Alameda County Medical Center Hires Consulting Firm To Help Cut Costs

Alameda County Medical Center has hired consulting firm Cambio Health Solutions to help the health network reduce its estimated $71 million budget deficit, CEO Efton Hall announced Tuesday, the Oakland Tribune reports. Under the contract, which began Monday, the Tennessee-based consulting firm will present a plan to the health network's Board of Trustees in two weeks, after interviewing staff members and reviewing $23 million in proposed budget cuts prepared by Hall's office (Vesely, Oakland Tribune, 1/14). The cuts are part of a budget plan passed by the board of trustees in December, and they include measures to require that uninsured patients in Alameda County seeking nonurgent care at all county-run hospitals qualify for Medi-Cal or another health plan or sign a document agreeing to pay part of the cost of care; to eliminate 176 full-time positions; to possibly close some hospital wards; to lay off other employees; and to eliminate some specialty services. Trustees also approved delaying the opening of a new critical care unit at Highland Hospital, consolidating vacant beds and instituting mandatory and voluntary unpaid days off for nonurgent staff to reduce costs (California Healthline, 1/8). The health network is paying Cambrio $48,500 for the two-week contract. Following the presentation of Cambio's budget plan, the board can decide to extend the contract for an additional fee, allowing Cambio to implement its plan (Oakland Tribune, 1/14).