12/07/2025
Many of you have seen the attached info regarding the closure of Dr. Hick’s practice in Continental.
Subsequently, our office has received several questions regarding this, so I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop.
First, I have to say that private practice has become a very difficult endeavor.
Medicare thinks that the best way to save money is just pay medical providers less and other insurers often tie their reimbursement to Medicare.
So every payer pays less and less, while the price for everything else is more and more.
Medicare has cut payments many times in the last twenty years, which is why you have seen so many offices close, and
........more cuts are looming for the coming years, unless Congress acts (but they never do anything).
Without the negotiating power of the big hospitals, it becomes tough to compete.
I feel blessed every day, because, despite all that it takes to keep private practice alive, our practice is thriving with the greatest staff to ever work in medical care and the most supportive and loyal patients.
That support given our office by Kalida and the surrounding area communities has kept us independent.
There is no care better than an independent office.
I know this, our staff knows this, our patients know this, and,……Dr. Hicks knew this.
Four weeks ago, Dr. Hicks reached out to me about the closure of her practice. Her main concern was the welfare of her patients.
From the conversation that we had, I could see that she loves those patients very much, and she felt our office would offer the best fit for those folks.
I vowed to her that I would help make sure that no patient of her practice would be without care or access to their records.
Dr. Hicks has taken a position outside of community medicine, therefore her patients are not able to follow with her. She is not coming to Kalida Medical Arts.
However, our entire office truly wishes Dr. Hicks the best of luck as she starts her new endeavor.
We welcome any of Dr. Hicks’ patients to continue their care with any one of the fantastic providers at our office or, if after her closure date of December 14th, you would like records sent to another provider, they will be available to you here.
Sorry about the long post but this reaches into my heart on two very dear topics:
……The preservation of private practice (the last place where the only concern is still strictly the patient),……and,……….The love of a medical doctor for his or her patients.
I absolutely get it. It’s why I love what we do here.
Wesley Klir, M.D.
Kalida Medical Arts
