Dr. Niran Al-Agba

Could Dignity Health + Catholic Health Initiatives = Micro Hospital?

Micro-hospitals are best suited to handle short-stay admissions anticipated to be less than 48 hours. Costs are slightly higher than for an urgent care center, yet lower when compared to traditional hospital settings. Micro-hospitals can meet 90 percent of patients’ basic healthcare needs and tend to flourish most in markets with critical service gaps by preventing at-risk populations from falling through the cracks. Ideally, micro-hospitals should be located within 20 miles of a full-service hospital, to facilitate transfer of patients to larger institutions should higher acuity healthcare needs arise.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-26T02:18:55+00:00December 19, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Affordable Care, CHI, CON laws, Consolidation, Corporatization, Dignity, Hospital, Independent Practice, Microhospital, Transparency|

Washington State Regulators Gave CHI a Monopoly. It is Time to Take it Back.

How did we get here? America has struggled to balance access to hospital services with utilization, quality and price for the past 50 years. In the mid-1960’s, certificate of need laws were established to limit the supply of hospital beds and equipment, prevent overutilization of services, control costs and improve quality.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:57:15+00:00August 22, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Consolidation, Corporatization, Franciscan, Hospitals, Rural Care, Washington State|

A Hospital With No Beds Cannot Stand

The evidence is now clear CON laws not only increase costs, but also restrict access for the underserved, especially in rural areas. Hospital bed access is expressed in the number of beds/1,000 population; on average, there are 3.62 beds/1,000 people in the United States. Recent studies by Strattman and Russ found states with CON laws have 1.31 fewer beds/1,000 overall. Kaiser Foundation found Washington and Oregon have the lowest bed ratios in the nation, at 1.7 beds/1,000, with Kitsap County having a woefully inadequate ration of 1.30 beds/1,000. In short, the evidence supports the fact that CON regulations worsen access for rural residents.

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:56:26+00:00August 15, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Corporatization, Franciscan, Health Policy, Hospitals, Rural Care, Washington State|

Phoebe-Putney Hospital vs. Lee County, Georgia: A Tale of Consolidation and a Little County That Could

Lee County is on their way to achieving something extraordinary; challenging the dominance of a hospital monopoly. On July 21, 2017, the CON application for Lee County was deemed complete by the Georgia Department of Community Health. A decision is anticipated by Nov. 15. If granted, the county plans to break ground on the new structure in early 2018. The CEO of Lee County Medical Center, Mr. G. Edward Alexander, stated “Our goal is to ensure that decisions for the hospital are made locally by people who live and work in Lee County.”

Niran Al-Agba2020-05-14T03:55:32+00:00August 8, 2017|Categories: Patient, Policy|Tags: ACA, Certificate of Need, CHI, CON laws, Consolidation, Corporatization, Franciscan, Health Policy, Phoebe Putney Hospital, Rural Care|