Area Hospitals To Open For More Patients

Beginning Monday, wait times at area hospitals should be significantly reduced.

Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar and Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta have received the state’s green-light approval to make room for more patients.

Southwest Healthcare is the umbrella for both medical facilities. According to a Feb. 11 letter to Southwest Healthcare CEO Ken Rivers from the California Department of Public Health (see attached), the state has approved Inland Valley Medical Center to begin using 18 newly constructed emergency bays, four new urgent care bays, four new triage bays, and 11 new intensive care beds starting on Feb. 14.

Per the Feb. 11 letter, Rancho Springs will open 16 emergency bays, four urgent care bays, two triage bays, seven labor and delivery rooms, 14 post-partum rooms, two maternity triage rooms, two surgical suites, and two post-anesthesia care bays on Feb. 14.

According to the letter, after 30 days the state will re-evaluate hospital performance. If no issues arise, the state will approve 10 additional emergency bays, 10 additional labor and delivery rooms, and 10 additional post-partum rooms to open at Rancho Springs.

Southwest Healthcare has seen a bumpy ride over the last year. In April, Southwest received word from the Department of Public Health that it was in jeopardy of losing federal funding under Medicare/Medicaid and that a process was underway to revoke its hospital license.

In the April 19 letter, the California Department of Public Health stated it was “very concerned about recent surveys involving patient care violations …”

Dating back to June 2007, investigations conducted by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services determined that Southwest Healthcare System had put patient health in jeopardy.

After working to improve its systems, which included bringing on new CEO Ken Rivers, in May Southwest announced it had reached a one-year agreement with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to keep its federal funding. In October, it was also announced Southwest had reached an agreement with the California Department of Public Health to retain its license.

According to today's letter from the California Department of Public Health, “Within the past year, the CDPH has worked closely with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services … Under your new leadership,  SWHS has demonstrated progress towards implementing systemic improvements.”