ORANGE COUNTY: Hospital Will Not Renew Kaiser Contract
Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center said Monday it will not renew its contract with Kaiser Permanente to provide emergency and obstetrical care to 50,000 members, the Los Angeles Times reports. While the facility gets 10% of its patients from Kaiser, administrators said it can no longer afford to provide care at Kaiser's reimbursement rates. Hospital spokesperson Becky Barney-Villano said, "We've been accepting the same rates since we've had an agreement with Kaiser. Kaiser asked for a rate reduction this time around." President Peter Bastone added, "Mission Hospital cannot continue to provide services at rates that will not cover the cost of providing those services." But Kaiser officials said the HMO is committed to securing an arrangement with other area hospitals. Spokesperson Jim Anderson said, "We're in south Orange County to stay. We are confident we will have an agreement in place before the end of the year [when the Mission contract expires] to serve those members who live there." Mission Hospital, as required by law, will continue to accept trauma patients irrespective of their insurance (Garvey/Katz, 8/17).
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