SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The UC Davis Health System recently signed a telehealth research collaboration agreement with the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
The memorandum of understanding commits the two to sharing ideas and research data on telehealth, scientific and technical development, and neurodevelopmental disorders, according to a news release. The agreement came after the Sinaloa government publicly committed to strengthening access to quality healthcare using telehealth technology, particularly for the 27% of its 3 million residents who live in rural areas, according to the release. The UC Davis Center for Health and Technology already uses high-speed data lines linked to video units to connect large, urban medical centers with community hospitals and clinics. The technology allows community physicians and their patients to consult specialists and subspecialists through two-way videoconferencing. The scientific and technical development goal of the partnership will focus on improving health education, primarily in primary-care settings. The Sinaloa agreement followed another Mexican partnership, announced earlier in 2011, between the academic health system and the Carlos Slim Health Institute to share information helpful in the early identification of autism and fragile X syndrome.
LOS ANGELES—Providence Health & Services announced plans for a nursing institute to further train graduate residents, nurses and other clinicians at its five Los Angeles-area facilities. The Providence Southern California Nursing Institute would help train the more than 3,500 nurses stationed at Providence medical centers and ancillary services near Los Angeles and aims to promote nurse-led research to bolster patient care. They intend to begin operations in the spring. “We want to inspire excellence through innovation and empower our nurses and other professionals to expand their abilities and their horizons,” Katherine Bullard, regional chief nursing officer for Providence in Southern California, said in a news release. “Across the nation, healthcare organizations are looking for innovative programs like this institute to enhance the roles of our profession.” Providence credits Bullard with the idea for the institute. She said she wants to share successes between Providence facilities to encourage improvement and help establish uniform practices. Providence also is working on donations and raising money through its charity arm for scholarships and grants for training.
LAS VEGAS—Universal Health Services, King of Prussia, Pa., closed on its sale of 80-bed Montevista Hospital and 21-bed Red Rock Behavioral Health Hospital, both in Las Vegas, to Strategic Behavioral Health, Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 1, said James Shaheen, president of Strategic Behavioral Health. The sale of the psychiatric facilities means that Universal has sold three of four psychiatric facilities mandated to be divested under terms of a Federal Trade Commission order related to the purchase of Psychiatric Solutions. The FTC gave the OK to this latest deal late last year, leaving the sale of a facility in Puerto Rico to comply with the FTC's order. Universal Health officials could not be reached for comment by deadline. Shaheen said Strategic's core approach is to build psych hospitals in markets it deems to be attractive, but the comp-any will look at purchases opportunistically as it did with the UHS deal. Strategic plans to expand the Las Vegas facilities, he said.
LOMA LINDA, Calif.—An employee at Loma Linda University Medical Center was fired after attempting to take home personal information on more than 1,300 patients and guarantors, the health system reported. LLUMC, which includes Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, LLUMC-East Campus, a behavioral medicine center, a heart and surgical hospital, and physician clinics, became aware of the possible breach on or around Dec. 19, according to a news release. Information that the now-terminated employee attempted to take or did take home included dates of birth, addresses, medical record numbers, driver's license numbers and, in some cases, Social Security numbers, according to the release. The information has since been secured, Loma Linda reported. An LLUMC spokeswoman was unable to confirm whether the employee sought to take paper records or electronically stored records. LLUMC is working with TransUnion to provide affected patients credit monitoring. The medical center notified the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department and the California Department of Public Health about the incident, according to the release.
