City Clamps Down on Proliferation of Outpatient Clinics

Concerned by the growing number of outpatient medical clinics in Huntington Park, the City Council this week took its first step toward increasing local regulation to ensure that residents are getting proper medical care.

“We are finding that no one is policing these places,” Councilman Richard V. Loya said. “Somewhere along the line, we are going to lose a life due to inadequate health care.”

Loya, citing allegations of poorly staffed facilities, persuaded his colleagues Monday night to take a closer look at the service being offered at 99 medical offices and walk-in clinics in the city, especially those advertising low-cost, around-the-clock care.

The City Council approved a 45-day ban on new medical facilities unless they have a physician on duty during all hours the clinic is open. During the moratorium, a council-appointed committee of medical and health care professionals will study how officials can better monitor and regulate the booming medical sector.

Since the first of the year, 24 clinics have moved into Huntington Park. Thirteen new facilities opened for business in 1991, and 12 moved into the city in 1990.

“People are going into (some of) these clinics, seeing someone in a white suit who probably isn’t a doctor and getting second-rate care,” Loya said. “And I think they are getting ripped off.”

Loya, who served in the mid-1980s on a Medical Board of California panel dealing with physician complaints, said he has spoken to a handful of residents who claim they have received poor medical care, but none have come before the council to describe their experiences.

Huntington Park’s medical facilities--like all those in California--operate under the state’s health and safety code guidelines, and are licensed by the Medical Board of California.

Although the board dictates that clinics must be owned by a medical doctor and staffed by licensed health professionals, it does not require that a licensed physician be on the premises at all times. The doctor is required, however, to inspect the charts of all patients treated at the clinic and approve any medical treatment.

Still, officials worry that the guidelines are not strict enough, and said they are concerned that several clinics might not be adhering to the rules.

“We have a lot of clinics in Huntington Park that are infamous for rarely having doctors on the premises,” said James Acevedo, executive director of Mission Hospital. “Who is checking up on them?”

Acevedo said the rapid growth of Huntington Park medical facilities creates an intense competition among the businesses, and the quality of care is suffering.

“Let’s say a patient comes into a facility for a simple virus because he saw an advertisement that said it charges $5 for a visit,” he said. “All of a sudden he’s told he needs X-rays, blood tests and prescriptions. He ends up with a $140 bill. That’s what needs to be looked into.”

But others question whether the City Council should be involved in policing medical facilities.

“It’s a useless moratorium,” said All-Care Medical Group administrator Craig Kaner, who spoke against the ban at Monday night’s meeting. “The city is going to find out that they don’t have the power to suspend the license of the physician and they can’t shut a clinic down for rumors about poor staffing.”

Kaner, who runs the 26-physician facility that has been in Huntington Park since 1946, believes that most residents are getting adequate treatment. He suggested that if city officials know of some abuse and can document it, they should notify the state medical board.

“This isn’t the City Council’s job,” he said.

Although he voted in favor of the moratorium, Councilman William Cunningham questioned whether it was really needed, and suggested that the council let the demand for services dictate which businesses survive in the city.

“I don’t see any human outcry for this,” he said at the meeting. “I’m not even sure why it’s here.” He added that he thought it would be difficult, if not impossible, to check each clinic on a day-to-day basis to ensure that a licensed physician is on the premises.

“You would think this enforcement would come from the state, not from the city,” he said.

City Atty. Steven Skolnik suggested that the council can limit growth of these facilities through zoning restrictions and other controls, but warned that a moratorium cannot solve problems in existing clinics.

Councilman Loya agreed, but said, “Perhaps we can send a message to them, that they will come under scrutiny in time.

“The ultimate goal is not to keep good, honest physicians out of the city,” he said. “The goal is to have safer medical practices in Huntington Park.”