California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of November 16, 2012
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has announced that its new surgical and interventional center will be named the Sue and Bill Gross Surgery and Procedure Center after philanthropists Sue and Bill Gross, who donated $20 million to the facility.
The center will be part of the 11-story, 820,000 square-foot Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion, which is expected to serve an estimated 400 patients per day when it opens in summer 2013 (Cedars-Sinai release, 11/14).
Dameron Hospital, Stockton; UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
At a meeting on Thursday, University of California regents were expected to review a proposed affiliation between UC-Davis Medical Center and Dameron Hospital, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Last year, Dameron -- an independent, 202-bed acute-care community hospital -- sent out requests for proposals to create a partnership that would ensure its long-term viability.
The proposal would create a limited liability company with Dameron Hospital Association, a not-for-profit facility with 400 affiliated physicians and more than 1,200 workers. The company would own and operate Dameron Hospital, and UC-Davis would have a 29% interest, according to the proposal (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 11/12).
UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
This week, the Joint Commission launched an investigation into patient safety and care at UC-Davis Medical Center, the Sacramento Bee reports.
According to the Bee, the investigation comes in response to the work of J. Paul Muizelaar and Rudolph Schrot, two former members of the UC-Davis neurological surgery department.
The two physicians were banned from the university last year after an investigation determined that they had conducted experimental treatments on three dying brain cancer patients without federal or university approval.
Bonnie Hyatt -- spokesperson for the UC-Davis Health System -- said that the commission closely examined the cases of the three patients and that the health system cooperated fully (Lundstrom, Sacramento Bee, 11/10).
UC-San Diego
UC-San Diego is planning to shut down its Nevada Cancer Institute by the end of the year, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports (O'Reiley, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/13).
UCSD purchased the institute in February for $18 million after the institute declared bankruptcy with nearly $100 million in debt. As part of the acquisition, the institute's foundation agreed to give UCSD $20.8 million in donations over five years (Rodak, Becker's Hospital Review, 11/13).
However, UCSD changed its plan for the institute because of cost concerns, a change in California tax rules and new leadership at the UCSD Health System (Las Vegas Review-Journal, 11/12).
San Leandro Hospital
This week, Alameda County, Alameda County Medical Center and San Leandro Hospital each agreed to pay $3 million over three years as part of a tentative agreement to keep San Leandro open, The Daily Review/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Under the agreement, ACMC would own and operate the hospital.
Last week, Chris Zapata -- San Leandro city manager -- said that ACMC would need an estimated $6 million annually to keep the hospital open.
Sutter Medical -- which currently owns the San Leandro facility -- must approve the plan.
In a statement issued last week, Sutter Medical said it is "still exploring options that support the best needs of the community and Sutter Health" (Parr, The Daily Review/San Jose Mercury News, 11/13).
St. Joseph Hospital, Eureka
On Sunday, St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka opened a new $145 million northeast wing.
The 100,000 square-foot wing includes patient rooms, an expanded emergency department, a pre-operative department, eight operating rooms and an intensive care unit (St. Joseph Health release, 11/12). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.