San Francisco is dominated by several major healthcare systems: Sutter Health controls 44 percent of the city’s hospital beds, followed by Catholic Healthcare West with 28 percent and UCSF with 26 percent, according to the report. This level of control means that only 2 percent of beds are controlled by other hospitals, leaving less room for negotiation and competition.
The supervisors have asked healthcare experts to speak on the factors driving hospital costs, specifically the significant price difference between Northern and Southern California. According to the report, experts have estimated San Francisco costs around 70 percent more per patient per day than Los Angeles.
Read the San Francisco Chronicle report on hospital pricing.
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