North Bay Business Journal

Health Care: New CFO for RRMG; Marin cancer institute gains designation

Redwood Regional Medical Group announced that it has hired David Hutchinson as its new chief financial officer.

County health care official says doctor network ‘important step’

NORTH BAY — The expansion of a Marin physician’s network further into Sonoma County is a key step in assisting independent health care districts integrate services, and the alignment it will create at district hospitals is “critical to the long-term success,” according to Sonoma County’s top public health official.

Large regional physician network planned

NORTH BAY — A leading Marin County doctors’ association is heading an effort to create a potentially powerful network of hundreds of North Bay physicians that, if successful, would significantly alter the region’s health care landscape.

Marin General receives $2.89 million gift

GREENBRAE — Marin General Hospital said today it has received a donation of $2.89 million that will go toward expanding and upgrading the level III trauma center’s emergency department.

Sutter, Marin General sent to arbitration; district may appeal

GREENBRAE — Marin General Hospital is being required to go into arbitration instead of court with its claim against Sutter Health that it improperly transferred more than $120 million out of the hospital, a Marin Superior Court judge ruled.

Sonoma Valley Hospital joins Prima Medical Foundation

SONOMA — The Sonoma Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors voted to join the Prima Medical Foundation, a nonprofit that provides management services to physicians. The foundation was formed earlier this year by Marin General Hospital, Marin IPA and Prima Medical Group to help attract physicians and maintain hospital competitiveness.

Health Care Conference registration closes Friday

NORTH BAY — Registration for the Business Journal’s Health Care Conference will close Friday. The event will feature the top California official for the National Federation of Independent Business to discuss the impact of health care reform on small business in the keynote address on Nov. 18. To register, contact Linda Perkins at 707-521-5264 or events@busjrnl.com by Friday, Nov. 12, or go to www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com.

Top small business expert to address health care conference

NORTH BAY — The top California official for the National Federation of Independent Business will discuss the impact of health care reform on small business in the keynote address for the Business Journal’s annual health care conference Nov. 18.
Following John Kabateck, executive director of NFIB/California, a panel of top North Bay hospital executives will discuss the impacts of reform along with hundreds of millions of dollars in hospital and other projects.
To register, contact Linda Perkins at 707-521-5264 or events@busjrnl.com by Friday, Nov. 12, or go to www.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com.

Health Care Conference registration closes Nov. 12

2010 Health Care Conference: What health care reform will mean to you and your business, as hospitals invest hundreds of millions in new facilities, programs
Thursday, November 18, 2010, Registration 7:30 a.m., program 8-11:30 a.m., Hyatt Vineyard Creek, Santa Rosa
To register or for more information, visit www.northbaybusinessjournal.com.

Sutter calls on Marin General to submit claims to arbitration

GREENBRAE – Sutter Health called on the now independently run Marin General Hospital to submit its claims alleging the Sacramento-based health organization improperly transferred millions of dollars out of the facility to arbitration – the latest development in the ongoing legal saga between the two sides.

Marin General Hospital breast center honored

GREENBRAE – Marin General Hospital was designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology and received accreditation from the American College of Surgeons National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

Fast Growing Companies in 2010

Three of Sonoma County’s newest tech companies — Raydiance, Enphase Energy and Métier — have widely diverse products: ultra-short pulse lasers, microinverters for the solar industry and project portfolio management software.

BioMarin Pharmaceuticals, the Buck Institute for Age Research and TriVascular are expanding research, products and staff.

Nearly every sector within health care in the North Bay is undergoing rapid expansion, reflecting a nationwide trend that shows little sign of a respite. This is just a sampling of the quickly growing health care companies and providers across the North Bay, from corporate giants to rural clinics.

La Tavola, ProSight, Central Payment add space, markets; Frank-Lin, Kiewit to move to the North Bay: From linen rentals to financial transaction processing to insurance underwriting to alcoholic beverage production to heavy construction, several companies in various industries have relocated or expanded in the North Bay this year.

Hospitals, health centers planning new facilities, expansions

Nearly every sector within health care in the North Bay is undergoing rapid expansion, reflecting a nationwide trend that shows little sign of a respite. Hospitals are expanding or being rebuilt entirely. Outpatient facilities continue to crop up as a broader patient base is sought by some providers. Physicians groups are racing to recruit more doctors to their ranks to ensure purchasing power while maintaining a competitive advantage. And federally qualified health centers, with a significant increase in federal funding and a clearer role in light of health care reform, are consistently doubling in size in an effort to treat an influx of patients. The following is just a sampling of the quickly growing health care companies and providers across the North Bay, from corporate giants to rural clinics.

Marin General takes Sutter dispute to court

GREENBRAE — The dispute between the Marin Healthcare District and Sutter Health over financial transfers out of Marin General Hospital has risen to a new level. A lawsuit filed last week claims Sutter improperly transferred more than $120 million out of Marin General between 2006 and June 2010, jeopardizing the financial stability and hindering operations at the acute-care hospital after it severed ties with the Marin Healthcare District. [Read the legal complaint and previous coverage of the the Marin General Hospital equity transfers.]

Marin Healthcare District sues Sutter over $120 million in transfers

UPDATED AT 5:05 P.M.: GREENBRAE — The Marin General Hospital Corp. today filed suit against Sutter Health in its attempts to reclaim more than $120 million that was transferred out of the 255-bed hospital since 2006.

Business Journal Editorial: Marin General vs. Sutter a costly episode

The one thing certain about the dispute between Marin General Hospital and Sutter Health over nearly $160 million transferred out of the county since 2002 is that both sides are passionate about what they believe.

Marin General vs. Sutter a costly episode

The one thing certain about the dispute between Marin General Hospital and Sutter Health over nearly $160 million transferred out of the county since 2002 is that both sides are passionate about what they believe.

Marin General contends it was robbed. Sutter, meanwhile, says it was only doing what it always has done for the hospitals it is contracted to operate: It moves dollars from one entity to another based on need.

Did Sutter single out Marin to take funds?

MARIN COUNTY — The Marin Healthcare District and many of its allies have accused Sutter Health of singling out Marin General Hospital for the transfer of tens millions of dollars out of the medical facility. But an examination of state data shows such transfers amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars are common for the Sacramento-based health giant and its affiliated hospitals in San Francisco and the North Bay.

Prima, Marin IPA, hospital form physician foundation

MARIN AND SONOMA — Marin General Hospital, along with the Prima Medical Group and Marin IPA, announced the formation of a foundation that aims to attract top-notch physicians to the region as well as help the hospital maintain competitiveness now that it has transferred operations away from Sutter Health.

As Marin prepares for hospital transfer, battle looms over funds

GREENBRAE — While seemingly herculean tasks have been checked off by the Marin Healthcare District as it retakes control of the county’s only trauma center from Sutter Health, two final and equally complex issues lay ahead in the final hours of the transition.