Hospital keeping options open for Physicians Medical Center [The Santa Fe New Mexican]

Oct. 14--Santa Fe's only general hospital, Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, won't rule out closing or changing the mission of the smaller south-side hospital known as Physicians Medical Center.

A nurse at Physicians Medical Center, located between Rodeo Road and Interstate 25 near St. Francis Drive, told The New Mexican last week that managers and doctors there have told her that Christus St. Vincent is considering closing Physicians Medical Center or turning it into a geriatric psychiatric hospital or a rehabilitation hospital.

Asking that her name not be published to protect her job, the nurse said that even though the 20-bed Physicians Medical Center is faring well financially and has an infection rate less than that of the 260-bed Christus St. Vincent, the larger hospital is looking to make up for its financial shortfalls on the back of the smaller one, which it acquired two years ago.

"I really want the community to know," she said. "Any whiff of this would be very helpful."

Hospital spokesman Arturo Delgado responded that Christus St. Vincent is always looking at different business options.

"We're going through a transition with health care reform with the Affordable Care Act," he said. "We've seen some drops in reimbursement. We've seen some shifts in our patient volume. ...

"In reference to Physicians Medical Center, we haven't made any final decisions on it, but, again, we're looking at everything right now and as soon as we have anything else to share, we'll certainly share that with you."

At the suggestion that his statements appeared to leave open the idea of selling, closing or changing the smaller hospital, Delgado said, "We're looking at everything. I would not say that we're looking at selling or closing Physicians Medical Center. That would be inaccurate, but we're taking a hard look at all of our operations."

In 2007, despite years of opposition from what was then Santa Fe's only hospital, St. Vincent Hospital, several local doctors opened Physicians Medical Center at 2990 Rodeo Park Drive, on the city's southern edge.

The private "boutique" hospital prospered during its first few years, doing joint-replacement surgery. In 2008, St. Vincent merged with Christus Health, a Roman Catholic chain of hospitals based in Irving, Texas, to become Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, which bought Physicians Medical Center in 2011.

Contact Tom Sharpe at 986-3080 or tsharpe@sfnewmexican.com.

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