California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 6, 2009
Anaheim Memorial Medical Center
On Wednesday, Memorial Health Services officials announced plans to sell Anaheim Memorial Medical Center to AHMC Healthcare for an undisclosed sum, the Orange County Register reports.
It would be the fourth proposed sale of the hospital in two years.
The sale of the not-for-profit Anaheim Memorial to the for-profit AHMC Healthcare would require approval from the California attorney general (Perkes, Orange County Register, 3/14).
Hemet Hospital
On Feb. 18, the California Department of Public Health submitted a report to Hemet Hospital officials identifying unsatisfactory conditions in areas including infection control and nursing care at the facility, the Riverside Press Enterprise reports.
Valley Health System owns Hemet Hospital.
The report is based on a December inspection that came in response to a complaint from an anonymous source.
The hospital has developed a correctional plan to address the problems, but Valley Health administrators do not believe the investigation will affect the hospital's Joint Commission accreditation (Hines, Riverside Press Enterprise, 3/2).
Methodist Hospital, Sacramento
On Feb. 27, Methodist Hospital opened a $38.7 million expanded emergency department, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
The expansion project increases the number of ED beds at the hospital from 15 to 29 and provides for enough space to treat critical patients in every room.
The new facility can treat 75,000 ED patients a year, up from Methodist's current capacity of 44,000 ED patients a year (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 2/26).
Pacifica Hospital of the Valley, Sun Valley
Pacifica Hospital has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing $50 million in debt, according to court documents, the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
The hospital receives 60% of its funding from Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, and 20% from Medicare, according to hospital attorney Edward Green, who is representing the hospital.
Green attributed the bankruptcy filing to rising expenses and decreasing revenue (Abram, Los Angeles Daily News, 3/3).
San Joaquin Community Hospital
On March 3, San Joaquin Community Hospital opened a new nine-bed neonatal intensive care unit, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
Hospital officials said that deliveries in Kern County rose from 6,000 to 14,000 in the past 15 years, but there had been no growth in the number of neonatal intensive care beds in the county (Shepard, Bakersfield Californian, 3/3).
Redlands Community Hospital
Redlands Community Hospital has acquired a da Vinci Surgical System beginning in April after the facility's general surgeon completes training, the Redlands Daily Facts reports.
Kathi Sankey-Robinson, vice president of business development and marketing at the hospital, said Redlands Community will be the first facility in San Bernardino County to use the surgical robot system for general surgeries (McClain, Redlands Daily Facts, 3/3). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.