Without radiology services, beleaguered hospital system forced to temporarily close 2 EDs
Without radiology services, a beleaguered Pennsylvania hospital system was forced to temporarily close two emergency departments this week, according to published reports.
EDs at Crozer-Chester (Pa.) Medical Center and Taylor Hospital, Ridley Park, Pa., abruptly closed for over three hours Tuesday because they could not offer imaging. Crozer Health system CEO Tony Esposito blamed the glitch on a “technical problem,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Dec. 3.
The system diverted patients to other institutions nearly 10 miles away, beginning around 10 am., before imaging services resumed at 1:45 p.m.
“As healthcare providers, we depend on imaging to diagnose, treat and also to save lives,” Maureen May, president of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses, told KYW Newsradio Tuesday. “Radiology is imperative,” she added later.
The disruption occurred after Crozer Health’s longtime imaging partner, Southeast Radiology Ltd., went out of business in June. Crozer had been using teleradiology provider RadLinx since then. However, as of Saturday, Nov. 30, it had pivoted to another company called Northern Light, according to a staff email obtained by the Inquirer.
Crozer Health has been beset with setbacks in recent years. Los Angeles-based private equity firm Prospect Medical Holdings acquired the hospital system for $300 million in 2016 with plans to make significant capital investments—modernizing facilities, attracting more patients and expanding services. But amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Prospect faced rising costs, staffing shortages and supply chain issues. ChristianaCare Health System in 2022 announced its intent to acquire Crozer Health in 2022, but the deal fell through.
Crozer faced a similar situation in 2022 when it didn’t have enough staff to provide radiology services at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill, Pa. The Pennsylvania Department of Health ordered the system to shut down the hospital’s ED, which eventually led to the closure of all inpatient services, according to the Inquirer. About five weeks ago, the state attorney general also petitioned a Delaware County court to give authorities control of the system.
Nurse Maureen May, whose union provides care at both hospitals, said this week’s radiology challenges continue a longtime pattern of poor management by Crozer owners.
“It’s part of a bigger picture. Can things go wrong? Yes, infrastructures can fail. But there’s a lot of failures over there—and it starts with the [previous hospital] closures—and again, slowly but surely, creating a desert for care,” she said.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.