BUYER OBJECTS TO CHANGES AT MEDICAL CENTER : SALICK TAKES COLUMBIA TO COURT OVER CLOSING OF PATIENT SERVIES.Byline: R.A. Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer A greatly scaled-down version of Westlake Medical Center remained open Friday as negotiations for the sale of the facility become increasingly rancorous ran·cor n. Bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will. See Synonyms at enmity. [Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin, rancid smell, from Latin . Dr. Bernard Salick, president and chief executive officer for Los Angeles-based Salick Health Care, said he is appalled at what he found during a visit to the hospital Thursday. His company is trying to purchase the facility for $8.15 million from Nashville-based Columbia Healthcare, the nation's largest health care provider. On an evening visit to the hospital, Salick said he found only a handful of medical professionals on duty to care for the lone patient staying in the Comprehensive Cancer Center's wing. He said there was no staff in the intensive care unit, X-ray department or lab. ``The judge clearly said the hospital was to remain open. In my opinion, the hospital is not open,'' Salick said. ``That's contrary to the judge's orders. Ronald Phelps, president and chief executive officer for Columbia's Los Robles Robles is a common surname in the Spanish language meaning oaks, and may refer to:
``We have support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services in place. We have a full-time physician to care for the one inpatient,'' Phelps said. Salick, however, said Columbia officials are ignoring a court order issued Wednesday in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Superior Court that stipulated the hospital remain open and functioning at ``status quo'' through July 18, when another court date has been scheduled between Columbia and Salick officials. ``We have one patient. We had a delay (on Friday) when the person needed an ICU ICU intensive care unit. ICU abbr. intensive care unit ICU see intensive care unit. ICU and there was no one there. There was no respiratory therapist on duty. To me, that puts a patient's life in danger,'' Salick said. Beginning June 28, services have been steadily phased out at Westlake Medical Center. On that day, the hospital stopped receiving 911 calls; on June 29, the last patient was admitted; and at midnight Tuesday, the emergency room was closed. Those actions upset Salick, who said he had no recourse but to take legal action because he needs the cooperation of an acute care facility to operate his cancer center. His goal was to get the injunction before the emergency room closed. Salick said he believes the intention of the judge was for the hospital to be fully operational. Also, he said he delayed his court appearance by 24 hours at the urging of Columbia officials. In that time span, Columbia officials shut down the emergency room. Officials with Columbia, however, said they interpret the judge's ruling to be effective when the ruling was issued - which was after the emergency room closed and admissions were stopped. The two companies began trying to reach an agreement in January for Salick Health Care to exercise its option to buy Westlake Medical Center from Columbia. Salick had signed a lease deal in 1992 with Westlake Medical's former owner, Pennsylvania-based Universal Healthcare Inc., to open a cancer center in conjunction with the acute care hospital and under its operating license. However, as the result of an antitrust arrangement outlined in 1994 by the Federal Trade Commission, Columbia was to acquire the Westlake Village hospital and another facility in Dallas while Universal purchased a South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. hospital owned by Columbia. As a result, Salick said he and Columbia officials negotiated and signed a new contract in March 1995 that would allow Salick to buy the facility and operate it as a treatment center for cancer, kidney dialysis Dialysis, Kidney Definition Dialysis treatment replaces the function of the kidneys, which normally serve as the body's natural filtration system. , organ transplants and immune deficiency immune deficiency n. See immunodeficiency. diseases. A noncompete clause noncompete clause Medical practice A clause in a contract in which the provider of a specific service, commonly understood to be physicians in private practice, agrees not to practice medicine–ie, compete–in the same geographic region–the size of prohibited Salick from admitting patients with illnesses other than those specified. Salick said that since that time, Columbia officials have requested several new restrictions also be placed on Salick's purchase. Salick said he cannot agree to those terms. He said the original March 1995 contract allows him to sell the facility to another entity, which would be under no contractual obligation to Columbia and could thus operate the hospital in direct competition to Columbia's facility in Thousand Oaks and West Hills Regional Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. . Salick said Columbia officials want that portion of the contract changed. |
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