County-USC hospital to open full

Every bed at the new Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center will be filled from the day it opens this fall, according to an independent report requested by the Board of Supervisors covered in today's Los Angeles Daily Journal. The hospital will be at its "tipping point," says the story by Evan George.

In even the best case scenario overcrowding could threaten the hospital's emergency department....That's because a 5 percent "surge" in patients is expected to swarm the smaller, more modern facility. And that surge could in reality be far higher - with as many as 15 percent more patients per day seeking care at the 600-bed facility - the report found.

That could spell trouble for the already stressed health care system in Los Angeles County.

It also could mean new legal woes over scarce bed space.

No links available at the Daily Journal.