Santa Clara (Calif.) County's board of supervisors has unanimously approved the appropriation of $315 million to purchase a hospital from HCA Healthcare, one of the country's largest ASC operators.
Here are five things to know:
1. The county is finalizing the agreement to acquire the 252-bed Regional Medical Center in East San Jose, Calif., with plans to restore previously reduced services.
2. Of the allocated $315 million, $175 million will go to the acquisition of the hospital. An additional $80 million will fund the first few months of hospital operations while awaiting reimbursements. Up to $30 million is designated for acquiring independently owned medical office buildings near the hospital, $20 million for purchasing and implementing an electronic health record system and $10 million for broker fees and inspections.
3. Once the deal is completed, trauma, stroke, and heart attack services — discontinued in August — will be reinstated. However, no timeline has been set for the return of obstetrics, labor and delivery, and newborn care services, which were previously cut but are expected to be restored.
4. The board aims to transition the hospital's workforce to county employment in 2025.
5. Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA is one of the largest ASC operators in the country with its Surgery Ventures arm. HCA finished 2023 with 124 ASCs and 24 endoscopy centers, which saw 1,044,415 total surgery cases — a 2.1% increase year over year.