Nursing Group Offers Staffing Take; New CHOC COO
Investors and analysts are hearing a lot of bad pronouncements from companies these days. But at a recent meeting at the Fullerton headquarters of Beckman Coulter Inc., officials from the biomedical and testing company were positively upbeat.
“This is an exciting time for Beckman Coulter,” Chief Executive John Wareham said. “Our core business is very healthy. It’s the foundation of our daily activities.”
Wareham and other officials gave overviews of various aspects of Beckman’s business. Wareham used a pyramid figure to show the company’s place in the $31 billion a year biomedical testing market, made up of patient care tests, life sciences research and development and specialized testing.
Wareham said a key to growth would be allowing customers to consolidate their workstations and expanding testing menus on Beckman’s existing systems.
G. Russell Bell, a Beckman vice president in charge of immunodiagnostics, touched on some of what’s in the pipeline.
“We have an active R & D.; There are 17 new assays in research and 14 in development,” Bell said, noting that categories include cancer, cardiac disease and endocrine problems. Bonnie Anderson, another Beckman vice president, updated attendees on Immunomics, a San Diego-area business unit that was established last summer. Immunomics was created in order to find applications for new reagents that could speed the search for vaccines to prevent cancer and other immune diseases. “We’ve made tremendous progress,” Anderson said. Immunomics has more than 150 vaccine trials in process and has hired 16 doctorate degree-holding researchers, she said. On the money front, Beckman expects its net earnings for 2001 to grow in the 12% to 14% range, according to Amin Khalifa, chief financial officer. Khalifa said the company is continuing to make progress on debt reduction to the tune of $100 million a year and its cash flow is strong and growing. In other Beckman news, Jack Finney, vice president of the company’s bioresearch division, announced his retirement, effective this June. George Bers is set to succeed Finney, who’s spent 39 years at Beckman. Bers comes to Beckman from Nanogen Inc., a San Diego company where he worked as vice president of business development.
Nurses Group on Staffing
The California Nurses Association, which represents nurses at UCI Medical Center, Orange, unveiled its proposal for minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. The 35,000-member association made the suggestions as part of a process of drafting ratios to comply with California’s new nurse-staffing law.
California’s law, passed in 1999, takes effect next January. The state Department of Health Services will determine the final nurse-patient staffing ratios.
Among other things, the nurses’ association calls for a 3-to-1 patient-nurse ratio in general medical-surgical hospital units. Proposals from the Service Employees International Union called for a 4-to-1 patient/nurse ratio while the University of California hospitals called for a 6-to-1 ratio during the day and a 7-to-1 ratio at night.
Meanwhile, the California Healthcare Association, a hospital trade group, submitted a 10-to-1 patient-nurse ratio in medical-surgical hospital units. The nurses’ and hospital groups have traded punches in print over what is an appropriate staffing ratio.
“These ratios, based on the actual conditions in hospitals today and the severity of illness of today’s hospital patients, are what the public needs for safe care,” said Kay McVay, nurses’ association president, in a statement. McVay received her training at UCI Medical Center when it was Orange County General Hospital.
CHOC’s New COO
Sylvia Kelly is the new executive vice president and chief operating officer at Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange. Kelly will oversee patient care, facilities management and operations for all of CHOC and CHOC at Mission’s inpatient and outpatient departments, along with quality management and human resources.
Kelly previously was chief operating officer at Centinela Hospital Medical Center, a Tenet Healthcare Corp. facility in Inglewood. Before that, Kelly spent 12 years as associate administrator and chief operating officer at USC University Hospital and USC-Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital in Los Angeles. She holds degrees from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and California State University, Sacramento.
Bits and Pieces:
Cardiac Science Inc., Irvine, presented at investor conferences held by RedChip Partners in San Francisco and Windhover Information in Pasadena Radiance Medical Systems Inc., Irvine, had its RDX radiation catheter used in a live case broadcast during the American College of Cardiology’s meeting Barry Scheur, president of Scheur Management Group, will discuss “Managed Care in the Maelstrom: Remedy for a Floundering Business” at the April 12 meeting of the Orange County Employee Benefit Council. Hours are 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. at the Irvine Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Ave. Cost is $25 for members who register by April 6; $30 for members who register after April 6 and at the door and $35 for non-members. For information: (714) 573-8605.
