Palomar Medical Center Posts Losses on Trauma Unit

Hospital district directors for the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido urged San Diego County officials to provide "immediate" financial assistance for its trauma care unit, which is expected to lose $1.7 million this fiscal year, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The trauma unit lost $1.4 million last year, the directors said (Berhman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/26). To cut costs, the hospital is considering exiting the trauma care system, which could "create difficulties" for other area hospitals. While leaving the system remains uncertain, hospital administrators will consider the facility's financial outlook when making a decision (California Healthline, 1/23). Last fiscal year, Palomar Pomerado Health System, which runs the medical center, had a $27 million loss in its operating budget. Palomar Pomerado Health System Director Ted Kleiter said that the trauma unit could not "continue like this without some financial help." He added that the directors of all the area hospitals should "band together" to "make their case" for increased reimbursements to the county board of supervisors. "No one in this room will say we don't need it ... but how are we going to pay for it? Without help from the county, we can't," Kleiter said. The hospital has no "immediate plans" to shut down the trauma unit (San Diego Union-Tribune, 1/26).