San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors Renews Contract With Tenet Facilities To Provide Care to Inmates, Low-Income Patients
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday renewed a contract with Tenet Healthcare's Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton to continue providing medical care to prison inmates and low-income residents, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. The county, which is required to cover medical costs for those patients, will pay the facilities an estimated $840,000 in fiscal year 2004-2005, up from $800,000 this fiscal year. The hospitals are expected to register about 745 inpatient days, 50 day surgeries and 118 outpatient surgeries in 2005. Officials also estimate that Sierra Vista will provide 305 emergency department visits for county jail inmates and uninsured county residents. Twin Cities is not paid for ED visits under the previous contract. According to the Tribune, the contract represents a renewal of a previous contract written in August 2001 under which the county pays the hospitals at Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for services (Welton, San Louis Obispo Tribune, 6/24).
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