Columbia Medical Associates, a Spokane-based physicians' group that Group Health Cooperative acquired last year, has bought the assets of two specialty doctor practices here.

Kelly Stanford, Columbia Medical's president and Group Health vice president of market development for Spokane, says Columbia on May 1 acquired the neurology group of Drs. William Bender and John Wurst, who have an office at 105 W. Eighth and previously were in private practice.

On June 1, Columbia Medical also acquired Spokane Valley Internists, at 1512 N. Vercler, which previously was affiliated with Physicians Clinic of Spokane that's now part of Providence Medical Group. The physicians at Spokane Valley Internists are Drs. Victoria Weaver, Rita Snow, and Diane Lefcort.

The financial terms of transactions weren't disclosed, but Stanford says both practices will continue to see their current patients at the same locations and accept other health care insurance plans in addition to Group Health's plan.

"Bringing specialty physician services under the CMA umbrella is the next step in building an integrated delivery system in Spokane and expanding our capabilities to provide the full range of health care services to our patients," Stanford says.

With the acquisitions, Columbia Medical now has 40 providers in the Spokane area who are specialty- and primary-care physicians, as well as more than 20 clinicians who are either physician assistants or advanced registered nurse practitioners.

The newly acquired practices' employees who aren't physicians will be retained as Columbia Medical staff members, Stanford says. Bender and Wurst have four employees, while Spokane Valley Internists have 11 people on staff other than the three physicians.

The physicians technically become Group Health employees who provide care for all Columbia patients, regardless of whether they have Group Health insurance, Stanford says. Seattle-based Group Health is the second largest Eastern Washington health-care plan provider behind Premera Blue Cross. Group Health has just over 130,000 enrollees in the region as of last year, based on data provided to the Journal for a list of health insurance plans offered here. It has four medical centers in Spokane.

Columbia Medical says it now provides primary care and other health and medical services to more than 75,000 patients and, with the recent acquisitions, has more than 200 total employees who aren't physicians, Stanford says.

Regarding possible additional expansion or acquisitions, she says that Columbia has no other plans at this time.

"We continue to work with our preferred partners in creating an integrated health care system in Spokane," she says.