New Contract Connects West Hills Hospital To More Doctors, Patients
HEALTH CARE: Staffing levels expected to increase.
By Jessica Vernabe
Monday, April 25, 2011
An expanded contract between Heritage Provider Network Inc. and West Hills Hospital & Medical Center is bringing more local patients to the healthcare campus.
The new contract, which went into effect last month, includes a greater number of Heritage physicians who are referring their patients from the West Hills area to West Hills Hospital for in-patient care, said Beverly Gilmore, the hospital’s CEO.
Gilmore said there was a need for an expanded contract because the former contract with the hospital only included referrals from physicians connected with Northridge-based Regal Medical Group, which is owned by Heritage and not for those who were part of Glendale-based Lakeside Medical Group. That group was formally called Lakeside Healthcare Inc. and was acquired by Heritage in November 2009. Gilmore said the new contract also brings referrals from physicians of Community Medical Group, which merged with Lakeside Healthcare Inc. in 2007.
“The original contract that we had applied to a much smaller group of patients,” Gilmore said. “(Now) they have a lot more patients in this area. … The bottom line is we’re both very pleased to have this contract so people who live in this area will be able to use West Hills (Hospital) as a choice.”
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