California hospital’s operations deal with UC San Diego Health slows to a crawl

Tri-City Healthcare District in Oceanside, California and UC San Diego Health have extended their plans for a joint power agreement that had been expected to be finalized by the end of March, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

In October, Tri-City selected UC San Diego Health as its partner for the agreement, which would give UC San Diego Health administrative, clinical, and operational management authority over all of Tri-City’s healthcare services, with oversight from a community board. The initial plan also included the assumption of Tri-City’s debts by UC San Diego Health.

UC San Diego Health CEO, Patricia Maysent, stated that while the agreement may not align exactly with the initial plan, the health system remains dedicated to finalizing the deal in order to stabilize healthcare services in the region.

The agreement between the two organizations was contingent upon UC San Diego Health’s acknowledgment of Tri-City’s challenges, particularly those related to the impacts of the pandemic. This process has been ongoing for nearly six months with no resolution as of yet, complicated further by a cyberattack on Tri-City in November.

Despite these setbacks, the beginning of 2024 showed signs of improvement for Tri-City, with the hospital achieving positive margins for the first time in approximately two years. Tri-City Medical Center CEO, Gene Ma, expressed confidence in the due diligence conducted by UC San Diego Health in reviewing Tri-City’s financials and performance targets.

Becker’s attempted to reach out to UC San Diego Health for further comment on the matter, however, there has been no additional information provided at this time. Dr. Ma declined to offer further commentary as well.