ARLINGTON — At Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington and Skagit Valley Hospital in Mount Vernon, doctors often cater to a rotating door of patients — and the hours of administrative work that comes with them — from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., up to seven days a week.
It’s a packed schedule that isn’t ideal for thorough patient care, said Dr. Brent Herr, a family physician at Skagit Valley Hospital.
In early July, Herr, along with about 45 doctors, nurse practitioners and physician assistants at Cascade and Skagit Valley hospitals — both part of Mount Vernon-based Skagit Regional Health — filed for representation with the Union of American Physicians and Dentists.
The goal is to get more doctors on staff to allow for more time with patients, Herr said.
“They’re squeezing all departments to do more with the same staffing,” he said. “Our patients are living longer and have more complex conditions. It’s not enough time.”
The filing is the latest in a trend of physicians across Snohomish County uniting to regain power in their working conditions. The trend follows a steady consolidation of hospitals and clinics in the county and the rise of corporate, large-scale health systems nationwide.
“Clinicians are tired of the state of corporate medicine,” said Joe Crane, who is coordinating union efforts at the hospitals.
In 2010, Skagit Valley Hospital merged with Skagit Valley Medical Center in Mount Vernon to form Skagit Regional Health. Six years later, Cascade Valley Hospital, a 48-bed facility south of downtown Arlington, joined Skagit to alleviate its financial struggles. It was Snohomish County’s last independent hospital.
Skagit Regional Health, now a network of 26 hospitals and clinics including in Skagit, Snohomish and Island counties, has seen an influx of patients over the past five years.
Herr used to provide care for about 14 patients each day. Now, he sees at least 18 each shift.
“It’s hard to stay on top of everything,” he said. “Things can get missed easily.”
Skagit Regional Health declined to comment on hospital staffing levels.
Staffing has been an “ongoing conversation” at Skagit Regional Health for years, Herr said. After 28 years as a doctor, Herr said he’s observed burnout in his colleagues earlier than ever — within five years of finishing their training.
It’s not just a problem for doctors and their patients, but also the physicians-in-training watching their every move. When future doctors from local residency programs come to the hospital, Herr said, they shadow doctors who are stretched thin and buried in paperwork.
Amid a wave of retirements and physicians turning to other careers, experts predict the United States could be short 100,000 doctors in a decade.
“For healthcare systems to increase profits, the quality of patient care often decreases,” Stuart Bussey, president of the Union of American Physicians and Dentists, said in a press release when Herr and his colleagues filed for union representation. “This focus on the bottom line has created a situation where clinicians are forced to choose between meeting unrealistic patient quotas or providing the level of care patients expect and require.”
While Skagit Regional Health runs the hospitals, the clinicians are employees of South Sound Inpatient Physicians, a Tacoma-based medical group that manages more than 4,000 physicians, nurses and other medical staff at about 400 hospitals nationwide.
As of this week, the clinicians are waiting on a hearing with the Washington State Public Employment Relations Commission. According to national labor law, a hearing is required within 10 days of a union filing. But Crane said representatives from Skagit Regional Health and Sound Physicians have had scheduling conflicts.
“Skagit Regional Health is looking forward to participating in the (commission) hearing to determine the next steps in the process,” Meggan Carrigg Davidson, a spokesperson for Skagit Regional Health, wrote in an email.
A pre-hearing is set for Monday, Crane said, but clinicians may not be able to move forward as a union until next year.
“This is obviously frustrating,” Crane said, “for clinicians who are ready to start talking about positive change.”
Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; X: @_sydneyajackson.
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