Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Approves Creation of Panel To Oversee Some Operations at King/Drew Medical Center

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted to approve the creation of an independent panel of health care officials to oversee patient care and physician residency programs at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reports. The move was recommended by Navigant Consulting.

The panel will consist of volunteers with backgrounds in finance, business and hospital management and will report directly to the board of supervisors, "bypassing" the county Department of Health Services, according to the Times. The panel will make recommendations to the board of supervisors on malpractice claims, expenditures, revenue and compliance with regulations.

County DHS will retain authority over purchasing contracts and personnel matters.

The new board will meet at least once per month and report to the county board of supervisors at least once per quarter, according to Kae Robertson, a director with Navigant. The firm is expected to provide further details on the plan by Feb. 22.

Reaction

Supervisor Gloria Molina said, "We might have a lot of questions, and we need a lot of answers, but I think we need to get going and get moving on this model."

Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who voted against the proposal, said, "We don't need a new committee," adding, "What we do need is to ensure that the people responsible do their job."

County DHS Director Thomas Garthwaite supported the creation of the panel, saying, "You can demonstrate that more heads are always better than one head" (Leonard, Los Angeles Times, 2/9).

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