A primary care doctor at Logan Health since 2019, Hipolito left the hospital at the end of September after administrators elected not to renew his contract. The decision sparked community outcry and allegations of retaliation from union representatives, who pointed to Hipolito’s role as an organizer and lead bargainer for the union. A majority of Logan Health primary care providers voted in favor of a union earlier this year, citing inadequate staffing levels and growing patient panel sizes.
Administrators cited patient satisfaction scores as a primary reason to not renew Hipolito’s contract. Union representatives pushed back, pointing to Logan Health’s website, which displayed Hipolito’s patient rating at 4.6 out of 5 stars across 370 reviews. Unable to change administrators’ minds, representatives and Hipolito filed a retaliation complaint with the National Labor Relations Board.
The case is currently on standby to be heard in federal court. If the union and Hipolito win, he would likely receive back pay for what he would have earned at Logan Health in the interim, minus what he has made at his new job.
The week after his contract lapsed, Hipolito helped cut a large ribbon at True North MT, a new direct primary care (DPC) clinic in Kalispell. There he continues to practice medicine, assisted by a medical assistant and registered nurse (RN).
True North first opened in Hamilton in 2022 with a doctor and RN. DPCs have materialized in recent years as a pathway out of the traditional fee-for-service model of health care used by hospitals and insurance companies. Instead, patients pay a monthly fee to have round-the-clock access to an RN or doctor. The smaller clinics trade large patient panels with longer visits, which doctors say encourages long-term preventive care.
At Logan Health, Hipolito said he often saw around 20 to 26 patients per day with a panel that was open to accepting new patients. At True North, he expects to see 14 patients on the clinic’s busiest days.
“Work-life balance is much better in this model,” Hipolito said. “It’s better for patients, and it’s better for me.”
Hipolito has about 50 patients on his panel since the clinic opened Oct. 5. Many of those patients are new, while a good number followed Hipolito from Logan Health.
The clinic, located off Three Mile Drive, is currently accepting patients. Those interested in scheduling an appointment can go to the website here or call 406-438-4890.
“We’re open, we’re happy to take people, and happy to do health care,” Hipolito said.
I’m Zoë Buhrmaster. Let’s hone in on the rest of today’s news in the Daily Roundup.
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