Local reaction to the news that hospital giant HCA Inc. may soon be under new ownership was generally positive, with experts seeing few immediate operational changes and employees cautiously optimistic.
“I don’t anticipate any changes as far as the way the hospital operates or our philosophy and mission to the community,” said Cheryl Preston-Shaw, 48, a nurse case manager at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver.
She said she heard about the deal on the radio on her way to work Monday and received an e-mail from the chief operating officer at the hospital.
In addition to P/SL, HCA manages six other HealthOne facilities in the metro area: Rose Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, The Medical Center of Aurora, North Suburban Medical Center, Sky Ridge Medical Center and Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital.
HealthOne served nearly 1 million patients in Colorado in 2005 and employs 8,700 people.
“On a performance basis, I’d expect there to be little change in the day-to-day performance of the HealthOne operations in Denver,” Jim Hertel, a Denver health care consultant and publisher of the Colorado Managed Care newsletter, said in an e-mail.
The HealthOne hospital systems in Colorado are jointly owned by the Colorado Health Foundation (formerly known as HealthOne Alliance), which was created in 1995 as the nonprofit partner of HCA-HealthOne.
The Colorado Health Foundation, whose mission is to “improve the health and health care of Coloradans through leadership, philanthropy and education,” has assets of $800 million and gave grants last year of $14.8 million.
“We have received every indication, in terms of the operations of the hospitals, that nothing will change as a result of this,” said Debra Thomas, vice president of programs at the Colorado Health Foundation.
The president and chief executive of the Colorado Health Foundation is Anne Warhover, who formerly headed the Downtown Denver Partnership. The foundation employs 130 full- and part-time employees.
The board of HCA, based in Nashville, Tenn., approved the sale of the company in a $33 billion deal led by private equity firms, including Bain Capital LLC and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. The deal needs HCA shareholder approval.
HealthOne employees interviewed outside Presbyterian/St. Luke’s and Rose said they were not concerned about the buyout causing job cuts.
“The people who bought it will try to make it better, and the administration tries to keep the employees happy,” said Diane Vaccarino, 58, a Presbyterian/St. Luke’s case management nurse. “We do a lot of good for the community.”
Marla Bridges, a lab technician at Rose Medical Center, said Monday afternoon that she was not initially aware of the HCA deal but was not concerned.
“I think everybody feels like they are secure,” said Bridges, 27. “It’s health care. There are so many jobs available. It’s a big market. You can always find a job. This is a pretty good field to get into.”
Staff writer Ameera Butt can be reached at 303-820-1233 or abutt@denverpost.com.
