Kern County Hospital Authority was created to save vital safety net health services in our community.
Instead, KCHA handed over responsibility for operating Kern Medical Center and county clinics to two consulting firms, Meridian Health Care Partners and Cantu Management Group — both wholly owned by former Kern Medical executives-turned corporate consultants — who allegedly billed taxpayers for millions of dollars in unauthorized payments while safety and healthcare quality at Kern Medical declined.
After allegations of overbilling hit Kern County newspapers, Meridian executives are accused of influencing the hospital authority board to pay them $850,000 in fees in exchange for terminating their consulting contract and re-hiring them as employees of Kern Medical. At the same time Kern Medical patients and employees suffered. Kern Medical ranked #1 among California hospitals in 2023 for health code violations that pose “a threat of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm” and second in California for fines imposed on acute care hospitals for violations of state health and safety codes.
Healthcare workers at Kern Medical recently filed a complaint with California’s Fair Political Practices Commission alleging Meridian and Cantu executives repeatedly violated California conflict of interest laws. They accuse Meridian executives of influencing the Kern County Hospital Authority’s Board of Governors to approve a contract amendment with their firm containing retroactive authorization for millions of dollars in overpayments for consulting fees.
Read More to find out how the contracting out of vital health care services is hurting Kern County’s most vulnerable patients and fleecing taxpayers.
