Dr Bourne Closing her Practice
On Tuesday, September 25, 2007 Dr. Bourne's four thousand patients received the following letter announcing the closure of her practice and the West Marin Medical Center at the end of this year.
11150 Highway One
Point Reyes
For the past eight years, I have enjoyed getting to know all of you and
being a small part of your lives.
When I first joined Dr. Michael Whitt, I planned to practice
medicine in West Marin for the next thirty years.
I hoped to watch your children grow up, be there for your major
milestones, and follow some of you through your final illnesses and
deaths. Unfortunately,
because neither good medicine nor small businesses are rewarded by our
current health care system, I cannot keep my business afloat financially
and maintain personal integrity.
Particularly over the past few years, instead of honing my
medical skills, I have wrestled with insurance companies, waded through
the pharmaceutical industry’s suspicious tactics, and balanced medical
decisions with the threat of possible legal action, all the while
teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.
Like all doctors in our country, I am given the choice of working
for an HMO or taking cash or a retainer for my services.
While I do not blame doctors who make either choice, neither is
an appealing option to me.
As of
In the event the
Either way, I am clear on my decision to leave and, at the same time,
devastated to say goodbye.
It has been a privilege to help you with your medical care.
I also feel blessed to have worked with Dr. and Mrs. Whitt,
Cheryl Higgins, Janice Kehoe, Kathy Tyson,
Molly Bourne, M.D.
James Leoni, M.D.
Family Medicine
Joseph Habis, M.D.
Internal Medicine
Rajina Ranadive,
M.D.
Internal Medicine
Nikola Lozanov, M.D.
Family Medicine
Bolinas Family
Practice
Primary Care
Bolinas
415.868.0124
Keep in mind that
while these practices are currently open to new patients, they may not
take your insurance. In
addition, you may contact your insurance company for a list of
participating providers.
If you have Kaiser
insurance and have designated Dr. Bourne, Dr. Whitt or Cheryl Higgins as
your primary care provider, you will receive a letter from Kaiser about
how to get reassigned to a new provider.
If you have not designated us, but you get your primary care
here, you may call the main Kaiser number (415.444.2000) and have the
operator forward you to Patient Relations.
A follow-up letter from Dr Bourne
October 30, 2007
Dear Patients:
In the weeks following my letter in September, I met with many people, hoping to come up with a viable model to keep my office open after I leave. I consulted financial, tax, business and legal professionals. I met with representatives from the Coastal Health Alliance. I heard from many members of the community. I read all your letters. Unfortunately, every scenario I entertained was met with insurmountable barriers, some expected, others never before imagined.
For this reason, I surrender and plan to close my office January 1st, 2008 as planned.
This leaves me with an office to rent and patients who need a medical home. I am more than willing to hand over the torch to anyone in the community who would like to rent my office and run a medical business. Still, having spent many hours trying to devise a reasonable plan, I do not think it wise for us to count on any such person. Therefore, I encourage all of you to find doctors either at the Coastal Health Alliance or “over the hill,” as per my original letter (September 2007).
If I return to Point Reyes to practice medicine, it will likely be in the form of a small retainer practice or as a medical consultant to patients who already have primary care doctors. I will not take insurance. If you are interested in these models and would like to be contacted in the event that I return to West Marin, please send an email to this effect with your contact information.
Molly Bourne
Dr. Bourne's Farewell Letter
November 27, 2007
Open House…Please Come
While I have been loud about how badly the current health care system has hurt my business, I have not been loud enough about how hard my staff has worked to keep it afloat (financially and emotionally) for all the years I’ve been here. I would love it if you all would come celebrate with us on December 19th, 4-6pm at the office. Light fare and drinks provided.
Dr. Whitt
While I plan to move on after January 1st, Dr. Whitt plans to continue seeing his patients in my office. For now, he tells us he plans to take all insurances. He will be keeping many of the current staff.
Your Charts
After the New Year, your charts will remain at the West Marin Medical Center in possession of Dr. Michael Whitt. While it is illegal to take your chart, you may request copies to be sent to your new doctor. Kaiser patients will have all their records at Kaiser Permanente and should ask their medical records department to forward copies as needed. You may be asked to pay a fee for records.
My New Job
As of February 2008, I will be one of the Medical Directors at Hospice by the Bay, a large non-profit that provides end of life care in San Francisco, Marin and Sonoma counties. My role as one of the medical directors will include hospital work, home visits, managing an interdisciplinary team specializing in end-of-life issues, as well as some administrative and educational services for the organization. I will continue on as Medical Director at Serenity Knolls, the in-patient alcohol and chemical dependency facility in Forest Knolls. Finally, I plan to write a book to help patients navigate our “broken” health care system. While I am very sad to go, these are things that I very much look forward to.
Town Meeting
On December 6th, from 7-9pm, there will be a town meeting to discuss the future of health care in West Marin at the Dance Palace.
Keep Checking the Website
As time goes on, this site will continue to provide updates and information. Please make a note to check it from time to time. As I face the New Year wondering when and if I will see all of you again, I promise myself that perhaps through this website, we will stay in touch. Thank you for your continued interest and support.
mb
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