I found the Sept. 14 story, “Kaiser effect felt locally: Health insurance giant’s switch from PeaceHealth to Legacy reverberates,” about the financial effect of Kaiser Permanente’s move to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center from PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, quite interesting.
And it’s not at all surprising to learn that a business shift of that magnitude has adversely affected PeaceHealth’s bottom line, as well as its staffing needs. But this is not the first time that PeaceHealth has shot itself in the foot.
About two years ago, PeaceHealth severed its longtime network affiliation with Aetna Insurance Company, one of the nation’s largest medical insurers. That decision by PeaceHealth adversely affected many patients with Aetna Insurance who now find solutions for their medical needs elsewhere. I am one of those persons.
To discover a solution for the decline of its revenues, PeaceHealth need only examine the wisdom of its own past management decisions, and then take the corrective action required.
