Hospital partner decision possible in next 60 days

Officials from three local public hospitals expect to choose a nonprofit joint partner by the end of August, the president of one of their boards said Friday.

Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, along with 11 other groups, sent a letter Friday to the local hospital commissioners asking them to delay any such decision for six months while ongoing changes in the health care industry shake out.

Skagit Valley, Cascade Valley and Island hospitals already work together and share some resources, calling themselves “the interlocals.” As a group, they’re seeking a nonprofit partner with financial might and bargaining power.

A joint steering committee composed of elected commissioners and unelected administrators from each of the interlocals is currently researching four suitors: PeaceHealth, UW Medicine, Providence/Swedish and Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Until now, officials had denied there was a timeline for a decision, but Skagit Valley Hospital board President Clark Todd said Friday the general “target” is to choose a partner within 60 days.

“We’re meeting our timeline. We are trying to schedule our site visits to the proposers,” Todd said. “We are endeavoring to try to make some decision here within the next 60 days, but we don’t know what that decision’s going to be.”

Such a decision should be made only with the full information about impact on patient care, ACLU of Washington Executive Director Kathleen Taylor wrote in the letter sent Friday to the interlocals’ commissioners.

“That full information does not currently exist in the context of religious mergers,” the letter states.

Two of the four suitors, PeaceHealth and Providence, have ties to the Catholic church. Those ties have raised concerns among area residents that if PeaceHealth or Providence is chosen, church doctrine could guide their health care, or services such as contraception and Death With Dignity might no longer be provided or even discussed at their local hospitals if a religious partner is chosen.

“Because a great deal of previously unknown information about such impacts is currently emerging and is likely to emerge in the near future, we ask that you defer for six months any decision to move forward with a merger involving the interlocals,” Taylor wrote.

The ACLU has called partnerships between public, taxpayer-funded hospitals and religious nonprofits unconstitutional.

“We understand the highly charged emotions that many people feel, and the philosophical position that others (have),” Todd said. “… We’re trying to keep all our options open and be as objective as possible and listen as closely as we can.”

In April, state Sen. Kevin Ranker, whose district includes Island Hospital, formally requested state Attorney General Bob Ferguson issue a legal opinion on public hospital districts’ obligations under the state’s Reproductive Privacy Act. Waiting six months would allow time to see what that opinion says, Taylor wrote.

Taylor and the same 11 co-signing organizations, which include Skagit-based grassroots group People for Healthcare Freedom, sent a letter to Gov. Jay Inslee last month asking him to impose a six-month moratorium on hospital deals. No such moratorium has been put in place.

The interlocals are not likely to impose one on themselves, said Todd and Island Hospital Board President C.W. “Buzz” Ely.

“Speaking for myself as president of our board, I don’t think we’d be in favor of a moratorium,” Todd said. “Obviously, if the governor takes a position on this, we would honor that, but we’re not interested in doing that because we think our process is very sound.”

The CEOs of the three interlocals could not be reached for comment by press time Friday.

Skagit Valley Hospital Commissioner Bruce Lisser, who preceded Todd as board president, said he had not yet seen the letter but called the request “interesting.” The interlocals will be moving forward with what has been a years-long research and decision-making process, he said.

“We are pretty knee-deep in the middle of this,” Ely said.

Todd said although the health care industry is changing rapidly, there is a down side to letting the partnership process drag on too long because “analysis fatigue” can start to set in.

“We’re really trying our darnedest to be open and available and keep it going because I think that’s in the best interest of the community, instead of continuing to live in uncertainty,” he said.

— Reporter Gina Cole: 360-416-2148, gcole@skagitpublishing.com, Twitter: @Gina_SVH, facebook.com/byGinaCole