Wednesday, December 31, 1997
Ballinger losing two physicians, clinic
By BOB BRUCE Senior Staff Writer
BALLINGER - The decision of two physicians to leave Ballinger
will result in the Ballinger Family Heath Center closing about
Feb. 1.
The status of Drs. Rick and Kim Peck has been in limbo since
early November.
Lawrence Leonard of San Angelo, president and CEO of Shannon
Medical Centers, which operates the clinic, said the Pecks have
not signed contracts at lower per-patient rates of reimbursement.
The lower contracts are the result of new Medicare laws, effective
Jan. 1. Medicare has placed a financial cap on reimbursements
to provider-based rural health clinics.
"They have decided to go ahead and leave," Leonard
said.
The doctors Peck came to Ballinger in 1995, affiliated with
Concho Valley Hospital and contracted for a guaranteed income
for a two-year period. Shannon subsequently bought out the Concho
Valley system.
Leonard said a hospital can only contract with a doctor on
a guaranteed income basis for a two-year period, and that the
new contracts offered are based on per-patient reimbursement.
Dr. Rick Peck said, "The decision has pretty well been
made - we expect to be moving and will probably close the clinic
Feb. 1."
The clinic is located on U.S. 67 South.
Peck said he and his wife are looking at the Lubbock area or
possibly New Mexico for establishing a new practice.
Their departure will leave Ballinger with three physicians.
Drs. William Pollan, Kenneth Leckie and Karen Rightmire-Collom
practice at Ballinger Rural Health Clinic, which is owned by Shannon.
The community also has one physician's assistant, Leonard said.
"There's no animosity. They're very nice people, very
good doctors," Leonard said.
The Shannon CEO said the Pecks came to Ballinger after completing
their medical residencies at Texas Tech University.
"They were just concerned that there were just too many
(health) providers," Leonard said. The Pecks had expressed
a concern for job security but Leonard noted that "in today's
medical environment there is just not that security that there
used to be for doctors."
Leonard described the local clinics as day-care facilities
- basically physicians' offices with no beds.
Ballinger Memorial Hospital is not affected by the clinic's
possible closing, nor is it affiliated with Shannon Medical Center,
a hospital spokesperson said.
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Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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