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County-run Regional Medical Center sees rising census, eases wait times across system
Summary
Santa Clara Valley Health reported increased patient volumes at the recently acquired Regional Medical Center, higher admissions and emergency department throughput improvements across the county health system; county officials said operational trends are favorable though safety‑net hospitals still face reimbursement shortfalls.
Santa Clara Valley Health officials told the Health and Hospital Committee that patient volume at the county‑run Regional Medical Center (RMC) rose in May and that the system has seen measurable reductions in emergency department wait times and patient offload delays since the hospital's acquisition.
"The average daily census at Regional Medical Center in May was 159, which is up from 138," said a representative for the health system, noting a roughly 6% increase in emergency department volume at RMC. "In spite of the increase in volume at RMC, we have not seen a significant decrease in volume at our other hospital. As a system, we have seen increases in patient volume and patient census."
Officials and committee members said the acquisition has improved access to specialists and inpatient capacity. Committee members heard operational metrics showing decreased ED wait times at system hospitals: Valley Medical Center reported a 13% reduction in arrival‑to‑discharge time and O'Connor Hospital a 20% reduction since January; RMC's ED wait time showed nearly a 49% decline in a recent comparison of March to May.
Executives also said interfacility transfers within the health system have increased by about 50%, helping manage patient flow. While the county expects the facility to remain a safety‑net operation that will not generate net profit, higher census helps spread fixed costs and improve financial position compared with prior operations.
Capacity and services: Committee members discussed bed counts and service rollouts. Presenters said two ICU wings have been opened (initially a 12‑bed wing expanded to 24) and plans are under way to open an additional wing; labor and delivery staffing and readiness were described as a goal for opening later in the year, with a target of having labor and delivery operational by the end of the calendar year.
Committee action: The committee voted to receive the report. County staff said they will provide mid‑year updates when more financial and revenue data becomes available as receivables are processed.
