Urgent care providers combining operations

Kootenai Health and North Idaho Family Physicians will combine their urgent care services in North Idaho under a new banner, Kootenai Urgent Care.

Family Physicians will manage the network of five clinics; two each in Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls, and one in Hayden.

Kim Anderson, Kootenai Health director of communications, said the partners will consider the overlap of services over the next 90 days and the expansion of Kootenai Occupational Medicine into all the locations.

“This partnership will help support the community’s need for primary care providers and lead to increased access to care, more efficient operations and more integrated care for our patients,” Kootenai Chief Executive Officer Joe Morris said in a news release.

Family Physicians Medical Director Dr. Dave Chambers said the agreement will help assure the availability of primary care at locally owned facilities, “benefiting both organizations and, most importantly, the patients we serve.”

North Idaho Family Physicians consists of 28 independent family doctors.

Anderson said the agreement will assure equalized value to both parties, but the financial terms were unavailable.