Shasta Regional Medical Center Explained

Shasta Regional Medical Center
Org/Group:Prime Healthcare Services
Location:Redding
State:California
Country:US
Emergency:basic
Beds:226
H1-Number:H1
H1-Length-F:37 x 37
H1-Length-M:11 x 11
H1-Surface:concrete
H2-Number:H2
H2-Length-F:54 x 54
H2-Length-M:16 x 16
H2-Surface:concrete
Former-Names:Memorial Hospital, Redding Medical Center, Shasta Medical Center
Opened:1945

Shasta Regional Medical Center, formerly known as Redding Medical Center and Memorial Hospital, is a general acute care hospital that is located in Redding, California. It opened in 1945 and currently has 226 beds with a basic emergency department.[1] [2]

History

The hospital was founded by Dr. Thomas Wyatt, M.D., in 1945 as Memorial Hospital.[3]

It was purchased by Tenet Healthcare Corporation in 1976 and renamed Redding Medical Center.

In 2008, it was sold to Hospital Partners of America and renamed Shasta Regional Medical Center.[4]

Legal issues

In 2002, amid a federal investigation of two cardiologists at the hospital, Drs. Chae Hyun Moon and Fidel Realyvasquez,[5] [6] [7] [8] and as part of a settlement with federal regulators, Tenet Healthcare Corporation was compelled to sell the hospital to Hospital Partners of America for US$60 million in 2004.[9]

Unnecessary care and billing

At Redding Medical Center, the early-2000s investigation, raid and litigation were prompted because "physicians undertook large volumes of inappropriate and unnecessary procedures on largely healthy patients".[10] The investigation into Moon and Realyvasquez was the result of multiple whistleblower lawsuits filed under the Federal False Claims Act alleging unnecessary medical procedures.[11] Catholic Priest John Corapi,[12] Joseph Zerga and Redding physician Patrick Campbell split 15% of the total $62.55 million settlement.[13]

Tenet had already agreed to pay $54 million in 2003 to settle the federal case without admitting any wrongdoing but with an agreement for new oversight procedures for physicians and staff.[14] In 2004, Tenet established a $395 million fund for 769 cardiac patients to settle civil suits relating to procedures performed by Moon and Realyvasquez.[15] [16]

There was evidence that Prime Healthcare Services engaged in upcoding elderly patients to malnutrition. At Shasta Regional Medical Center, Prime reported 16.1% of their Medicare patients suffered from kwashiorkor. The state of California average for Medicare patients is 0.2% suffering from kwashiorkor. Prime Healthcare Services was investigated for Medicare fraud by United States Department of Health and Human Services and the California Department of Justice.[17]

In 2013, SRMC agreed to a settlement regarding claims of HIPAA violations when 2 senior leaders met with a reporter to discuss medical services provided to a patient.[18]

In 2021, Prime Healthcare & 2 doctors agreed to pay $37.5 Million to settle allegations of violations of the California False Claims Act.[19]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Shasta Regional Medical Center .
  2. Web site: Shasta Regional Medical Center, About Us. Shasta Regional Medical Center. 31 March 2022 . November 12, 2022.
  3. http://srmc.phcs.us/srmcstyle/About_Us/About_Us.html
  4. http://www.redding.com/news/2008/oct/30/prime-healthcare-services-one-states-largest-hospi/ Redding.com 10/30/2008
  5. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/06/business/doctor-s-procedures-were-monitored-by-rival-hospital.html New York Times 11/6/2002
  6. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/16/business/16tenet.html?_r=1 New York Times 11/16/2005
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/04/business/california-patients-talk-of-needless-heart-surgery.html New York Times 11/4/2002
  8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/24/AR2005072400969.html Washington Post 7/25/2005
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20121103060732/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-115480370.html Tenet Healthcare Agrees to Sell Redding, Calif., Medical Center.
  10. Walshe K, Shortell SM. When things go wrong: how health care organizations deal with major failures. . . 2004 . 23 . 3 . 103–11 . 15160808 . 10.1377/hlthaff.23.3.103.
  11. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/07/17/60minutes/main563755.shtml CBS News 7/17/2003
  12. http://articles.sfgate.com/2002-11-10/news/17569435_1_redding-medical-center-invasive-heart-heart-surgery SFGate.com 11/10/2002
  13. News: Department of Justice. United States Department of Justice. November 15, 2005. Redding Cardiologists Agree to Pay Millions in Settlement.
  14. News: Kaiser Health Policy Report . August 7, 2003. Tenet to pay $54M to settle allegations that surgeons performed unnecessary procedures .
  15. http://www.gjel.com/verdicts/tenet1.html $117 Million: Victims of Unnecessary Heart Surgeries
  16. News: Kaiser Health Policy Report. December 22, 2004 . Tenet Healthcare Agrees to $395 million settlement of lawsuit filed over alleged unnecessary heart surgeries .
  17. Williams. Lance. Christina Jewett . Stephen K. Doig . Hospital chain, already under scrutiny, reports high malnutrition rates . California Watch. February 19, 2011 .
  18. Web site: HHS requires California medical center to protect patients' right to privacy . 13 June 2013 .
  19. Web site: Prime Healthcare Services and Two Doctors Agree to Pay $37.5 Million to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks, Billing for a Suspended Doctor, and False Claims for Implantable Medical Hardware . 19 July 2021 .