Alameda Health System hospital authority.

Existing law authorizes the board of supervisors of Alameda County to establish an independent hospital authority strictly and exclusively dedicated to the management, administration, and control of the group of public hospitals, clinics, and programs that comprise the Alameda County Medical Center. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2015, authorizes the board to establish an independent hospital authority for the Alameda Health System, formerly known as the Alameda County Medical Center, and makes conforming changes. Existing law sets forth the powers and duties of the hospital authority, including, but not limited to, the power to contract for services required to meet its obligations. Existing law prohibits the hospital authority from entering into any contract with any private person or entity before January 1, 2024, to replace services being provided by physicians and surgeons who are employed by the hospital authority and in a recognized collective bargaining unit as of March 31, 2013, with services provided by a private person or entity without clear and convincing evidence that the needed medical care can only be delivered cost effectively by a private contractor. This bill would, until January 1, 2015, instead prohibit the Alameda County Medical Center, and after that date, would prohibit the hospital authority, from entering into any contract with any other person or entity, including, but not limited to, a subsidiary or other entity established by the authority, to replace the services described above with services provided by that other person or entity without clear and convincing evidence that the needed medical care can only be delivered cost effectively by that other person or entity. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.