UCLA Med Center puts dialysis unit up for sale

Wednesday, October 1, 1997

Wednesday, October 1, 1997

UCLA Med Center puts dialysis unit up for sale

DIALYSIS: Some workers worry about effects on job security, benefits

By Kathryn Combs

Daily Bruin Contributor

By Kathryn Combs

Daily Bruin Contributor

Following recent privatization attempts elsewhere in the University of California, the UCLA Dialysis Center is currently up for sale.

On July 21, the Dialysis Unit requested proposals from companies that were interested in taking over management.

And early last week, officials narrowed the search down to three private corporations.

UCLAs dialysis unit provides hemodialysis a crucial process for patients with severe kidney problems to 30 to 40 patients daily.

Frances Ridlehoover, the associate director of professional and ambulatory services, confirmed that the unit is up for the sale Tuesday, citing a national trend affecting dialysis centers everywhere.

We are one of the few academic medical centers that are still managing our dialysis unit, Ridlehoover said.

We are considering a purchase option because there are a number of large national companies that provide excellent patient service and will also help with our research, Ridlehoover continued.

Hoping to narrow down their options by the end of this fall, administrators have not yet decided who the buyer will be.

Part of our goal is getting with someone who has our mission in mind: education, research and quality patient care, said Annie Corea, an administrator with the UCLA Dialysis Unit.

In the whole country there are few dialysis units that are left within universities. If I need to get capital to my department, I need to go through the entire institution ... whereas in a private company as you need capital you get what you need instead of having to go through layers and layers, Corea asserted.

The sale of services such as the dialysis center has happened elsewhere in UCLAs Medical Center, and officials assert that the university is not selling to just anyone.

This is not something that the university has approached haphazardly. The point is that we need to compete, Corea said.

If we can buddy with a big company, we can do a lot of research. We want our care to remain the same. That is one of the reasons that we are scrutinizing the companies that have applied, Corea said.

The impact this will have on employees is unclear. Despite reassurances, some employees feel that their concerns seem to be taking a back seat to administration and cost cutting.

One employee with the dialysis unit told The Bruin that employees are concerned with job security and how the sale will affect their benefits and pay.

Administrators refute these concerns.

All of the companies that have responded have indicated that they will hire most of our staff if not all of them, Ridlehoover said.

It is potentially a very good thing, depending on whether we are able to negotiate a program that we are able to go through with, she said."(The companies) will hire most of our staff if not all of them."

Frances Ridlehoover

Associate Director