Health Systems Form Strategic Business and Clinical Relationship to Enhance
Patient Care in Imperial Valley
On May 5, 2015, UC San Diego Health System and the City of El Centro entered
into a long-term management services agreement on behalf of El Centro
Regional Medical Center (ECRMC), the city-owned hospital, with the goal
of enhancing the delivery of high-quality health care to patients in the
Imperial Valley.
“The Hospital Affiliation Task Force has dedicated significant resources
to search for a strategic partner that would enhance the availability
and quality of health care services for the entire Imperial Valley, and
we have found that partner in UC San Diego Health System,” said
Mayor Efrain Silva.
“In addition to providing important operational and clinical support,
our relationship with UC San Diego Health System will help local patients
gain greater access to a comprehensive continuum of care in El Centro
and San Diego including an array of specialized medical and surgical services.
Additionally, our employees will have direct access to best practices
and expertise of the region’s top-ranked health system,” said
Tomas Virgen, interim CEO, ECRMC.
“Through this collaboration, the two health systems will strive to
deliver superior health outcomes, service experience and affordability
to patients in Imperial Valley,” said Paul Viviano, CEO, UC San
Diego Health System. “We are proud to have El Centro Regional Medical
Center be part of our mission of delivering outstanding patient care through
commitment to the community, groundbreaking research and inspired teaching.”
The management services agreement will launch with UC San Diego Health
System conducting a comprehensive assessment of ECRMC’s operational
and clinical needs, to be followed by a joint development of a management
plan for select ECRMC departments, programs, and functions. Hospital employees
will remain employees of ECRMC. The health systems will also collaborate
to provide clinical team members at ECRMC with access to joint research
projects and educational opportunities such as Grand Rounds and continuing
medical education through the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
If needed, patients of ECRMC will have direct access to tertiary and quaternary
care services of UC San Diego Health System. These include highly specialized
and advanced diagnostic, imaging, surgical, oncologic and cardiac services
typically only found in academic health centers.
UC San Diego Health System currently supports the Imperial Valley by providing
tertiary care for complex cardiovascular disease, primary angioplasty
for acute myocardial infarction, telemedicine stroke consultations and
advanced care for high-risk pregnancies, trauma and burn patients. Future
areas of specialty support will include endocrinology, allergy and immunology,
cardiology, rheumatology, and nephrology.
The relationship between UC San Diego Health System and ECRMC follows the
recent affiliation of Imperial Valley Family Care Medical Group (IVFCMG)
with the UC San Diego Health Physician Network. IVFCMG ̶Imperial County’s
largest multi-specialty group with 13 clinics including locations in El
Centro, Brawley, and Calexico ̶is continuing its efforts through the UC
San Diego Health network to enhance the depth and quality of multispecialty
health care services and clinical trials available to patients in the
Imperial Valley and surrounding communities. Other local physicians will
have the opportunity to become part of the growing UC San Diego Health
Physician Network.
Viviano noted that the growing network of physicians, hospitals and other
providers in the UC San Diego Health System care network presents opportunities
to develop and offer narrow network and other innovative health insurance
products to local employers, with the goal of delivering quality patient
outcomes while managing the total cost of care.
El Centro Regional Medical Center is an acute-care medical center, serving
the health care needs of the Imperial Valley since 1956. In addition to
the 161-bed hospital, ECRMC also owns and operates the Oncology &
Hematology of Imperial Valley, Wound Healing Center and outpatient clinics
in El Centro and Calexico. The outpatient centers provide exceptional
primary and specialty care for residents seeking enhanced well being and
improved quality of life.
UC San Diego Health System, the region's only academic health system,
has been ranked #1 in San Diego for four consecutive years by U.S. News
& World Report. Leapfrog Group has twice named UC San Diego Health
System to its annual list of Top Hospitals, a distinction given to select
hospitals nationwide for demonstrating excellence in hospital safety and
quality. The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is an elite distinction given
to less than seven percent of all eligible hospitals. UC San Diego Health
System has also repeatedly received A safety scores from the independent
organization.
UC San Diego Health System is comprised of UC San Diego Medical Center
in Hillcrest and Thornton Hospital, Moores Cancer Center (one of only
41 National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer centers in
the country, and the first and only San Diego based National Comprehensive
Cancer Network® Member Institution), Shiley Eye Institute, Sulpizio
Cardiovascular Center and Jacobs Medical Center (opening 2016) in La Jolla,
as well as other primary and specialty practices located throughout Southern
California. For more information, visit
health.ucsd.edu