The MarinHealth District Board, with the executive team and the Hospital Operating Board has come a long way since the 2009 Grand Jury Report, “Hope is Not a Strategy”. The finances have improved, the new earthquake-resistant wing is being added, and a partnership with USCF has been established.
However, the hospital will, in the next few years, face new challenges. Bringing the new building online is not a trivial task. The partnership with UCSF, which will bring their expertise to the county, will need to be nurtured. The hospital’s finances are very sensitive to changes in patient mix.
When we vote for the directors, we know we are voting for experienced people of unquestioned integrity, who work to care for the health of Marin and, in particular, our hospital, which is the only safety net hospital and our only trauma center.
It is therefore worrisome to read about a director, Dr. Brian Su, setting up a physician owned competing organization (“MarinHealth faces competition for patients from doctor-run surgery center,” Aug. 25). This will draw away from the hospital’s low-acuity, private-pay patients, which can only be harmful to the hospital and leave the hospital with the more complex cases.
Although the proponents will argue that costs to the patient will be lower, we know from national examples that when physicians own the means of production the number of procedures increase.
The only honorable action for Dr. Su is resignation from the board, so that he avoids a conflict of interest and so he can pursue his commercial interests. That will allow us to put on the board, at a critical time, a director whose interests are more aligned with those of the community and hospital.
October 24, 2019
Marin Independent Journal
Letter from Derek Parker, Tiburon
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