Iowa Specialty Hospital acquired the private medical practice run by Dr. Donald Woodhouse recently and made the official transition to the Webster City Clinic over the weekend.

Woodhouse, who opened the practice in November 2010, has left the practice to be the chief medical officer for UnitedHealthcare in Nebraska. Prior to opening his practice in Webster City, Woodhouse worked at the Iowa Specialty Hospital in Belmond from 2007 to 2010.

“I was really happy with my time with Iowa Specialty Hospital and I’m very confident they’re going to take the quality that the community knows this clinic to have had and build upon it in a really awesome way,” Woodhouse said.

The practice has 3,000 active patients, the doctor said.

-Daily Freeman-Journal photos by Kelby Wingert Kristen Davison, PA, chats with receptionist Shanda Hilppre at the front desk at Iowa Specialty Hospital – Webster City Clinic, on Thursday. The clinic, previously Advanced Family Medicine, has retained the providers and staff through the transition.

“It’s my hope that most of them continue to stay here at 903 Willson,” Woodhouse said.

While the sign on the front of the building will change, patients will still be greeted by familiar faces inside the doors. Receptionist Shanda Hilppre, medical assistant Reagan Dawsin and physician assistants Kristen Davison and Kari Patten are remaining with the clinic.

“We don’t want to see any real significant change in the patients’ care,” said Cindy Hunter, chief quality officer for ISH. “We’re keeping Kari and Kirsten to continue with that continuity.”

The only thing current AFM patients will need to do to continue receiving care at the Webster City Clinic is sign a release allowing the clinic access to the patient’s records established at Woodhouse’s practice, Hunter said.

The clinic will be keeping its same phone number and clinic hours.

“We want this to be a very good transition,” Hunter said.

Now that Iowa Specialty Hospital has taken over the clinic, they will be accepting new patients, said ISH President and CEO Steve Simonin. The clinic will also likely be expanding its list of insurers it will accept.

The clinic will serve a “full-spectrum” of patients, from infants to the elderly, Hunter said. It will also be running all lab orders through the hospital’s lab service, which will allow for faster results for patients.

Patients will also have access to more services and specialists, Hunter said. The clinic’s in-house providers will be able to more easily call specialists for consults on things like orthopedic surgery or neurology.

“When you’re an independent clinic, you don’t really have those super strong relationships,” she said.

Iowa Specialty Hospital has about 70 specialists and “they’re some of the best ones out there,” Simonin said.

Through ISH, patients will also have access to the MyChart service, which allows patients to view their medical charts online and securely communicate with their providers through the program. When waiting for lab results, patients can receive the results faster through MyChart rather than wait for a phone call.

This will also make seeing different providers under the Iowa Specialty Hospital umbrella easier.

“All of our facilities are on the same medical record, so no matter what clinic you go to, what specialist you see, what hospital you’re in, it’s all in one chart,” Hunter said.

Iowa Specialty Hospital will also be looking for new in-house providers to join the Webster City Clinic.

“We heard loud and clear from the community that Webster City is in need for male providers,” Simonin said.

“We are actively looking for a full-time physician,” Hunter added.

The Webster City Clinic will open today at 8 a.m., ready to serve patients.

“There’s a good group here and we’re excited to be part of the community,” Hunter said.