As a member of the medical community in Coeur d'Alene for 24 years, and a staff radiologist at Kootenai Health, I feel compelled to provide perspective on the Kootenai Health system that differs significantly from the recent press reports critical of management decisions relating to the Cancer Center. Some of these reports, I feel, have been based on anecdote, incomplete information or outright misinformation.

Kootenai Health is a magnificent and well run organization, a health care system that we should all be proud of. The culture of friendliness, service and the focus on care runs throughout the veins of the organization from top to bottom. We see this every day, with every interaction. Having trained in and seen other health systems, this is not the norm in other systems, and is surprisingly unique in many ways.

The recent press articles and editorial responses source from the departure of several very good and popular medical oncologists from the Kootenai Cancer Center. I can see how this can be an unnerving development to close observers and to patients under the care of those loved physicians, but this is a temporary aberration in an otherwise very healthy and rapidly growing medical specialist community.

Physician turnover is not an unusual occurrence in this age of mobility and rapid change, especially as an institution evolves into the role of a major regional health care provider. Some physicians may prefer a larger degree of autonomy, or a smaller practice setting. In my own specialty, the national data shows that the average radiologist has three-and-a-half jobs during his career. Overall, our medical community has historically been unusually stable. We haven't seen much high profile physician turnover at Kootenai Health, although it has at times been there in the past. As a rule, physicians come and go because of many reasons, including: family needs, kids going to college, different professional opportunities, practice styles, group dynamics, further training needs, and contractual disagreements. This is just the way of the world.

If we are able to look past the current loss of a few key oncologists, we find that as Kootenai has evolved, there has been a huge net influx of highly trained physicians into our community.

In our own group of radiologists, we have just recruited two sub-specialized radiologists this year, one from Duke and one from the Mayo Clinic. These are two of the top five radiology programs in the country. The power of the recruiting effort comes significantly from the strength of the Kootenai Health system. Keeping in mind that when recruiting top physicians, you are competing in a national market, not just a regional market.

Kootenai Health recently acquired Heart Clinics Northwest, a group of 26 of the most reputable cardiologists in the Northwest as a buttress to our medical community and the Kootenai Health heart program. This was no small task. The acquisition put the Kootenai heart program squarely on the map. I could go down the list of specialties as well as family medicine; all have grown by large numbers and have integrated voluntarily into the Kootenai Health system.

Kootenai Health is in the process of launching a family practice residency training program as a way to provide enough family physicians for the community. Family medicine is the anchor of any medical community and supports the various specialty services. A new building is being built on Lincoln Way that will house this program. The family medicine program will kick off this summer under the guidance of Richard McLandress, M.D., and is fully backed by the physician community and the medical staff at Kootenai Health. The family practice residency will bring a number of trainee family medicine physicians to Coeur d'Alene. This has been an area of critical need. Some of these physicians are likely to stay and serve in our community.

As I look into the future I see good and exciting things at Kootenai Health, big things like a new electrophysiology program for cardiac care, outfitted with the most sophisticated equipment in the region and run by three sub-specialized cardiologists. A new state-of-the-art PET/CT scanner will be installed this summer and will join our other advanced imaging capabilities, including a 3T MRI. Other developing service lines include: a highly integrated information technology infrastructure, cooperative and integrated multi-specialty service lines, a pediatric intensive care program, a growing orthopedic and major joint replacement program, a revamped maternity program, and revamped facilities everywhere you look. All this is happening with an eye on resources, the needs of the community and the welfare of the employee force.

The Kootenai Cancer Center has a tremendous support staff infrastructure, three beautiful facilities, two linear accelerators and a great reputation built over many years. Several new oncologists have been added to the department. A multi-disciplinary approach to the care of cancer patients, correlative conferences and all of the necessary ingredients for a world class cancer center are already in place and are fully operational. As oncologist recruiting gears up, I expect to see the Cancer Center operating at full capacity again.

The Kootenai Hospital District is a tax district with the ability to levy a tax. What most people may not know is that Kootenai has chosen not to use its taxing authority for 18 years. The hospital system has responsibly marshaled its resources under a very engaged board of directors and under two successive, superb CEO's, without collecting any taxes. This has also been made possible by generous voluntary contributions made by community members through the Kootenai Health Foundation and its various activities such as the Festival of Trees.

Jon Ness, the current CEO, has moved the organization into the path of a regional medical center, and a national model. Jon is a man of integrity, a man of his word and a very competent, visionary leader. From day one, Mr. Ness has reached out to physicians in an effort to create a cooperative environment, integration of service lines and excellence. He has navigated the rough waters of the regulatory burdens of the Affordable Care Act and a series of Medicare reimbursement cuts. Anyone who has dealt with Jon knows first-hand that he operates in a principled manner from a template of honesty, fairness and respect.

Change can be a difficult thing; it upsets our sense of stability and comfort. Sometimes change also rattles our sensibilities. As a positive, change can allow us to be better by creating a different set of conditions. New conditions are sometimes necessary for big things to happen. Medicine lives and thrives in the world of change, discovery and analysis. As physicians, we are taught to look at all of the information before making a diagnosis, lest we jump to the wrong conclusion. Before passing judgment, it may be a good dose of elixir to apply those same principles to the ongoing changes in this organization.

I think that it is fair to conclude that Kootenai Health is a very valuable community asset, a quality regional medical system, a responsible employer, a superb organization, a recruitment magnet for highly trained professionals and a source of care for the indigent and the insured population alike. I hope that we can get through the fog of anecdotes and partial information to celebrate and value this community treasure.

Dr. Martinez is a community radiologist and has practiced in Coeur d'Alene for over 24 years. He was recently appointed to the Kootenai Health Foundation board of directors.