Mohave Daily News: Business

NEEDLES - Dr. Matthew Kidd unveiled a plan July 26 to bring doctors back to Needles who have moved across the river. Kidd told a special joint meeting of the Needles City Council and the city-appointed hospital board of trustees that he plans to open a primary care clinic inside Colorado River Medical Center.

Kidd's proposed clinic will have time slots set aside each day for urgent "same day" appointments. It will have access to hospital services such as radiology, laboratory and respiratory, and would initially be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, adjusting its hours based on demand.

Drs. Donovan Anderson, Rafael Rosado, Adolfo Soto and Robert Strecker have all expressed interest in working at the proposed clinic, according to Kidd.

Some doctors are leaving Needles because it's hard to make ends meet with a high population of Medi-Cal patients, according to Kidd. The state health program for the indigent reimburses doctors at a low rate.

Doctors are attracted to the new clinic because they would be paid an hourly rate, he added. Like the hospital, the clinic would accept patients with Medi-Cal and Medicare as well as private insurance.

Another attraction to doctors, according to Kidd, is working in a system that allows them to do some clinic work, some hospital work and some emergency room work.

Hospital executive John Pruitt returned from meeting in Nashville with executives of Lifepoint Hospitals with $200,000 for an advertising campaign to show the company's commitment to Needles, Kidd said.

Pruitt is chief executive officer of both Colorado River Medical Center in Needles and Valley View Medical Center in Fort Mojave.

Kidd said the primary care clinic would have a year to prove itself.

Council member Tony Frazier agreed the clinic would need community support.

"It's your choice," he said rhetorically, "here on the hill or across the river."

Other issues discussed included Colorado River Medical Center's application for designation as a "critical access hospital," under which Medicare and Medi-Cal reimburse the hospital for its actual costs, rather than paying a flat fee.

Few for-profit hospitals seek this designation, according to Kidd, as it's hard to make money with it, although it's also hard to lose money.

The hospital is also expected to regain its accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, according to Kidd. He quoted Pruitt as saying that the hospital would be unable to bill Medicare for services rendered during an approximately two-week window, but Lifepoint would assume those costs.