Verdugo Hills, Huntington Hospitals Discuss Alliance

Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale and the larger Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena are looking into whether to affiliate, possibly through a merger, a Verdugo Hills Hospital spokeswoman said Monday.

Spokeswoman Jackie Forsythe said the hospitals have been discussing the idea since November and will probably keep negotiating for several more months.

Verdugo Hills Hospital has 158 beds, while Huntington has 606 beds. Neither is in financial trouble, but they are concerned about further cutbacks in the reimbursement for their services by private and public health insurance plans, she said.

Also, an affiliation with Huntington would more easily enable Verdugo Hills Hospital to provide its patients such complicated services as open-heart surgery and organ transplants, which Verdugo Hills does not provide, Forsythe said.