After six years tending to island women’s health care needs, nurse practitioner Kimberly Valencia is closing her practice at Vashon Women’s Health Center.
“I have struggled with making this decision,” she said on Monday. “I wavered for a while, but I came to the realization there is nothing more I can do to make this work.”
Despite a robust patient load of teens and women, Valencia has been frank about the financial struggles of her work, and in February, she dropped insurance and began a fee-for-service practice. She said then she would give that effort six months and make further changes if necessary. At first, she said, she did not lose many patients, but then that number increased. And some of those who tried submitting claims to their insurance experienced difficulty.
“It was not a smooth, easy process,” she said.
Contributing to the financial strain she experienced, Valencia said, is that the clinic had a high number of patients on Apple Health, or Medicaid, which pays providers poorly for their services.
“I feel the worst for those people,” she said, noting that many cannot afford to go off-island for care. “It’s going to be a hardship for a lot of people. It already is with our situation on Vashon.”
She noted, too, that working with insurance companies created a lot of frustration. There is considerable paperwork, she said, and the insurance companies frequently question decisions and make practitioners try options the companies suggest, whether it be for medications or imaging studies.
“It’s like you can’t practice the way you’ve trained to practice,” she said.
Last week, Valencia sent out an email informing people of her decision. She noted that over the course of the next month, she will still be able to care for patients on a part-time basis to help with the transition. People can also request their records now, and she will make referrals and recommendations for patients’ continued care if they request it.
While she is leaving, the other providers at the clinic — physical therapist Andra DeVoght, massage therapist Caroline Sias and therapist Liz Brenneman — will continue to see patients there.
Next for Valencia, she said, is finding a job, ideally in a primary care clinic somewhere close to Vashon.
“I really gave it everything I have,” she said.
