High Court Refuses to Hear Appeal on Hospital Patients

The state Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal filed by Community Memorial Hospital to stop Ventura County Medical Center from serving private-pay patients, ending a two-year legal battle.

The high court issued a letter Wednesday stating that it would not hear the case, without elaborating on its decision.

“It’s terrific,” Supervisor Frank Schillo said. “It just vindicates what we’ve been saying all along--that we’re doing the right thing.”

The two hospitals, situated two blocks apart, have been feuding for years. Tensions boiled over in 1994 when Community Memorial filed a lawsuit to prevent the county hospital from accepting privately insured patients.

The 2nd District Court of Appeal in Ventura recently upheld a lower-court ruling that found the county hospital’s treatment of privately insured patients--including county employees--is not unfair competition as alleged.

Shortly afterward, Community Memorial filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court.

Schillo said the county has spent more than $1 million defending itself against the lawsuit. “They pushed it as far as it can go and they’ve caused the county to spend taxpayer money,” he said.

A Community Memorial spokesman said Friday that officials of the nonprofit private hospital were disappointed by the high court’s decision. But he said the hospital would continue to challenge any major Ventura County Medical Center expansion through a voter referendum.

“The issue of whether or not the county can expand its operations to compete with the private sector is an area we can still address with the voters,” said spokesman Doug Dowie of the Los Angeles-based public relations firm of Fleishman Hillard.

Meanwhile, Dowie said Community Memorial has decided to accept an invitation from Supervisors Schillo and Judy Mikels to participate in a countywide health forum Dec. 3 in Camarillo. Officials from all hospitals in the county have been invited to attend the forum, which is intended to develop ways for public and private health-care providers to work more closely in the future.