The two institutions completed their affiliation in 2014, with Children’s Hospital Oakland rebranding as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland.
However, four years later, some Children’s Hospital Oakland physicians claim clinicians are “fleeing” the Oakland hospital because UCSF has prioritized the children’s facility at UCSF Medical Center’s Mission Bay campus, according to the report.
Physicians claim fewer children are being hospitalized in Oakland, down 11 percent since the 2014 merger, and no new patients have been able to undergo routine psychiatric appointments or see lung specialists in Oakland. Other physicians claim Children’s Hospital Oakland’s research arm has suffered “catastrophically” since the affiliation was completed — so much so that the institution has undergone a significant drop in funding, the report states.
The physicians’ unrest reached a major turning point in March, when a group of 120 Oakland physicians sent a letter to UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood declaring a vote of “no confidence” in the institution’s integration plan, The Mercury News reports.
“There’s a lot of anger. The anger is palpable,” said Stephen L. Long, MD, a pediatric anesthesiologist at the Oakland hospital. “At the time [of the affiliation], it was sold to us in a different way. We were told we’d be stronger, not weaker. They sold it to us like a healthy marriage, but where it is now feels like a Cinderella adoption.”
However, UCSF Health officials claim the affiliation has improved patient care.
“There’s a strong commitment in the entire organization to keep a strong presence in the East Bay,” David Durand, MD, vice president and CMO of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland, told The Mercury News. “We’ve been here for 100 years and we anticipate being here another 100 years.”
Dr. Durand added the Oakland physicians’ anger toward the institution may also be tied to contract negotiations, according to the report.
Editor’s note: Becker’s Hospital Review reached out to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for comment and will update the article as more information becomes available.
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