ITEM -- LAGUNA HONDA ADMISSIONS P0LICY At the direction of Mayor Newsom, we returned Laguna Honda Hospital’s admissions policy to what it was prior to March 2004. Last March, we initiated changes to Laguna’s admissions policy in order to give priority to patients transferring from San Francisco General Hospital. This policy change was implemented as a cost-saving measure to reduce the number of decertified Medi-Cal days experienced at San Francisco General Hospital. Prior to the policy change, 54 percent of Laguna’s admissions were from San Francisco General Hospital. After the new policy was implemented, admissions from SFGH represented 75 percent of Laguna Honda Hospital’s new admissions. The policy change saved the Department [of Public Health] an estimated $1.7 million. However, the policy change caused a great deal of distress for Laguna Honda staff and members of the community. Because Laguna Honda Hospital has traditionally focused more on meeting the needs of people at the end of their lives or people with medical disabilities, many felt uncomfortable with the increase of people coming form General for shorter stays and with multiple and complex service needs. In order to bridge the revenue gap created by the policy’s reversal, additional reductions totaling $1.7 million will need to be included in the base budget.
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