(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska – PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center announced Friday they are in the process of notifying patients who saw a part-time hospital-based internal medicine physician, currently licensed in Alaska and Oregon, regarding an administrative error that caused the physician’s Alaskan medical license to temporarily lapse from December 31, 2018 to March 14, 2019.

PeaceHealth has determined that no quality or safety irregularities were identified as a result of the physician’s patient care. The physician's name was not released.

“We are confident that this inadvertent administrative error did not compromise patient care,” said Ed Freysinger, PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center Chief Administrative Officer.

Freysinger said, “We are notifying patients who saw this particular physician during this period to let them know they are eligible for a refund for any portion of a bill they were personally responsible for that was associated with the physician’s care at PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center or New Horizons Long Term Care Facility.”

When PeaceHealth personnel became aware of the situation, they notified the Alaska Medical Board and the provider’s license was promptly reinstated. Although no longer employed by PeaceHealth, the physician’s Oregon medical license has been and remains active.

“The safety of our patients is our highest priority,” added Freysinger. “We continue to work closely with the appropriate agencies and our Community Health Board on next steps, and we are reviewing our internal processes to ensure an administrative error of this kind does not happen again.”

Patients eligible for a refund can expect to receive a notification letter by mail. For more information, contact RSNWN-KMCinfo@peacehealth.org

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center
www.peacehealth.org/ketchikan

 

 

 

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