Debby Kelley, vice president of ancillary and support services at Torrance, said in an email that gaining access to USC surgeons will help to strengthen the reputation and quality of the hospital’s heart program.
The organizations will work together on a variety of heart procedures, including complex valve repair and replacement and coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
“We also have access to the academic world, where new processes and procedures are developed, as well as access to training and a training facility,” Kelley said. “We are able to bring all of these resources to the community setting.”
Keck officials said they view the community partnership as an essential part of realigning specialty care in a value-based reimbursement environment.
“The future of healthcare delivery partners leading academic medical centers with strong community hospitals,” Dr. Vaughn Starnes, a cardiothoracic surgeon and chairman of Keck Medicine’s cardiothoracic surgery department, said in a statement. “This relationship makes the innovation and expertise of academic centers available to local communities.”
Torrance Memorial and Keck have been in affiliation discussions for more than six months, Kelley said.
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