In Brief: Children\'s Hospital L.A., Providence Tarzana in Deal, CalHIPSO Moves More Providers To Meaningful Use
Chilidren Hospital Los Angeles, Providence Tarzana Enter Into Agreement
Children's Hospital of Los Angeles has entered into an agreement with Providence Tarzana Medical Center to improve pediatric care in the San Fernando Valley section of L.A.
As part of the agreement, Children's and Providence will operate the latter's pediatric intensive care unit jointly. Children's will also provide specialized training to the Providence Tarzana staff. A Children's Hospital nurse manager will act as a liaison to both hospitals.
“In creating this affiliation, we are ensuring that children in our community who need hospital care can receive the best possible treatment right here, near their parents,” said Cesar Chavarria, M.D., medical director of pediatrics for Providence Tarzana. “We are proud to blend our programs to offer this new level of pediatric care.”
Although the San Fernando Valley has more than 2 million residents, it does not have a dedicated pediatric facility. The Providence Tarzana facility is approximately 20 miles from the Children's Hospital campus.
In addition to the agreement at Tarzana, Children's and Providence jointly run a pediatric oncology program at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank.
CalHIPSO Brings More Providers Into Meaningful Use
The California Health Information Partnership and Services Organization has helped more than 1,200 providers in California attain the federal meaningful use standards for their electronic health records under HITECH.
As a result, the providers qualify for a total of $29.6 million in incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“It’s challenging work to achieve meaningful use for any provider. But for the small and solo practices and safety net providers that comprise CalHIPSO’s membership the accomplishment is especially noteworthy,” said Dorian Seamster, CalHIPSO's chief quality officer.
CalHIPSO officials say the organization's goal is to get 6,187 of its providers to achieve meaningful use. Just under 5,000 of CalHIPSO's affiliate providers are now using EHR systems, out of 8,559 in total.
TeamHealth Acquires Emergency Medicine Group
San Francisco Physicians Internationale, the physician group that provides emergency physicians to the San Ramon Regional Medical Center, has been acquired by TeamHealth. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based Team Health recently began providing emergency services to San Ramon Regional.
“For more than 20 years, our physicians have provided quality emergency care for patients at San Ramon Medical Center,” said Robert Buehl, M.D., president of San Francisco Physicians Internationale. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue increasing our level of service and innovation.”
