Kilauea's North Shore Medical Center accepting new patients - The Garden Island

KILAUEA — The clinic manager at Kilauea's North Shore Medical Center says people incorrectly believe the center is closing, following the recent announcement that the nearby Kaua'i Community Health Alliance (KCHA) is shutting down.

"We're having a bit of confusion and misinformation flying around the North Shore, said Marybeth Hinkel, the clinic manager at the North Shore Medical Center, in an interview with The Garden Island.

Last week, The Garden Island published a story announcing that KCHA, which runs both Hale Lea Medicine and Urgent Care and the North Shore Wellness Center, was closing its doors.

But even though the clinics have similar names and are located next to one another on Oka Street, the North Shore Medical Center is not connected to Kaua'i Community Health Alliance.

Hinkel emphasized that the North Shore Medical Center is open, accepting new patients, and taking every line of insurance.

"We're really just trying to serve the North Shore, as we're the only doctors on the North Shore now," she said.

According to Hinkel, the Kaua'i Community Health Alliance's closure has created several issues for the North Shore Medical Center, with residents mistakenly believing that they are either closing, not taking new patients, or only accepting certain lines of insurance.

"We carry all lines of insurance, Medicare and Medicaid Quest, everything. (KCHA) told all their patients that we did not take Quest and they would have to find care elsewhere, and that's not true," said Hinkel.

"It's just a big mess, the fallout from the next-door clinic closing."

Hinkel noted that the North Shore Medical Center has taken on over 500 new patients since KCHA announced closure earlier this month.

According to Hinkel, the clinic is able to accept hundreds of new patients due to the relatively healthy population — with the majority of people only coming in once a year for an annual wellness check.

"We just don't have a lot of people coming all the time," she said.

Hinkel also emphasized that the North Shore Medical Center is not having any business struggles and plans to remain open.

"We're solid," she said, adding the clinic has been owned by physician Thomas Capelli since 2006 and has a different payment structure than KCHA.

"We are structured differently than they are. They're doing fee-for-service. We get per member per month, which is a different fee schedule," said Hinkel.

The clinic currently has three full-time providers: Capelli, a doctor of internal medicine, Janet Bilafer-Steiner, a nurse practitioner, and Jon Allen, a physician assistant who recently transferred from Hale Lea Medicine on Aug. 17, according to Hinkel.

She added the clinic may consider adding another provider depending on how many more new patients join.

"We're trying to help to accommodate the North Shore, while trying not to grow too fast. You know, as far as hiring providers. But if we have to we will," she said.

Although Hinkel said the clinic is not facing any economic struggles, she agreed with KCHA president and CEO Jon Winkler in stating there are "absolutely not" enough medical providers on the island.

"Through the whole island, we seem to be losing — even before Hale Lea closed — we were having a huge influx of patients because doctors were leaving. There's a huge transient population with doctors on this island," said Hinkel.

"I don't know the solution. All I know is that we're going to try our best to accommodate. We'll grow if we have to."

Francesca Bertone, one of three other KCHA board members, did not respond to a request for comment from The Garden Island by deadline.

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Emma Grunwald, reporter, can be reached at 808-652-0638 or egrunwald@thegardenisland.com.

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