Michael Stollar, chief executive officer of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, chats with The Maui News on Friday. Stollar, who took over as CEO at the start of the year, discussed his thoughts on Maui Memorial Medical Center’s transition and shared the news that HMSA will be opening a new neighborhood center on Maui. -- The Maui News / COLLEEN UECHI photo
Michael Stollar, chief executive officer of the Hawaii Medical Service Association, said Friday that Maui Health System is still working out the kinks of becoming “a community hospital versus a Kaiser hospital,” but he’s pleased so far with the working relationship the hospitals have formed with HMSA, the state’s largest health insurer.
“We get along really well,” Stollar said. “We want to be as supportive as we can while still trying to ensure affordable quality care here for our employers, our members. It’s finding the balance in doing all that.”
Stollar stopped by The Maui News on Friday and discussed HMSA’s thoughts on the transition and how the insurance company is working with the hospital to address the initial problems. Maui Health System, a Kaiser Permanente affiliate, assumed operations of Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital on July 1.
“When the hospital initially went through the transition, I think they struggled to understand what their role was as a community hospital versus a Kaiser hospital,” said Stollar, who took over at HMSA at the start of this year after former CEO Michael Gold retired.
For example, Stollar said, people getting discharged from the hospital have been referred to a list of Kaiser doctors, leaving non-Kaiser community doctors feeling like Maui Health System is steering away patients. Stollar said he’s spoken with Maui Health System CEO Michael Rembis about how patients being discharged should be referred to their primary care doctors.
The reception area of the proposed HMSA neighborhood service center in Kahului is pictured in this rendering. The center would offer people a place to learn about plans, pay their bills, take classes and see certain health professionals. While not a clinic, it would provide support services for doctors, CEO Michael Stollar said. HMSA hopes to have the center up and running near Target at the Pu‘unene Shopping Center by the end of this year or beginning of next year. -- Rendering courtesy of HMSA
“Mike’s aware of that, and we’re talking about that,” Stollar said. “In that sense, having a good working relationship is more important than anything, so that when anything comes up, we can continue to work through it.”
In addition, Stollar said when the hospitals gave employees health plan options, HMSA was able to offer a plan, but “they didn’t let us bid a competitive plan to their Kaiser plan.” It was also challenge at first to get HMSA nurses into the hospital to monitor HMSA patients.
“The hospital was in the middle of a complex transition, and HMSA nurses weren’t a priority,” Stollar said. “Once we raised it with the hospital leaders, they began to address it.”
So far, Stollar said, HMSA hasn’t had “any major issues with the hospital around costs yet.”
When it came to reimbursements, HMSA made arrangements with Maui Health System that “kept things very stable” through the transition. But that doesn’t mean sending out claims and bills through the new system has not been without its challenges.
However, the HMSA CEO is willing to wait for the improvements to come.
When asked whether he thought the hospital transition had given Kaiser an advantage, Stollar responded: “This is the first time in Hawaii’s history that operation of a state hospital has been transitioned to a private entity,” he said. “The hospitals are learning as they go. We’re hoping Kaiser lives up to its promises that the hospitals will remain true community hospitals. We will be vigilant about this for our members and the Maui community.”
(Stollar said that while Maui Health System is a Kaiser affiliate, he understands the hospital operation is separate from the health insurance company.)
Maui Health System could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.
Stollar also shared the news Friday that HMSA plans to open its first neighborhood service center on Maui. The 4,200-square-foot center will be located between Target and Petco in the Pu’unene Shopping Center and will likely open near the end of the year or beginning of next year.
At the center, people could pay their bills, learn more about HMSA plans, take health-related classes or get biometrics work done. The center is not a clinic – “we’re not trying to be doctors,” Stollar said – but it will offer support services for doctors.
For example, if a person has recently been diagnosed with diabetes, a doctor could order the person to take classes or follow up with a case manager. At the center, the person could meet with a nutritionist or take educational classes to learn more about dealing with diabetes.
“I think the ability to ask a broad array of questions, whether it’s about your plan, your bill, your health, that really helps,” Stollar said. “So you don’t have to go to five places or we don’t have to hand you off four times. That’s a real change for us.”
HMSA already has offices on Maui, but Stollar said the center will be more welcoming and high-tech than the current facilities. He compared it to visiting the Apple Store as opposed to the DMV.
HMSA first opened a neighborhood center in its Honolulu building in 2013 to help walk clients through the changes prompted by the Affordable Care Act. Since then, HMSA has added locations in Pearl City and Hilo. Stollar said the centers have been especially helpful to senior patients who come in and need time to walk through certain processes.
“It’s pushing us out into the community to serve more,” Stollar said. “It’s just a much nicer setting to help educate people, and they like to come in.”
HMSA spokesman Patrick Williams said the company is not disclosing the cost, but stated that “we always make sure to get the best value for our members.”
* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.
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