By Don Nelson
Longtime local physician Dr. Joe Jensen, owner of Methow Valley Family Practice in Twisp, has reached an agreement to sell the practice to Family Health Centers (FHC), a nonprofit health care system based in Okanogan.
The transaction will be completed in May 2015. Jensen, who is 68, will continue to work under contract for two more years beyond that.
Peter Morgan, co-owner of the Methow Valley Inn and a member of the FHC board of directors, said the two-year extension of Jensen’s service will give the nonprofit time to recruit another doctor. Selling a rural practice to another practitioner, as opposed to an established clinic, is extremely difficult these days, Morgan said.
A single practitioner buying the clinic “couldn’t do what we’ll be able to do together,” Jensen said.
FHC, established in 1985, provides health care services for all Okanogan County residents, including dental care and some pharmacies. It has locations in Omak, Okanogan, Brewster, Oroville, Tonasket and Bridgeport.
The Twisp clinic will remain in the same location with the same staff, and patients will see little change in its operation, Jensen said.
Jensen, who has been in practice for 43 years, acquired the Twisp clinic in 1992 after legendary Methow Valley physician Dr. William Henry retired, having operated the practice for 30 years.
In an interview, Jensen said FHC satisfied his requirement that the Twisp clinic retain its existing staff and its emphasis on quality local care.
“This is a continuation in the right direction,” Jensen said. “We want to maintain the personality of the clinic.”
Because FHC is a federally qualified health center, at least 51 percent of its board members must be patients of the clinic. FHC’s nonprofit status and federal certification make it eligible for grants to supplement its income, Morgan said. FHC clinics serve anyone regardless of their ability to pay, and that will be the policy in Twisp as well.
Jensen said he sees the change in status from owner to employee as an opportunity to learn knew skills, particularly in the computerization of medical records.
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Talks began earlier
Jensen said that he and FHC have been talking about a sale for a couple of years, but FHC had other projects to deal with such as the construction of a new clinic in Omak and establishing a clinic in Bridgeport. Serious discussions with Michael Hassing, chief executive officer of FHC, intensified about a year ago, Jensen said.
Morgan said he and fellow FHC board member Julie Tate-Libby, also a Methow Valley resident, “thought FHC would be perfect for the valley.”
“We didn’t want Joe’s practice to be lost,” Morgan said. “We should be really pleased that we [FHC] provide more access to care in rural communities than in some urban areas.”
Morgan and Jensen said FHC won’t establish a pharmacy in the valley because the organization doesn’t want to compete with Ulrich’s Pharmacy in Twisp.
“FHC ownership and management will provide long-term stability and improve the ability of Methow Valley Family Practice to continue serving the Methow Valley, including many Medicaid and uninsured patients who cannot get care locally,” FHC said in a press release.
Jensen said he first became aware of the Methow Valley years ago when he was living in Idaho. He first went to work for what is now Three Rivers Hospital, and eventually took over Henry’s clinic because, he said, “it was an opportunity to re-establish the practice at relatively little expense.”
Cindy Button, director of services at Aero Methow Rescue Service and the daughter of the late Dr. Henry, said she is “very pleased” for Jensen. “I’m happy he can stay here and has an exit plan,” she said.
Button, citing her father’s experience, said she remembers well how demanding a single-provider practice can be.
“This transition will be beneficial to him [Jensen] and to the community, and also for FHC,” Button said. “It’s a good fit. FHC has the ability and the resources to handle under-insured patients.”
In addition, FHC will soon open a dental clinic in Twisp at the former office of Dr. John Nickell. Morgan said the goal is to open the dental clinic by Jan. 1, 2015. That office will initially be open two days a week, Morgan said.
