Bravo to the Angry Poodle for shining a light on one of Santa Barbara’s dark secrets: the merger of Cottage Health with Sansum Medical Clinic. Whatever happened to anti-trust laws? Not only will this (has already, according to Nick Welsh) affect insurance costs, it also affects quality control.
Unfortunately, we have had more contact with Cottage than we would like this past year, and it is a frustrating experience to say the least. Recourse? Forget it. Even many within the medical community are frustrated but dare not say so in public.
Yes, it has a country club feel with rooms big enough to host a party, meals on demand, and expensive art everywhere, but do we need another country club or an efficient hospital?
Merging with Sansum makes Cottage even more of a monopoly, leaving the average citizen even more powerless. Hopefully, our city and county leaders are listening and will start asking questions.