Olympic Medical Center commissioners have approved contracts for new physicians in Port Angeles and Sequim.
On Jan. 6, they also endorsed the Sequim School District’s $54 million construction bond measure, which will be on the Feb. 9 special election ballot.
The bond — requiring a 60 percent supermajority for passage — would pay for a new elementary school, renovation of Sequim High School and other district improvements.
Such renovations are needed to attract qualified physicians to the Sequim area, said Olympic Medical Center CEO Eric Lewis.
“Physicians are looking (for) much more than a place to work,” he said.
“They are looking for a place to have a career (and) a place to raise their families.”
Generally, “physicians and their spouses go and visit the schools” before deciding if they want to move to the community, Lewis said.
He said one physician who was considering moving to Sequim recently decided against the move and relocated elsewhere after visiting Sequim High.
“I think it is critical for our communities to have schools that are competitive and are attractive to retain physicians,” Lewis said. “Our schools really matter.”
Contracts
The commissioners approved contracts for Dr. John Seddon, who specializes in orthopedic surgery; and Dr. David Lewis, who specializes in osteopathic family medicine.
They also approved a contract for Michael McGuire, an advanced registered nurse practitioner of family medicine.
In addition, commissioners approved CompHealth agreements for Drs. Scott Hankinson and Terri Oskin.
CompHealth is a national health care staffing firm that provides temporary and permanent placement services for health care agencies.
Seddon is expected to join the hospital’s orthopedic team this summer and will work in both Sequim and Port Angeles, said Dr. Rebecca Corley, the hospital’s chief physician officer.
He will be paid $440,177 annually, with a $25,000 fellowship stipend, a $25,000 signing bonus and a $10,000 annual retention bonus for five years, she said.
Seddon completed his residency at Oregon Health and Science University and now is in Melbourne, Australia, for a foot and ankle surgery fellowship, Corley said.
David Lewis is scheduled to join hospital staff in October and will work in both Sequim and Port Angeles, Corley said.
He will be paid $205,024 per year, with a $35,000 signing bonus and a $10,000 annual retention bonus for four years, she said.
David Lewis, who grew up in Port Angeles, is finishing his family practice residency at St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital, Corley said.
McGuire will practice in Port Angeles to start with, Corley said, with the potential for providing services in Sequim in the future if needed.
He will begin his new job as soon as the appropriate paperwork is processed, she said.
He will be paid $85,000 a year, with a signing bonus of $10,000 and a $5,000 annual retention bonus for four years, Corley said.
McGuire completed a Master of Science in nursing at the University of Florida in Jacksonville in April.
CompHealth contracts
The CompHealth contract for Hankinson is about $234 per hour for up to an eight-hour workday.
Hankinson, slated to begin in February, is being brought on as a temporary staff member.
He will join the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department to give existing department physicians some relief for vacations and sick days, Corley said.
The CompHealth contract for Oskin is about $157 per hour for up to an eight-hour workday.
Oskin will work as a family practitioner for three to six months as the hospital continues recruitment for a permanent family practice doctor, Corley said.
Accountability audit
State auditors recently found the hospital in 2014 complied with state laws and regulations and its own policies and procedures in the areas examined, Eric Lewis told commissioners.
The audit, which cost the hospital about $12,000 to commission, was completed recently after a three-week period.
This is the 15th consecutive year the hospital has passed the audit successfully, Lewis said.
“It just shows that our employees are focused on following laws and regulations and internal policies,” Lewis said after the meeting.
“I think we focus, as an organization, on being an organization of integrity. We just really work on making sure we are compliant with the rules and regulations.
“We are not perfect, but when we make a mistake, we fix it.”
Chris McDaniel is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum.
