San Mateo County Officials Reject Some Grand Jury Recommendations
San Mateo County will not adopt a grand jury's recommendation that the county should sell San Mateo Medical Center to a private company or convert the hospital to a managed care system, county Manager John Maltbie said on Thursday, the Oakland Tribune reports. Speaking at SMMC's monthly meeting, Maltbie said the county will try to find other ways to control and recoup the cost of caring for patients who cannot afford to pay for hospital services. The 227-bed hospital and its clinics provide 95% of indigent care in the county, the grand jury report found.
County officials should get more information on the costs of indigent care before they resort to selling the hospital or implementing a managed care system, Maltbie said.
Supervisor Jerry Hill said the county is developing a definition of indigent care and modifying its screening process for indigent patients. In addition, Hill said he wants private hospitals in the county to provide more indigent care (Ernde, Oakland Tribune, 7/8).