Spokane-based Rockwood Clinic PS has moved its North Side nephrology clinic and also plans to move its Medical Lake general practice clinic soon, with the intent of adding space and additional services at each.

Rockwood Clinic's North Side nephrology clinic recently moved to a 5,500-square-foot space at 605 E. Holland, from its former 1,000-square-foot space in the Holy Family Medical Building, at 235 E. Rowan. In December, Rockwood's Medical Lake general practice clinic will move to a 6,000-square-foot space at 725 N. Stanley from its current 4,000-square-foot location, at 317 N. Broad.

Rockwood Clinic moved the North Spokane nephrology clinic to give it more room and allow it to offer additional services, such as iron infusion therapy, which is given to kidney-disease patients who often suffer from anemia, says nephrology clinical director Marie Brumfield. Previously, patients who needed that service had to go to Rockwood's main clinic downtown, she says.

She says the former nephrology clinic space only had room for one doctor and one additional staff member, a medical assistant who also served as the clinic's receptionist. The new space will allow Rockwood to expand the clinic to provide space for up to five doctors and several additional staff members, she says. It also has space for two infusion therapy stations for iron infusions.

Brumfield says an endocrinologist and a cardiologist might work out of the clinic on a rotating basis, and in the future a urologist might offer services there, too. For now, Rockwood is adding three office staff members at the nephrology clinic, Brumfield says.

She says Cory Barbieri, of Spokane-based Goodale & Barbieri, handled the lease for Rockwood Clinic, and Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, completed tenant improvements.

Barbieri also is the leasing agent for Rockwood Clinic's Medical Lake office relocation, says Colleen Kirk, the Medical Lake clinic's practice manager.

She says moving that clinic to a larger space, located on the lower level of a two-story office building at the intersection of Stanley Street and state Route 902, will allow it to see patients more quickly because most of its space will be used for patient care, and the larger office will allow room for additional staff. Kirk says the clinic will be able to offer some same-day appointments.

With the move, the clinic's name will change from Medical Lake Family Practice to Rockwood Medical Lake Clinic, Kirk says. She says Rockwood Clinic has operated the Medical Lake clinic since the late 1980s.

The clinic's current location has become too crowded and has a lot of inefficiently used space that formerly was needed to house medical records and for staff members to fill out paperwork, Kirk says.

With most records now electronic, that type of space is no longer needed, she says.

The new location will be equipped with computers and printers in every exam room, so physicians and staff members will be able to access and update records and print prescriptions as needed.

Rockwood plans to hire a full-time X-ray technician for the Medical Lake office, allowing it to offer a full-service X-ray department, Kirk says. At its current location, it offers X-rays for injuries only, but with a full-time technician will be able to offer studies such as complete spine series, so patients won't have to travel to Spokane for X-rays, she says. The general practice clinic ultimately will have four providers, up from two full-time and one half-time provider, Kirk says. It also will hire a few additional staff members, in addition to the nine who currently work there, she says.

Silvey Construction Inc., of Spokane Valley, is doing the tenant improvements at the Medical Lake clinic, Kirk says.