It’s been four months since Allen County Regional Hospital changed the way it provides emergency room services, and members of a local physicians group that previously covered the ER are still adapting.
The Family Physicians, a local family practice led by Drs. Timothy Spears and Frank Porter, provided ER coverage at the hospital from 2012 until July, when the Saint Luke’s Health System announced it would switch to Innova Emergency Medical Association, a national group that specializes in emergency care, particularly at the rural level.
Saint Luke’s officials said the move was designed to attract local patients by using board-certified physicians who specialize in emergency medicine and critical care.
Before, Spears and three nurse practitioners had manned the ER. Spears had worked at the local ER for 25 years. He also has lost his ER contract at Anderson County’s hospital in Garnett.
ER services were a major part of The Family Practice’s business model, and the loss has had a significant impact — financially, personally and professionally.
Spears said he wanted to clear up any misconceptions the public may have about their departure. It’s only now, months later, that Spears feels comfortable discussing the situation.
“This has really affected our practice, and a lot of our patients are upset. I want people to understand what happened, and that it wasn’t a quality of care issue,” Spears said. “It’s been an adjustment. Any time there is change, there is uncertainty.”
THE HOSPITAL entered into a contract with Saint Luke’s in July 2020, just a few months into the pandemic. Under the arrangement, Saint Luke’s would take over managing all hospital operations, including personnel.
It was a huge transition, during a time of upheaval caused by the COVID-19 virus.
Soon, the ER physicians started to hear rumors about plans to find new providers there.
Spears said he attempted to speak with Saint Luke’s officials about the change, but did not feel as if it made a difference. He was concerned that patients would be less comfortable being seen by an outside group of physicians.
“I really didn’t expect them to go through with it, because it didn’t seem logical to me,” Spears said.
His staff shared his concerns.
“We were all kind of bracing for impact. We knew it was coming,” said Ben Smith, a nurse practitioner who worked in the ER and also oversees a healthcare clinic at the jail.
Rebecca French, a nurse practitioner specifically hired to work in the ER in 2007, said “There was nothing I could do but continue to practice as well as possible.”
Stacy Kale, a nurse practitioner who also operates Iola DERM 101, a dermatology clinic, joined The Family Physicians in 2015 and started working in the ER in 2019.
“We knew as soon as things settled down with the pandemic, we would be gone. But they couldn’t find a provider, so we kept agreeing to continue to provide care,” Kale said. “COVID was awful, and at the same time we’re dealing with this and wondering what’s going to happen.”
