Hospital May Sue Over Trauma Funding
Antelope Valley Hospital received a designation as a level two trauma center in 2010. The number of trauma patients it treats today is about 30% higher than five years ago.
But the 420-bed hospital, located 60 miles northeast of Los Angeles in Lancaster, has received the same supplementary trauma funding from Los Angeles County every year: about $1.3 million.
The money comes from Measure B, a property parcel tax Los Angeles County voters passed in 2002. It provides about $257 million a year in funding for hospitals with trauma center designation in the county, 14 in all.
But according to Antelope Valley Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dennis Knox, the three county-operated hospitals receive nearly 80% of the available funding, including UCLA-Olive View Medical Center, which does not have a trauma center designation.
But even two privately-operated hospitals closer to the county’s urban core -- California Medical Center near downtown L.A. and St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood -- have received $9 million and $8 million annually in recent years, respectively, according to figures supplied by Knox.
“We haven’t had to Rob Peter to pay Paul, but we have had to reallocate funding from other parts of the hospital,” Knox said.
The financial squeeze to Antelope Valley is not unique: eight hospitals have withdrawn from the countywide trauma system since it was conceived in the early 1980s, claiming that it has been underfunded. That was among the reasons that Measure B was put before the voters.
As a result, Antelope Valley Hospital has filed a legal claim against the county. That’s a precursor to a lawsuit that could eventually determine how the Measure B funds are distributed in the future. The county has 90 days to respond to the claim.
In addition to the relative lack of funding, Antelope Valley Hospital also has to contend with the geographical isolation of the high desert region, which comprises about 40% of the county’s entire area. The facility serves a community of about 500,000, with a rate of uninsured that is significantly higher than the countywide average.
The nearest hospital with a trauma center is Henry Mayo Memorial Hospital in Newhall, about 50 miles away, according to Knox.
County officials are already under pressure to reassess how Measure B funds are allocated. A report issued by California Auditor Elaine Howle last year concluded that they had done a poor job in determining if the funds are being distributed competently, that it has not revisited the issue as the county’s demographics have changed. Moreover, Malibu and portions of the San Gabriel Valley still lack trauma centers, and the county has made little effort to convince hospitals to join the network.
County spokesperson Joel Sappell said no government officials would comment until they had a chance to review the claim.
In the meantime, Knox said he would continue to negotiate with county officials to try and reach a settlement.
