Hospital visits are nearing a peak
Published 1:30 am Friday, March 20, 2026
PORT ANGELES — Olympic Medical Center is seeing more patients across its clinics, emergency department and hospital beds, interim Chief Financial Officer Dennis Stillman told commissioners, saying the higher volumes reflect increased use of services and capacity to see more patients.
Clinic visits, which feed into lab work, imaging and hospital admissions, approached nearly 700 visits per day in January, near peak levels in recent years, Stillman said Wednesday.
Emergency department visits and hospital admissions also trended upward, with roughly 13 to 14 patients admitted daily from the ER, he said, while average patient stays have shortened as the hospital works to reduce costs and move patients through more quickly.
Commissioners asked how the higher volumes compare with budget projections and what they mean for access, with Nancy Field asking how current visit levels compare with 2026 assumptions.
Stillman said it was too early to draw conclusions from two months of data, but historically, clinic visits have grown about 1.5 percent to 3 percent annually.
Liz Uraga, OMC’s director of quality support, presented the updated Quality Management System plan, which governs how the hospital monitors patient safety, quality outcomes and regulatory compliance.
Commissioners Carlene Bensen and Field raised concerns about the document, with Bensen noting the plan appeared to duplicate existing compliance efforts.
“Some of it’s redundant,” Bensen said. “I would like to see more coordination so we’re not having two separate entities doing the same thing.”
Field said she had received the QMS only recently as part of her orientation as a new board member. She was appointed on Feb. 25 to replace John Nutter, who died Dec. 22.
“I have not had time to give it what it deserves,” said Field, who added that under normal circumstances she would have asked to delay approval to allow more time for review but didn’t because of an upcoming accreditation survey.
Commissioners approved the plan on a 4-1 vote with Bensen voting against and Field abstaining.
In his administrative report, Interim CEO Mark Gregson said staff are collecting data for a Kaufman Hall review of OMC’s operations as part of a due-diligence process tied to its collaboration with UW Medicine.
He said UW Medicine representatives are scheduled to visit Olympic Medical Center on April 1 and attend the commissioners’ meeting.
OMC had not yet received a response to a state Department of Health survey from last fall, but it continues to implement corrective actions and monitor compliance.
He said the hospital also is preparing for an upcoming DNV accreditation survey, required to maintain certification and participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Gregson said OMC continues to recruit providers and conduct interviews for specialists in radiation oncology, pulmonology and cardiology.
OMC was working on maintaining orthopedic coverage amid anticipated departures, including arranging additional on-call availability beginning June 1.
“We’ve got some changes going on there with some decisions to leave,” he said. “We’re still working through that, and we’ll be prepared accordingly if that’s the case.”
Dr. Dustin Larson, an orthopedist at OMC, confirmed that he and his brother, Dr. Loren Larson, also an orthopedist, are leaving the hospital. His contract ends June 1, and he said he intends to stay through that date — longer than required — to help with on-call duties.
Larson said resigning was “very difficult,” citing his responsibility to patients as well as a desire to spend more time with his family.
“I grew up in Port Angeles and I care about the community,” he said. “I got where I am in life because of an investment that people made in me, so it was a complex decision.”
At least 19 clinicians have left OMC in the past six months, he said, although he added the number is probably closer to 25. In any case, Larson called it a “significant” percentage of the physician and physician assistant workforce.
The board agreed at a special meeting March 11 to reinstitute the Joint Conference Committee in response to growing concerns about staff departures, financial stability and provider productivity expectations.
The committee, outlined in OMC’s bylaws but not convened in recent memory, is intended to improve communication among the board, administration and medical staff and provide a forum to address operational and clinical issues.
It is chaired by Bensen and includes board president Phil Giuntoli, Gregson and physician leaders Chief of Staff Dr. Colin Wolfslegel, Chief of Medicine Dr. Jennifer Swanson, Chief of Surgery Dr. Sheena Plamoottil and Chief of Staff-elect Dr. Georgia Heisterkamp.
The committee held its first meeting Wednesday before the board’s regular meeting.
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Reporter Paula Hunt can be reached by email at paula.hunt@peninsuladailynews.com.
