USC Hospitals Mark Transition

The staff of two USC hospitals,USC University Hospital and USC Norris Cancer Hospital,celebrated the University's acquisition of the two institutions from Tenet Healthcare a year ago April 1.Together with the L.A. County-USC Medical Center,Healthcare Consultation Centers I and II,the Doheny Eye Institute and the Keck School of Medicine,the hospitals comprise a veritable medical city within the city of Los Angeles.The two private academic hospitals were purchased for 275 million dollars.More than 620 employees were added,and around 40 million dollars in capital improvements have been committed to.There are plans to hire 340 more staff members.
At the main commemoration of the anniversary,a noontime Trojan Fiesta for more than 2,000,a huge cake was cut by CEO Mitch Creem and two hospital staffers.Members of the USC Trojan band performed,and a letter of congratulations from L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was read.
Integration of the hospital staffs into the academic community and with each other is an ongoing project.Motivational speaker Donna Tyson gave two programs for them to help the process along.Ms.Tyson said change represents positive opportunities.Just because you loved one chapter of a book,doesn't mean you shouldn't read the next chapter.She cited a novel by Don Miguel Ruiz,"The Four Agreements,"which contains four beliefs for stress management and personal growth:telling the truth;not taking things personally;not making assumptions;and always giving your best.Several employees said they were touched by the programs.
USC University Hospital won the Top Ranking among L.A. hospitals from Consumer Reports magazine.Morale at the two recently acquired facilities is on the upswing.The turnover rate has fallen from 20% to 8% in the year since they were bought from Tenet Healthcare.

Some Striking Facts

Trevor Fetter,President and CEO of Tenet Health Care,stated that two problems stand out:1.length of stay,and 2.utilization of high cost equipment and pharmaceuticals.We should focus on incentives overcoming vested interests of doctors in certain pharmaceuticals and long stays.We are finding increasingly in our hospitals that people are taking on insurance risks that they don't understand.Twenty-five percent of their costs go unpaid.It's trending up more rapidly than the uninsured crisis,Mr.Fetter told the White House Forum on the U.S. Health Care System.All of the business leaders seemed determined to resolve the issues facing U.S. health care today.