Disputes over hospital management being resolved


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The disagreement is documented in a series of lengthy letters exchanged between officials representing both parties. (Daily Trojan file photo)

USC has improved its relationship with Los Angeles County after years of disagreements regarding the management of the L.A. County-USC Medical Center. Since 2019, officials at LAC+USC have accused USC of breaching the contract between the two parties, the L.A. Times reported. Accusations include double-booking doctors at LAC+USC and Keck Hospital and understaffing in multiple departments. 

“Through open and candid communication, we have made substantial progress in addressing the highly complex financial and accounting issues that have arisen under our contract at LAC+USC Medical Center,” the University said in a statement to the Daily Trojan. “We look forward to building on our strong relationship with the county to address the medical needs of some of L.A. County’s most diverse and underserved populations.”

While USC officials have recognized staffing issues that have since been resolved, they have denied breaching the contract. They have additionally claimed L.A. County leaders have been hostile and continuously brought up past conflicts. The disagreement is documented in a series of lengthy letters exchanged between officials representing both parties.

Tensions between L.A. County and USC rose after a 2019 contract shifted doctors’ compensation to an hourly wage rate, which is not usual for doctors, Shapiro told the L.A. Times. Months after the contract went into place, LAC+USC Chief medical officer Dr. Brad Spellberg informed the University that it was failing to meet contractual expectations by not having enough doctors meet their hourly requirements. One of the departments with insufficient personnel was anesthesiology, which had a weekly deficit of 200 hours.

While L.A. County audits claim hundreds of instances of double booking and not enough physician coverage, the University denies breaching the contract. The University acknowledged some areas in which it could improve, including not booking doctors to work at LAC+USC and Keck Hospital on the same day, a practice that resulted in L.A. County accusations of simultaneous booking at both hospitals. 

Accusations of double-booking and insufficient patient care are also described in a lawsuit filed by former Keck School of Medicine of USC professor Dr. Justin Cheongsiatmoy. The lawsuit claims lives could have been saved if the University had not been negligent. Cheongsiatmoy was allegedly fired in retribution after filing a complaint detailing the issues. 

The disagreements have involved multiple individuals in USC’s leadership, including former Keck Dean Dr. Laura Mosqueda and former interim Dean Dr. Narsing Rao. Since the changes of leadership at the Keck in 2021, relationships have improved, and the University is working on addressing remaining issues and improving its relationship with L.A. County, a public affairs officer at LAC+USC said in a statement to the Daily Trojan.

“The Department of Health Services (DHS) continues to feel strongly that USC has a contractual obligation to provide the work that is specified in the [Multi-Sector Service Accountability Agreement],” the LAC+USC statement read. “Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center and DHS are working in good faith with the new leadership at Keck School of Medicine of USC to ensure that those obligations are met.”