Washington, DC: New VA report shows 57,000 veterans waiting 90 days or more for first VA appointments
According to preliminary government audits, more than 57,000 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) (Washington, DC) beneficiaries have been waiting 90 days or more for their first VA medical appointments and an additional 64,000 appear to have never gotten appointments after enrolling. Thirteen percent of schedulers in the facility-by-facility report on 731 hospitals and outpatient clinics reported being told by supervisors to falsify appointment schedules to make waits appear shorter. Senior officials have even offered bonuses to meet, or falsify, the unattainable target of 14-day waiting times. The inspector general described a process in which schedulers simply selected the next available appointment and used that as the patient’s desired date. That allowed numerous, and false, zero-day wait times, the Inspector General said. The House will act on legislation immediately to allow veterans waiting at least a month for VA appointments to see non-VA doctors, a move which is expected to clear the Senate quickly as well.
Tennessee: Surgery Partners to acquire Symbion Healthcare for $792M
Surgery Partners (Tampa, FL) intends to acquire Symbion Healthcare Inc (Nashville, TN) in a $792 million transaction. The combined company will own and operate about 100 ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals with physician partners in 27 states. Both companies are owned by private equity firms; HIG Capital acquired Surgery Partners in 2010, and Crestview Partners bought Symbion in 2007. Symbion recorded more than $535 million of revenue in FY 2013, while Surgery Partners reported annual revenue around $280 million. A completion date for the transaction was not disclosed.
California: ValleyCare Health System signs LOI to merge with Stanford Hospitals and Clinics
ValleyCare Health System (Pleasanton, CA) signed a LOI to merge with Stanford Hospitals and Clinics (Palo Alto, CA). Under the proposal, ValleyCare would become a subsidiary of Stanford Hospitals and Clinics and retain its medical staff, though its physician’s organization would be merged into Stanford’s provider network. ValleyCare had been exploring potential strategic partners for months and decided upon Stanford Hospitals and Clinics due to the expanded benefits and services it could bring to the Tri-Valley Region. Pending regulatory approval, the merger is expected to close in early to mid-2015.