TEMPLE, Texas—Children's Hospital at Scott & White opened for business Oct. 4. The 148,000-square-foot, standalone 64-bed hospital is housed in the former King's Daughters Hospital, which Scott & White purchased in 2009. The six-story hospital underwent a $40 million renovation and includes 48 private rooms and 16 pediatric intensive-care rooms, according to Scott & White. A community preview of the hospital was held Sept. 24. The hospital entered into a 20-year clinical affiliation agreement with Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, in July. Among the features of the hospital is an emergency department staffed by pediatric professionals and equipped with dedicated instruments to treat pediatric patients, including an in-department radiology room and two trauma rooms. The hospital also has a patient protection system designed to protect patients while in the facility and allow staff to track the flow of patients in the hospital. The security system is planned to capture visitor information, cross-check law enforcement data, monitor traffic and account for the number of visitors in a patient area at any given moment.
TOMBALL, Texas—Community Health Systems, Nashville, said it completed its acquisition of Tomball Regional Medical Center, a 272-bed hospital about 30 miles northwest of Houston. Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which closed Oct. 1, according to a news release from the hospital chain. Tomball Regional has said the purchase price would be sufficient to retire all of the debt of the Tomball Hospital Authority. The authority's long-term debt was about $119 million as of June 30, according to a financial report issued to bondholders. The hospital reported a loss of $3.7 million on revenue of $189.8 million for the first six months of 2011. Community also committed to a $50 million capital investment to expand clinical service lines and renovate the facilities, according to a news release Tomball Regional issued in August. The Tomball campus, in addition to the hospital, includes cancer, heart and outpatient surgery centers, as well as a sports medicine complex.
ROXBORO, N.C.—Duke LifePoint Healthcare completed its acquisition of Person Memorial Hospital, Roxboro, N.C., according to a news release. North Carolina's attorney general approved the agreement, which calls for 50-bed Person Memorial and its 60 skilled-nursing beds to become part of Duke LifePoint, a joint venture between Duke University Health System, Durham, N.C., and LifePoint Hospitals of Brentwood, Tenn. Duke LifePoint will commit $15 million to capital improvements at Person Memorial over the next decade, according to the release. That includes spending at least $6 million over the first five years of ownership. The transaction will eliminate Person Memorial's debt, with other funds used to create a charitable group, the Person Memorial Foundation. Other financial details weren't disclosed. Over the past six months, Duke LifePoint has closed on the Person Memorial deal and signed a definitive agreement to operate the 102-bed Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson, N.C.
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas—Post Acute Medical, Camp Hill, Pa., announced it purchased 40-bed Hill Country Specialty Hospital, a long-term acute-care hospital, for an undisclosed amount. Post Acute Medical purchased the hospital—which it renamed Warm Springs Specialty Hospital of New Braunfels—as part of a strategic expansion in the San Antonio region. Post Acute is constructing a 34-bed rehabilitation hospital in Thousand Oaks and a 40-bed rehabilitation hospital in the Westover Hills area, according to a news release. The privately held company also plans to begin construction of a new 26-bed hospital in Victoria. Post Acute Medical operates a 65-bed rehabilitation hospital in San Antonio, and long-term acute-care hospitals in Luling, Texas; Victoria, Texas; and Covington, La.
LUBBOCK, Texas—A West Texas county attorney was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 10 years probation for retaliating against two nurses who made an anonymous complaint about a doctor to state medical regulators. Scott Tidwell, as Winkler County attorney, prosecuted nurses Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle, who complained to state regulators in 2009 that Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr. used herbal remedies and attempted to use hospital supplies to perform at-home procedures at 19-bed Winkler County Memorial Hospital. Authorities said that once Arafiles learned the medical board was looking into a complaint against him, he sought help from the county's then-Sheriff Robert Roberts, a friend and patient. The nurses were eventually fired from Winkler County Memorial Hospital and charged with felonies. Mitchell was acquitted and charges were dropped against Galle. Stan Wiley, former administrator of the Winkler County hospital, pleaded guilty to abuse of official capacity for his role in the firing of the nurses. Roberts lost his job and was sentenced to 100 days in jail after being convicted of retaliation and misuse of official information. Arafiles awaits trial on similar charges and on perjury charges for his testimony during Mitchell's trial. The state medical board placed Arafiles on probation for four years and told him he could continue practicing under several conditions.
ARLINGTON, Texas—Texas Health Resources said the health system is entering talks with a second possible accountable care partner. Executives with Texas Health and University of Texas Health System's Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, will begin talks in the coming month about a possible accountable care organization, said Wendell Watson, a Texas Health spokesman. The two organizations will also discuss joint research and education efforts, Watson said. The agreement, which may expand to include other north Texas hospitals, could also develop a joint database for research on outcomes and cost, according to a news release. Texas Health, which includes 13 hospitals, and 422-bed Southwestern Medical Center may also consider joint post-acute-care projects, according to the release. In May, Texas Health and Methodist Health System, Dallas, announced similar talks.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—Health Management Associates, Naples, Fla., has completed its acquisition of seven-hospital Mercy Health Partners-Tennessee from Catholic Health Partners, effective Oct. 1, according to an HMA news release. The Cincinnati-based Catholic system and investor-owned Health Management signed a definitive agreement, valued at $525 million, on July 1. Health Management is changing the name of the system to Tennova Healthcare, combining Tennessee with a form of the Latin word for “to make new,” according to the release. The deal gives Health Management 66 hospitals. Mercy Health Partners-Tennessee was formed by the 2008 merger between CHP's St. Mary's Health System and Baptist Health System of East Tennessee. Earlier this year, Catholic Health Partners divested its northeast Pennsylvania hospitals in a sale to investor-owned Community Health Systems, Franklin, Tenn.
THOMSON, Ga.—Officials overseeing McDuffie Regional Medical Center, Thomson, Ga., signed a memorandum of understanding to sell the 25-bed hospital to 466-bed University Health Care System, Augusta, Ga., for an undisclosed amount. The memorandum calls for not-for-profit University Health to buy the county hospital and operate it while a new hospital is built in McDuffie County, according to University Health spokeswoman Rebecca Sylvester.
