LOS ANGELES: SUPERVISORS BACK SMALL USC-COUNTY FACILITY
"A majority of the Los Angeles County supervisors say theyThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
have agreed to vote today to replace the earthquake-damaged
County-USC Medical Center with a new 600-bed facility, thereby
reducing the number of beds in the region's largest public
hospital by more than one-third," the Los Angeles Times reports.
The supervisors are also likely to "authorize a number of new
outpatient clinics."
PROS AND CONS
Currently, an average of 860 beds are filled at the facility
-- which is licensed to have up to 1,700 beds but currently has
960 -- on any given day. A total of 55,000 patients are treated
at the hospital annually and the facility cares for half of the
region's AIDS patients. The Times reports that by choosing a
smaller hospital size, "the board is moving with the statewide
tide that has pushed California's counties to scale down or close
medical facilities in favor of contracting for services with
private medical providers." County Supervisor Mike Antonovich
said, "A smaller facility will save limited resources and allow
us to continue to develop public-private partnerships and to
enhance our outpatient medical program." Other supervisors had
hoped that a 750-bed facility would be approved. Some people
believe that county public hospitals "ought to take fuller
advantage of Medi-Cal rules," while others believe that "private
hospitals, which are aggressively seeking lucrative Medi-Cal
patients, will agree to take indigents if it means more money
from Medi-Cal." County Health Services Director Mark Finucane
said of the debate, "If we undersize it, there's great human
damage. If we oversize it, there's great financial damage." Dr.
Alan Heilpern, president of the Los Angeles Medical Association,
said, "I worry about the unpredictable. A little over 15 years
ago, AIDS was identified here in Los Angeles. Who could have
predicted a new disease that has had such a profound impact on
the health care system?" According to the county's chief
administrative officer David Janssen, the compromise 600-bed
facility "represents the minimum allowable for the county to
continue to provide trauma care and other vital services" and is
the "break-even point financially" (Bernstein/Meyer, 11/12).