The Rinehart Clinic 
is a federally-designated Rural Health Clinic in the north Tillamook County coastal town of Wheeler. The clinic's service area is a federally-designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), meaning it has an "acute shortage of health care providers," and also is a federally-designated Medically Underserved Area (MUA), meaning it lacks the resources "to meet the medical needs of the resident population."
Though organized in 1996 as a tax-exempt Oregon nonprofit corporation, the clinic is the successor of a medical practice reaching back to 1913, when the grandfather of the clinic's Medical Director established a medical practice in Wheeler. Over the ensuing 90 years, three generations of Rinehart family physicians have cared for three generations of north Tillamook County residents.
The most important people in The Rinehart Clinic are our patients and their families. We pledge to respect their needs as individuals and to serve them with kindness, integrity and a high degree of professionalism. We recognize that the relationship between a provider and patient is a confidential one. Our mission is to provide high quality, comprehensive, primary healthcare to all in our community regardless of their financial circumstances. We pledge to serve the community as efficiently as possible in terms of the generation and allocation of resources. We recognize that the Clinic belongs to the community and we strive to earn and keep community trust. Recruiting and retaining quality staff members is essential to our mission. We are committed to providing a wholesome and safe work environment that provides reasonable wages and benefits for all staff members and that promotes a spirit of caring, learning, professional development and teamwork. |
The Rinehart Clinic has patients from all over Tillamook County, but mainly from the northern one-third of the county. Some patients are vacationers seeking urgent care. Most patients, though, are residents - working families and seniors, some of whom are in residential facilities.
The clinic serves 5 types of clients:
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Those patients who have private medical insurance. We bill most insurance programs - check with the front desk.
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Patients who are on Medicare.
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Persons eligible for the Oregon Health Plan and Medicaid.
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Private pay patients - those who can afford to pay their own bills.
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Persons not able to fit into the above 4 selections are included in a group eligible for a Sliding Fee Schedule that is based on ability to pay.
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The Rinehart Clinic P.O. Box 176 Wheeler, OR 97147 503-368-5182 |