The medical center formally known as Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic and owned by MediCenter has closed and reopened under a new name and in a new location.
Three doctors from the clinic — Paul Raymond, Cherie Inglis and Ken Hahn — have formed a new practice called Kachemak Medical Group in order to keep serving patients since MediCenter closed Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic effective Nov. 4.
Inglis said the providers were notified on Oct. 28 that the clinic would be closing and that they were effectively out of a job. Raymond had previously sold the practice to MediCenter, which also closed its locations in Kenai and Nikiski around the same time.
From there, it was a scramble to find a new location and open another clinic so that “our patients would have continuity of care,” Inglis said.
“We only want to serve our patients, serve our community,” she said.
Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic was located at 4201 Bartlett Street. Kachemak Medical Group is now located at 4129 Bartlett Street. The phone number has not changed.
The biggest change patients are likely to see is that their records, including information about their medications, will not automatically be transferred over to the new practice. Because Raymond had sold Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic to MediCenter, that entity retains ownership of records — the doctors can’t simply take them with to Kachemak Medical Group, Inglis said.
Patients should be receiving notification letters from MediCenter, which Inglis said include a release form allowing MediCenter to release and transfer medical records. If patients haven’t gotten that letter yet, they need to fill out their own release form by calling Kachemak Medical Group or picking one up in person.
Another change is that Carol Klamser, a family nurse practitioner who used to work at Kachemak Bay Medical Clinic, did not come over to the new practice and is now working for South Peninsula Hospital. She will continue seeing patients in the hospital’s specialty clinic at 4201 Bartlett Street. Appointments with her can be made by calling 907-235-0310.
Inglis said the three Kachemak Medical Group doctors did the move from one building to another within a week and are still in the process of getting everything sorted out. In order to accommodate patients during this transition, the clinic is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, she said.
“We appreciate people being patient with us as we go through this transition,” Inglis said. “Because we are still setting up all of our processes like phones and computers.”
Inglis said the doctors appreciate the community standing by them and are “honored and privileged” to be able to continue serving patients in the Homer area.
For more information, visit kmedicalgroup.com or call 907-235-7000.
Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.
