reimbursement restriction, there is a lot that we can do,” said Jill Buhler, board chairwoman.
Wellness clinics
“We heard there is a need for health education,” she said. “We can sponsor wellness clinics and other informational programs.”
The meeting, similar to others in Quilcene and Brinnon, was intended to allow community members to tell the board about services they need.
About 12 people attended, telling commissioners health care was a primary reason people moved to the area.
Good ideas
“This has been a small meeting but has given us the best ideas from any of our meetings,” said board member Chuck Russell.
“We have heard some really good ideas about how we can help the community.”
Added Dirksen: “There is a place for providing the knowledge needed to find health information online.
“We can teach people what they need to know in order to do this.”
Clinic not possible
In late 2008, the hospital leased a 1000-square-foot space at 9522 Oak Bay Road in Port Ludlow, unsure of specifics but intending to provide medical services.
A few months later it received information that providing services could jeopardize all of its reimbursements, Dirksen said.
Since then, the disposition of the office has been uncertain and the hospital abandoned plans to use the space for any medical function.
Harrison, not being designated as a critical access hospital, is not subject to the same restrictions that prevent Jefferson Healthcare opening a clinic in Port Ludlow.
The Madrona Hill Urgent Care center, with branches in Port Ludlow and Port Townsend, is not subject to the restrictions.
Clinic director Jim Blair said he was pleased that the hospital is working with the community to determine its health care needs, and that it could provide medical support for the hospital’s education programs.
“I’m glad they are willing to partner with us,” Blair said. “It will benefit everybody.”
The restrictions cover not only the services but the personnel.
The presence of hospital employees will represent a violation of policy, so the future center will be staffed by volunteers.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
