Should Harris Health try to buy Memorial Hermann Southwest again? (Houston: low income, transfer to)

[Vicman]

Back in 2009 the Harris County Hospital District proposed buying Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital https://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...SW-1593102.php , but it later withdrew the bid citing this: https://www.bizjournals.com/houston/...ry&i=high_tech

The board met to address a letter it received on Sept. 11 from the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System that Muse said gave HCHD until Sept. 18 to meet demands made by physicians and other stakeholders.
In the letter, Memorial Hermann asked for certain areas to be addressed from medical staff relations to managed care contracting so that the hospital would continue to operate as a full-service community hospital if the transaction went through, according to Memorial Hermann.

I am interested in seeing what the letter said. But I would also like to know if Harris Health (as it is now known) should try again in 2021: the low income population of southwest Houston is increasing and it might serve the county health district's interests to have a third public hospital.

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by Vicman

But I would also like to know if Harris Health (as it is now known) should try again in 2021: the low income population of southwest Houston is increasing and it might serve the county health district's interests to have a third public hospital.

Ben Taub is still overflowing like crazy! LBJ lessened the burden somewhat, but it's not on the populated side of town. It would be nice to have HH SW to help relieve the burden from Ben Taub and bring healthcare closer to their clients.

Surprisingly there are conflicting reports that this Level 3 trauma center was operating as a Level 2 unofficially. Then the hospital system decided to downgrade to Level 4.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/new...a-14490900.php

n the early 2000s Houston emergency doctors citing similar sobering local statistics, urged the state to create another Level 1 trauma center, to no avail. Among their statistics: 25 percent of patients with severe injuries who required a transfer to a major trauma center died on days when the emergency departments of Ben Taub and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center both diverted ambulances to other facilities.

The plan to scale back Memorial Hermann-Southwest’s trauma care, communicated to employees this week after a period of consideration, will begin immediately and continue until the end of the year, said McCarthy. The hospital is technically designated a Level III trauma center, even though it operates as a Level II. It has stopped operating as a Level II and will transition to a Level IV over the coming months.

[Vicman]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

It would be nice to have HH SW to help relieve the burden from Ben Taub and bring healthcare closer to their clients.

Agreed! The next question is how are we going to pay for the purchase? I don't know Harris Health's finances.