Frank Hardy says he probably will never go back to the Oak Harbor Naval Hospital for care.
After a botched 2009 surgery at the Oak Harbor Naval Hospital, he was sent to Skagit Valley Medical Center for post-op and follow up care when he wouldn’t wake up.

“I don’t know why they call that place a hospital,” said Hardy’s wife, Cherie. “It’s a clinic, if that.”

A recent policy change at the naval hospital now requires all military retirees within a 30-minute drive to switch to a primary care physician on base if they want to stay on Tricare Prime insurance. If retirees choose to stay with their off-base doctors, they must downgrade to the less complete Tricare Standard plan.

Hardy and his wife, Cherie, applied for a waiver to the new policy and were denied. They visited the naval hospital last month to talk to the commanding officer to appeal the decision and were again denied. Before he left the naval hospital, Hardy revisited the scene of his last visit.

“It freaks me out to walk into that hospital,” Hardy said. “I went by the room I had laid in. It strikes terror into both of us.”

Hardy’s choice is to downgrade to Tricare Standard and then subscribe to an additional insurance policy through his private sector employer. But not all retirees have that option, Hardy said.

Capt. Edward Simmer, commanding officer of the naval hospital, is aware that some retirees have had “less than perfect” experiences at the hospital in the past, but remains adamant that the hospital can and will do better.

Simmer faced more than one angry room of retirees last month when the policy change was announced. In addition to the Tricare change, Simmer has also rolled out a closure of the emergency room, an expansion of the birthing center and extended hours for urgent care. The naval hospital has also signed agreements with Whidbey General and North Island Medical to allow Navy physicians and surgeons to perform procedures off base.

Hardy said Simmer’s hardline approach to the Tricare Prime policy has turned into a “black eye” for the Navy.

“I regret they feel that way,” Simmer said in response.

Of the 750 letters that were sent out to retirees, roughly 70 have applied for waivers and around 25 have been approved so far. When asked why he is holding firm for less than 50 patients, Simmer said he tries to apply the same criteria to each case and be “fair” about his choices.

Hardy is not alone in his concern that the naval hospital is making changes without considering the needs of their patients.

“I feel like they are playing with people’s lives and they have that cavalier attitude about it,” Hardy said. “It’s the retirees that are getting the shaft.”

Over the years, retirees have a history of being pulled on and off base for care, based on the naval hospital’s capacity to care for them, according to retiree and former naval hospital physician Dan Fisher.

In addition, many have concerns about active-duty physicians who are constantly rotating out every three years as assignments change.

“Many of the folks I see don’t want the constant turnover,” Fisher said. “They want the consistency of care. People want a good doctor they can keep. Not a doctor they are assigned. That’s my beef with military medicine. We promise people we will keep doctors there and eventually something comes up and they’re not.”

The naval hospital saw 141,275 outpatients last fiscal year and employs 12 family medicine physicians and four pediatricians. Of those 16 doctors, 12 are active duty. In addition, more than half the support staff of physician assistants, nurses and administrative employees are active duty as well.

Simmer said “in most cases, it’s probably true” that some retirees will be subject to turnover of Navy doctors, but insists that under the “team-based” model, they can offer more consistent care than before.

“That’s what spooks me about going back, you never know what you’re going to get,” Hardy said.

Retiree Ron Hewitt has only been to the naval hospital once for care on referral since he left active service in 2003.

Hewitt was diagnosed with a chronic illness in 2005 and has seen the same off-base primary care physician for 10 years. Hewitt said his wife, Mary, has had some “very bad experiences” with care at the naval hospital in the past and is also seeing off-base physician.

Wanting to keep their doctors under the recent Tricare changes, Hewitt and his wife applied for a waiver last month and were denied both the waiver and the appeal.

“The guy had no interest in listening to what we had to say,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt’s biggest concern is that he’s had the same physician for nearly 10 years, and that going on base will likely mean a revolving door of active-duty physicians.

“Every time I go, I’m going to see someone different,” Hewitt said. “My whole thing is continuity of care. I’m going to be reduced to numbers and words on a piece of paper.”

Hewitt said it is unclear whether he and his wife will seek additional coverage, remain with the naval hospital on Tricare Prime, or downgrade to Tricare Standard and pay higher premiums to keep their doctors.

“My wife wants to give it a couple of months,” Hewitt said.