UCI Medical Center’s Losses and the Health Care Crisis
UC Irvine appropriately bemoans the fact that there is a projected operating loss of $13 million this year at the medical center. It is undoubtedly accurate that the major reason for this is that UCI treats 50% of the poor, yet has only 6% of the hospital beds in Orange County. The fact that UCI, as a teaching institution, must spend more per patient than our other hospitals undoubtedly accounts for only a percentage of the loss.
However, isn’t that what UCI as a training institution is all about? Historically, when the current medical facility was the County Hospital, virtually all indigent patients were cared for there. Why then should that change?
If Orange County possessed a deficit of other hospitals, the answer would be to build more hospitals in Orange County and make funds available for treating indigent patients. However, we have a surplus of both private and nonprofit hospitals in our county. It, therefore, is correct to expect the university to care for the overwhelming majority of indigent patients, not only 50%! It is just as logical for funds to be made available to UCI for this.
Similarly, if Orange County were in a void and did not have at least three hospitals that can be considered tertiary-care institutions with the capability of treating virtually any disease entity, then the need for a “Super Center” able to address the most complicated medical problems would be necessary. With all due respect to the academic environment, Orange County’s medical facilities are excellent and insured patients simply need not travel very far to receive the finest medical care available. Whereas UCI Medical Center can supplement them, their main function should still be care of the indigent patient and training physicians. It is no less true that funds should be made available to that institution. However, to invoke excellence or uniqueness of medical care as the essence of UCI Medical Center’s existence is inaccurate.
MICHAEL H. SUKOFF, MD
Santa Ana
