UCSF-STANFORD MERGER: COMPLIANCE BILL PASSES COMMITTEE
A bill that would require the newly formed UCSF-StanfordThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
Health Care network to submit to California's "public meetings
and open records law" passed a state Assembly committee yesterday
by a 9-2 vote. SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE reports that if the
legislation becomes law, it "could torpedo the multimillion
dollar" merger between University of California San Francisco
Medical Center and Stanford Medical Center. The bill "would open
the books" of the merged entity; a similar bill passed a Senate
committee last week. Another bill, which would require the
budget committees in both chambers and other state officials to
inspect the financial records of the merged hospitals also passed
a state Assembly committee last week (see AHL 5/7).
SHED SOME LIGHT: State Assemblyman Kevin Shelley (D), who
sponsored the public meetings and open records compliance
legislation, "said public disclosure was necessary to restore
public trust in the merger." He said, "Private entities should
not expect to receive millions of dollars of taxpayer money if
they can't guarantee the public some measure of fiscal
accountability." However, Peter Van Etten, CEO of UCSF/Stanford
Health Care, "said that he hoped a compromise could still be
worked out to allow for limited public accountability for the new
corporation." He said, "We need to find a balance between the
need to operate in an intensely competitive marketplace and
public accountability. That's not an easy task" (Carlsen, 5/13).