Riverside County’s 1st Private Drive-Through Covid-19 Test Site Opens at Hemet Global Medical Center

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Riverside County’s 1st Private Drive-Through Covid-19 Test Site Opens at Hemet Global Medical Center – ABC7 NEWS

Riverside County’s first private drive-thru testing center for COVID-19 opened in Hemet on Tuesday.

The testing site, which is operated by Hemet Global Medical Center, will be available to referred patients, those experiencing severe symptoms or elderly patients, who considered most at risk for the virus.

For those in the Hemet or San Jacinto area, other public testing sites across the Inland Empire may be too far to travel to, which is why officials opened this one.

“We still have a very large senior population. For them to have to travel an hour, an hour and a half, away from the valley is difficult for them, especially now with having all the social distancing issues and so forth that are enacted. We want to try to mitigate some of those issues for those folks,” said Hemet Global’s Keith Garrison.

The process takes about 10 minutes, and test results are typically available within two to three days. Appointments can be made by calling (951) 765-4757. The program is scheduled to be held from 8 a.m. to noon.

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Two Different Types of Hospital Visits Take Me to Hemet Global Back-to-Back Weeks

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Two Different Types of Hospital Visits Take Me to Hemet Global Back-to-Back Weeks – Chronicle News
“I wouldn’t hesitate to take my most-pressing health issues to Hemet Hospital”

There are some health issues we know we can deal with because we see them coming: such was the case with my hernia surgery.

An excellent surgeon, Dr. Daniel Igwe of Apex surgery here in Hemet (and Menifee) had fully prepped me and had thoroughly explained the entire procedure.

From my pre-surgical visit to my discharge, everything went as smoothly as possible at Hemet Global Medical Center.  The same-day surgical staff, headed by Cinda (to protect the staff only first names will be used) handled all concerns with ease. Before I knew it, Dr. Igwe was ready…and the anesthesia took effect.

After what seemed like only minutes, I was in my room on the fifth floor, room 532. My day nurse Ronnie, and my night nurse Cynthia were true professionals: we discussed my concerns, talked about our families and bonded, as true professionals do with their patients. I had wonderful conversations with everyone on the staff including dear Euclin one of the Nurses Aides.

I left 2 days later feeling completely confident with the convalescent process in the coming days.

Some health concerns we definitely do not see coming: such was the issue when my puppy and I (a wonderful Cairn Terrier mix from the Ramona Animal Shelter) were attacked by an unleashed German Shepherd. See that story elsewhere in this issue.

One moment I was convalescing, slowly walking my dog, and the next minute, there was terror and blood everywhere…

[CONTINUE ARTICLE BELOW]

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$2.5 million in Menifee Global Medical Center upgrades result in higher hospital/patient ratings

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$2.5 million in Menifee Global Medical Center upgrades result in higher hospital/patient ratings – Valley News

The recent renaming of Menifee’s hospital to Menifee Global Medical Center followed major capital improvements to the 30-year-old structure that at a cost of almost $2.5 by KPC Health, owners of the hospital.

The improvements and upgrades have resulted in increasing the hospital’s national hospital health care ratings and greater patient satisfaction. A number of highly rated medical specialists have also set up practices in the area and joined KPC as a result of the equipment and physical upgrades at the hospital.

Those improvements at Menifee Global located at 28400 McCall Blvd. in Sun City may be just the beginning, according to KPC Health founder and Chairman Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri of KPC Health that owns the Hemet Global Medical Center and five others in Riverside and Orange County. At the Dec. 6 ribbon-cutting for the renamed hospital, Chaudhuri said the 35-acre campus is a choice spot for a new Sciences University and medical school with satellite offices in other parts of Menifee.

What has led to the decision to possibly build a Sciences University are the recent hospital upgrades and improvements including: an ICU remodel and nurses’ station flooring at a cost of $256,000; emergency room remodel costing $144,000; second floor remodel, $288,000; medical detox unit, $360,000; operating room flooring $112,000; MP30 patient monitors $680,000; an education center, $167,000; pharmacy hood upgrade, $113,000; CCTVs and access control tied with Hemet MC, Moreno Valley MC and SNF; chiller controls, $66,800 and air handler upgrade at $51,500.

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KPC Health Founder, Chairman Receives ‘Above and Beyond’ Award From Crime Survivors

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KPC Health Founder, Chairman Receives ‘Above and Beyond’ Award From Crime Survivors – Yahoo

CORONA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health, was recently presented with the “Above and Beyond” award from the Southern California based non-profit, Crime Survivors.  Crime Survivors’ mission is to provide hope and healing to victims and survivors of crime through advocacy and the support of resources, information, and empowerment from the critical time after a crime occurs, through the challenges and successes of surviving and thriving. 

In April of 2018, Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health generously provided space to establish the first Crime Survivors Resource Center in Southern California.  The resource center is located adjacent to Orange County Global Medical Center and Regional Trauma Center in the KPC Health corporate office building and is a place where survivors of crime can find the support and resources they need.  The award was given to Dr. Chaudhuri in recognition of this contribution. 

The award was presented at Crime Survivors’ annual Hope Gratitude Gala on Friday, August 2nd, which was co-chaired by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, and featured veteran and international hero, Spencer Stone, as the keynote speaker.

“We are extremely grateful to Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health for their generous support for the Crime Survivors organization,” said Patricia Wenskunas, Founder and CEO of Crime Survivors.  “Having a brick and mortar Southern California Resource Center better enables us to provide critical support services to survivors of crime and is a major milestone for our organization.”

“KPC Health is proud to support such an incredible organization that provides a voice for the voiceless and does so much good work for our community,” said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health.  “Patricia Wenskunas is a selfless person that is committed to an important cause, and we look forward to supporting her and Crime Survivors in their future endeavors.”

“Dr. Chaudhuri understands that providing quality healthcare is about more than simply treating a patient when they are sick or injured,” said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health.  “It also requires a commitment to, and investment in, the communities we serve.  Dr. Chaudhuri’s work with Crime Survivors is a perfect demonstration of his passion for helping others, especially the truly vulnerable in our society.”

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KPC Group Announces Dr. John Heydt as Chief Clinical Officer of KPC Health and Chief Executive Officer of Apex Medical Group

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KPC Group Announces Dr. John Heydt as Chief Clinical Officer of KPC Health and Chief Executive Officer of Apex Medical Group – Globe News Wire

CORONA, Calif., Aug. 06, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today KPC announced the appointment of Dr. John A. Heydt as Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) of KPC Health and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Apex Medical Group, a subsidiary of the KPC Group.  Dr. Heydt is a nationally renowned physician executive and has significant experience in the Southern California healthcare market.

Most recently, Dr. Heydt served as Chief Academic Officer of Borrego Health, where he established an affiliation between Hemet Valley Medical Center and Borrego.  Prior to that, Dr. Heydt served as Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs for UC Irvine School of Medicine and UC Riverside School of Medicine. He also served as CEO of the UC Riverside Health Medical Group.

Dr. Heydt has held a number of executive leadership roles, including CEO of Drexel University Physicians, Chief Quality Officer and Chair of Family, Preventive, and Community Medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine, Director of Urgent Care at UCLA Medical Center, and Chief Medical Officer at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital. Dr. Heydt attended medical school at Temple University School of Medicine and completed his residency in Family Medicine at UCLA Medical Center.  He is board certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine.

“Dr. Heydt has an esteemed record and we are honored he has decided to join our team,” added Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health.  “His clinical and academic leadership experiences will enhance our rapidly growing health system to ensure we deliver the most advanced healthcare to the communities we serve.”

“As a physician executive, Dr. Heydt has just the kind of leadership skills and clinical expertise necessary to ensure our clinical operations meet the highest standards for our patients,” said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health.  “He will be great asset to the KPC Health System and Apex Medical Group as we broaden access to specialty services.”

“I am thrilled to join the KPC Health system and look forward to contributing to a growing healthcare system,” said Dr. John A. Heydt, CCO of KPC Health and CEO of Apex Medical Group.  “I am especially excited about the opportunity to work with some of the top physicians in Southern California.”  

KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities.  KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California. In addition, KPC Health recently received court approval to acquire four California hospitals, and seven long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities located in Kansas, Utah, Mississippi, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas.  Once finalized, these acquisitions will bring KPC Health’s integrated healthcare system to 20 facilities nationally.

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KCP Global Health Care Center in Hemet Welcomes New Physician Residents

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KCP Global Health Care Center in Hemet Welcomes New Physician Residents – Valley News

Thirty-five recently graduated medical and osteopathic doctors received their white coats in special ceremonies, June 28, at the KPC Health Center in Hemet officially recognizing them as physicians beginning their one to three year residencies in their chosen specialties.

The new doctors come from top rated medical schools in the United States and across the globe and will be assisting local doctors on their rounds at the recently renamed KPC Hemet Global Medical Center and KPC Menifee Hospitals. The residents will learn the fine points of their chosen specialities from working Physicians for Healthy Hospitals at the local medical centers.

The doctors were greeted and welcomed by Peter Baronoff, the CEO of KPC Health.

“It is really the beginning of what’s it all about being a physician,” he said to them. “We hope some of you will want to stay after your residency.”

Dr. Sumanta Chaudhuri Saini, director of medical education, introduced the faculty to the new residents who they will be working with. The faculty from the different specialities, attending the ceremony included DME program director Dr. Frederick White in radiology and Chaudhuri Saini who will head up internal medicine along with Dr. Veeravat Tae, the associate program director.

Chaudhuri Saini will also be in charge of the 18 residents in the 2019-2020 transitional year program who have chosen to stay another year to learn additional skills in their professions. Specialty residency programs such as the one at the KPC hospitals many continue from one to five years. Thus far nearly 99 doctors have completed their residency at the local hospitals in the last five years.with a number choosing to remain in the Hemet San Jacinto Valley in their own practices and specialties.

White presented white coats to first year internal medicine residents: Yuvraj Brar, MD; Mastaneh Nikravesh, MD; Ankit Dubey, MD; Natalia Jacobs, DO; Sabina Kumar, DO; Steven Noriega, MD; Jinesh Patel, MD; Naresh Purohit, MD; Jessica So, MD; Sergi Khodakivskyi, MD; Megan Locks, DO; Kevin Martin, DO; Mohammad Yousuf, MD, and Chukwuemeka “Emeka” Umeh, MBBS.

White also presented white coats to 2019-2020 second year radiology residents: April Garcia, DO; Kayra Rubio, DO, and John Thueson, DO.

Chudhuri Saini presented white coats to first year transitional residents: Christine Chang, DO; Neha Dhadwal, DO; Jaspreet Dhanjal, MD; Arka Dutta, MD; Medi Eslani, MD; Pete Flores, MD; Asmar Abdul Ghani, MD; Divya Gupta, MD; Jaxmyne Hefflefinger, DO; Ravi Janumpally, MD; Shadi Kazourra, MD, Poojitha Mummaneni, MD; Anphong Nguyen, MD; Muhammad Safwatullah, MD; Clinjto Schaefer, DO; Krystal Sood, MD, and Ashley Stratton, DO.

With their white coats, bearing their physician names, the residents raised their right hands to swear the osteopathic and Hippocratic oath led by Chaudhuri Saini.

Dr. So from Apple Valley, who received her medical training at St. George’s University School of Medicine in Granada, said she chose to take her residency at the KPC Global Medical Center in Hemet because the hospital itself offered what she said has an amazing faculty.

“I had kinda heard this from a friend before that it was a teaching population where you couldn’t get any better training anywhere else,” So said.

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Promise Hospitals in Baton Rouge sold to California company

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Promise Hospitals in Baton Rouge sold to California company – The Advocate

Southern California health care business KPC Health has acquired Promise Hospital of Baton Rouge, a former subsidiary of Promise Healthcare, a Boca Raton, Florida-based hospital business.

Promise Healthcare Group’s hospital network across Louisiana was acquired several months after it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018. The network was split between  KPC Health and Lexmark Holdings.

The Boca Raton, Florida-based company specialized in short-term and long-term acute care hospitals in addition to skilled nursing facilities in several states. In March, KPC Health announced that it planned to acquire a hospital in Louisiana, but did not specify which one. Financial details about the sale were not disclosed, but KPC Health did secure a line of credit for working capital from international investment bank Credit Suisse Group AG, records show.

Since filing for bankruptcy in November 2018, the Promise Healthcare sold off three Florida hospitals to Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Select Medical for $63 million. It also sold the 146-bed hospital in Shreveport along with its Bossier City hospital for roughly $35 million combined to Lexmark Holdings, records show.

Meanwhile, Santa Ana-based KPC Health has been on an acquisition spree, snapping up hospitals out of bankruptcy across the country in recent months. It had offered $610 million in a bid to buy a bankrupt chain of hospitals in California owned by Verity Health earlier this year and was awarded the deal in April. The deal to acquire the Baton Rouge hospital was lumped together with six other long-term acute care hospitals across the U.S. once run by Promise Healthcare.

Promise Hospital’s CEO for Baton Rouge, Kiley Cedotal, deferred questions to the new owners. Cedotal has been in the role since November 2014, according to his LinkedIn profile. KPC Health did not respond to requests for comment by late Wednesday. 

Promise Healthcare had filed for bankruptcy with more than $500 million in corporate debt. The hospital struggled overall amid a nationwide decrease in reimbursement rate for Medicare patients, according to court records. Promise Hospital attempted to invest in new business projects, which were later abandoned, records show. By fiscal year 2016, it had posted a $5.2 million operating loss. One year later, that swelled to $25.2 million.

Financially its Louisiana hospitals were performing better than those in other states, Danny Brown, landlord for Promise Hospital’s Baton Rouge facilities told The Advocate in November. But the company faced some legal battles.

In 2016, Promise Hospital was accused of improperly billing Medicare for treatment of a rare protein deficiency known as Kwashiorkor by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general. Promise Hospital was also ordered to pay $1 million to Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana, a business which handles managed-care services for the state’s Medicaid program, over claims of double billing for services.

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Hemet Valley Medical Center Gets $30 Million ‘face lift’ — and a New Name

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Hemet Valley Medical Center Gets $30 Million ‘face lift’ — and a New Name – The Press

What used to be the medical records room is now packed with new X-ray equipment and hospital beds. Residents — also new — help doctors track dye through a patient’s blood vessels in the new $10 million catheterization laboratory.

Down the hall, decorative wooden chairs and framed flower paintings greet surgery patients in the renovated day surgery outpatient recovery area.

“It’s as if the whole hospital received a face lift,” said Keith Garrison, vice president of facilities management and hospital operations for KPC Global Healthcare.

Repainted, remodeled and soon-to-be-officially renamed as Hemet Global Medical Center, Hemet’s hospital has big aspirations for the San Jacinto Valley and beyond — and for itself.

Hemet Valley Medical Center, which next month becomes Hemet Global, recently finished the first stage of its three-part, multi-million-dollar capital improvement project. The effort, so far, has included more than $30 million in remodeling, upgrades and new additions. Among the updates, Garrison said, was a new, $22,000 senior waiting room where older patients can relax before seeing a doctor. It opened Tuesday, May 28.

The hospital also spent $1.2 million upgrading its linear accelerator, a large machine that sends high-powered sub-atomic particles deep inside the body to destroy tumors. In addition, on the roof above the catheterization lab, a dense network of newly constructed beams, stilts and vents protects the building from earthquakes.

The KPC Group, of which KPC Global Healthcare is an affiliate, made $2.4 million of improvements to Menifee Valley Medical Center. The hospital will change its name to the Menifee Global Medical Center about the same time as the Hemet hospital’s name change.

Dr. Kali Chaudhuri, founder and chairman of the KPC Group, said the project is only the beginning.

Chaudhuri and his team have had discussions with the Pomona-based Western University of Health Sciences about starting a medical school next to Hemet Global Medical Center. While KPC Group has created early renderings for buildings, Western University spokesman Jeff Keating said discussions have not led to anything definitive.

Still, medical education is ongoing at the hospital. A residency program started in 2015 has now grown to over 39 residents, and there are plans to grow even further. Chaudhuri’s proposed school aims to address the Inland Empire’s chronic doctor shortage.

“We have a huge problem recruiting the doctors in Hemet,” he said. “Nobody wants to come here. If they come here and go to school, hopefully they will find their sweetheart and they will stay here.”

This venture is not new for him: In 2006, the orthopedic surgeon opened a 1,800,000-square-foot teaching hospital in West Bengal, India. Hospital administration itself is a well-worn path for Chaudhuri, whose company now owns six other acute care hospitals across Southern California, including four in Orange County.

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KPC’s Chaudhuri Aims For Kaiser-Like Integration

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KPC’s Chaudhuri Aims For Kaiser-Like Integration – OBCJ

 

KPC Group founder Kali Chaudhuri is attempting to do what a private capital firm, a nonprofit charity, and Los Angeles’ wealthiest person couldn’t—turn around a struggling regional hospital system. 

The Business Journal reported last month that Chaudhuri’s KPC planned to pay $610 million to acquire assets of bankrupt Verity Holdings LLC, a Redwood City-based firm that owned four hospitals—including Lynwood’s St. Francis Medical Center, a 384-bed trauma center in L.A. County—and a nursing facility. 

Chaudhuri’s plan to revitalize those facilities may be to give the unionized workers a chance to own part of the hospital, something he’s done with other hospitals he turned around in Orange County. 

“I came to America with $8 in my pocket,” Chaudhuri told the Business Journal. “The reason I work hard in America is because I own my own business, and our employees will work hard because they are owners.” 

The ownership plan for Verity won’t immediately be available, as KPC will initially focus on restructuring. 

“I’d like the program to be everywhere, but we need to make sure we properly size things up and integrate; it cannot be done right away,” he said. 

Wasted Water 

Chaudhuri, a native of India, started his career as an orthopedist in the Riverside County town of Hemet, 75 miles east of Irvine. 

He has since built Riverside-based KPC Group into a firm with $10 billion in assets in disparate industries like real estate, pharmaceuticals and engineering. 

A subsidiary, KPC Healthcare Inc., is making the Verity purchase and is based in Santa Ana. 

KPC Healthcare currently includes seven full-service acute care hospitals throughout Southern California. Its four hospitals based in Orange County are Orange County Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center, Anaheim Global Medical Center and Chapman Global Medical Center, which generated revenue of $382 million in 2018 combined. 

It also operates independent physician associations and various medical facilities such as skilled nursing, behavioral health and ambulatory care sites. 

In addition to buying four OC hospitals via bankruptcy sales, Chaudhuri has also purchased Hemet Valley Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center and Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, now known as Victor Valley Global Medical Center. 

He compares healthcare inefficiency to water being wasted during a rainstorm. 

“The water coming from the sky should all fall in one bucket so we can use it, redistribute it and save it,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of water is wasted and that is the problem we are figuring out.” 

About 30 hospitals close annually, according to the American Hospital Association. 

Kaiser Model 

Chaudhuri likens his healthcare company’s integration plans to that of Kaiser Permanente, which has its own hospitals, HMO health plan and physician employees. 

He foresees KPC Healthcare including medical and nursing colleges, a pharmaceutical company, in addition to hospitals and nursing homes. 

Integration “allows us to look at the whole dollar,” he said. 

Along with the Verity assets, KPC also recently announced plans to acquire seven of Promise Healthcare Inc.’s long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities in states like Kansas, Utah and Texas. 

That deal is expected to be completed by the end of this month, a spokesperson said. 

When all of the acquisitions are completed, KPC’s healthcare system will be comprised of 18 hospitals, totaling over 2,500 beds, and three healthcare facilities across seven states. 

The combined entity will have approximately 10,000 employees and an estimated value of over $2 billion. 

“KPC has had a great history of turning around hospitals,” said KPC Healthcare Chief Executive Peter Baronoff, who joined the Santa Ana company last July. 

Baronoff, who co-founded and previously served as chairman and chief executive of Florida- based Promise, said that the combination of hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities will enable KPC to provide “a variety of services critical to the communities these hospitals serve.” 

Daunting Task 

The Verity purchase looks likely to be KPC’s biggest-ever challenge, in terms of a turnaround. 

The hospitals were previously owned by the Daughters of Charity Healthcare System, which had continuous losses due to “mounting labor costs, low reimbursement rates and the ever- changing healthcare landscape,” according to a bankruptcy filing. 

It was sold in 2015 to private investor BlueMountain Capital Management LLC, which changed the hospital system’s name to Verity. In 2017, Nantworks, a company controlled by billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, acquired a controlling stake in Integrity Healthcare, the company that manages Verity. 

Soon-Shiong poured tens of millions of dollars into the company to revitalize the hospitals, many of which are in lower-income neighborhoods. It reported a $111.4 million operating loss in 2018, triple that of the $35.3 million operating loss in 2017. 

Last year, Verity went into bankruptcy and its assets were listed for sale. In April, an affiliate of KPC Healthcare won the bidding. 

The transaction, which is still subject to review by the California Attorney General, is comprised of St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, St. Vincent Medical Center and St. Vincent Dialysis Center in downtown Los Angeles and Seton Medical Center in Daly City. The hospitals total 1,107 beds. Seton operates Seton Medical Center Coastside in Moss Beach, a 116-bed skilled nursing facility. 

The biggest prize is the St. Francis Medical Center, which was valued at $420 million. It’s a Level II trauma center that handles more than 80,000 emergencies a year, according to its website. The purchase gives KPC two major trauma centers in Southern California. 

As part of the agreement, KPC has agreed to keep main service lines open and make employment offers to substantially all employees at these facilities, including full-time, part- time and contract workers. 

KPC’s pledge was important to its winning court-overseen bid. 

“Labor is very important, [comprising] of 60% [of the cost] of the delivery of healthcare,” Chaudhuri said. 

Value Creator 

Chaudhuri declined to comment on taking on a task where others like Soon-Shiong didn’t succeed. 

“I don’t buy everything that comes to the market, I only buy things that would create value for my organization,” he said. 

Growing the base of medical workers is high on Chaudhuri’s priority. 

In 2003, he established the first private medical school in Bengal, India, where he now has a 25- acre campus comprised of KPC Medical College and Hospital, as well as the Shova Rani Nursing College and Paramedical College that provides medical services to residents of the Indian city of Kolkata. 

He’s excited about his latest education project—a new college in Hemet, where he resides with his wife, Sunanda. 

“The most important thing in healthcare today is the shortage of doctors, nurses,” he said. 

Demand for healthcare workers will outpace supply by 2025, and the U.S. will need to hire 2.3 million new healthcare workers to meet demand, according to a recent report by Mercer LLC. 

While the Hemet project is in the early planning stage, Chaudhuri said the program he’s starting will encourage doctors and nurses to go to rural areas, where the rate of physicians to patients is 1-to-2,500 in rural America, according to National Rural Health Association estimate. – 

“I have to tell you, I don’t have all the solutions and I don’t like to talk a lot before it happens, but I’d like to do my best,” Chaudhuri said.

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Seton Sale Overcomes Big Hurdle

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Seton Sale Overcomes Big Hurdle – Daily Journal 

Nearly three months after a bid to acquire Seton Medical Center in Daly City and Seton Coastside in Moss Beach was filed in federal bankruptcy court, Southern California-based KPC Health announced its $610 million bid for four hospitals was approved by U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Ernest M. Robles Wednesday, according to a press release issued by KPC Health.

By moving to acquire the two facilities in San Mateo County alongside St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, St. Vincent Medical Center in downtown Los Angeles and St. Vincent Dialysis Center, KPC Health’s offer to purchase the financially-challenged facilities formerly operated by Verity Health now awaits approval by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra.

News of the milestone for the two Seton facilities was welcomed by San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa, who expressed relief that critical services would remain in place at the two health care facilities delivering care to the indigent. Having met with members of KPC Health, Canepa was confident the group will bring an end to the uncertainty that has been looming over the facilities many expected to shutter.

“I think they’re going to bring a tremendous amount of stability to Seton Medical Center that is needed at this time,” he said. “We’ve just saved … a hospital that was on the brink of extinction and … that is … something that should be celebrated.”

The “stalking horse” bid KPC Health filed in January was not exceeded by any other proposed bids and no auction was required for the four Verity Health hospitals. The group’s bid was also approved by Verity Health System’s Board of Directors April 15.

Owner and operator of seven full-service acute care hospitals in Southern California, KPC Health’s integrated health system is set to include 20 facilities across the nation once ongoing acquisitions of hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in Arizona, California, Kansas, Louisiana Mississippi, Texas and Utah are complete, according to the release.

Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, chairman of The KPC Group and KPC Health, said the judge’s decision Wednesday marks an important milestone for KPC Health’s bid to acquire the four remaining Verity Health hospitals. Despite an attempt on behalf of Becerra to block the sale of two other hospitals previously operated by Verity Health in San Jose and Gilroy, Santa Clara County’s bid on O’Connor Hospital and Saint Louise Regional Hospital was finalized in March, according to multiple news sources.

“We look forward to working with Verity Health on a successful acquisition and welcoming these important community hospitals into our integrated [health care] system,” Chaudhuri said in the release.

The financial uncertainty looming over the 350-bed Seton Medical Center, Daly City’s largest employer, as well as the 116-bed coastside hospital and skilled nursing facility has weighed heavily for officials, residents and employees of the facilities since Verity Health filed for bankruptcy in August.

County impact

Canepa represents north county’s District 5 on the Board of Supervisors and acknowledged the benefits of the sale for residents living in northern San Mateo County who depend on its services or are among Seton Medical Center’s 1,600 employees. But he also noted the benefits to county taxpayers who could have been on the hook for the hospitals if no buyer stepped forward.

County officials have already contributed some $25 million for patient care and set aside $15 million toward a seismic upgrade project at the Seton Medical Center, and Canepa expected the county to continue to help the hospitals when possible. But he also acknowledged San Mateo County Health officials have projected a structural deficit for County Health’s two-year budget starting in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Canepa was also optimistic the hospitals would continue to be held to service obligations set by then-attorney general Kamala Harris when the New York hedge fund BlueMountain Capital purchased the six hospitals from the cash-strapped Daughters of Charity in 2015. Aimed at ensuring the safety-net hospitals continue offering services until 2025, the transaction was considered by some to be the largest and most complex nonprofit hospital transaction in California’s history.

Before Santa Clara County’s bid for the San Jose and Gilroy hospitals was approved, Becerra appealed the sale, asking at the time for the existing conditions protecting the health and safety of the hospital community to be preserved. Canepa expected Becerra to determine whether he would approve the sale in the next few weeks.

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