Darley v. Ward

136 Cal. App. 3d 614, 186 Cal. Rptr. 434, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 2046
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedOctober 19, 1982
DocketCiv. 47998
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 136 Cal. App. 3d 614 (Darley v. Ward) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Darley v. Ward, 136 Cal. App. 3d 614, 186 Cal. Rptr. 434, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 2046 (Cal. Ct. App. 1982).

Opinion

Opinion

SMITH, J.

This is an appeal from a judgment denying appellant’s petition for a writ of mandate and request for injunctive relief and granting declaratory relief in favor of respondents.

*617 Appellant, Earl Darley, by way of a taxpayer’s action, sought a declaration that two contracts executed by respondent, San Mateo County, with National Medical Enterprises, Inc. for the provision of management services at two county health facilities were void because entered into without compliance with sections 1442 and 1442.5 of the Health and Safety Code and sections 31000 and 53060 of the Government Code. In addition, appellant sought a peremptory writ of mandate commanding respondents, the San Mateo Board of Supervisors, to set aside their decision to implement and execute the contracts and to provide notice and conduct hearings in accordance with Health and Safety Code sections 1442 and 1442.5. Appellant also sought injunctive relief restraining respondents “from transferring management or executing, implementing, enforcing or performing the . . . contracts . . . with National Medical Enterprises, Inc.” 1

Appellant maintains that: 1) respondents transferred the management of the health facilities in question and therefore had to comply with the requirements of Health and Safety Code sections 1442 and 1442.5; 2) respondents’ failure to comply with the requirements of Government Code sections 31000 and 53060 renders the management contracts void; and 3) the trial court’s failure to render adequate findings on the issue of special services constitutes reversible error.

We reject these contentions and affirm the judgment.

Factual and Procedural Statement

A. The contracts

The dispute in the instant case concerns two contracts executed on July 26, 1977, by the County of San Mateo (hereinafter the county) with National Medical Enterprises, Inc. (hereinafter N.M.E.) for the provision of management services at two county health facilities, Chope Hospital and Crystal Springs Rehabilitation Center, at a cost of $380,000.

The agreements, which were for the term of one year commencing on August 1, 1977, provided in relevant part as follows:

*618 “Subject to the ultimate direction and authority of the County Board of Supervisors and the Director of Public Health and Welfare of County, hereinafter referred to as ‘Director’, and, where appropriate, the Director of General Services, Contractor shall provide to and perform for County, management services, and consultation and advice concerning the operation of Center as more particularly set forth below . . .
“Any other provisions in this contract to the contrary notwithstanding, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Contractor, in the performance of its services herein contracted for, shall not have, nor shall it exercise any line authority within the administration of [Crystal Springs Center and Chope Hospital] or County, and that all of its services herein contracted for shall be that of an independent contractor, advisor, consultant, and liaison between the Director and, where appropriate, the Director of General Services on the one hand and the personnel of [Crystal Springs Center and Chope Hospital] on the other hand . . .
“Contractor shall provide to County an on-site, full-time, competent, experienced, and qualified general project manager . . . [and] hospital controller. Contractor shall not make assignments of its personnel to said positions nor shall such of its personnel be reassigned or removed from said positions . . . without the consent of the Director having first been obtained . . .
“All medical and professional matters pertaining to the practice of medicine set forth in the by-laws of the Center medical staff as approved by the Board of Supervisors shall be the responsibility of County and the medical staff of Center, subject only to Contractor’s consultation and advice concerning same.
“In order to assure adequate liaison between the medical staff of Center, the County, and Contractor, Contractor and County jointly shall establish a Joint Conference Committee for Center consisting of representatives of the medical staff, the hospital administrator, and other representatives of the County deemed necessary and desirable. Such Joint Conference Committee shall meet as frequently as necessary or desirable but in any event shall meet monthly unless otherwise scheduled by the Joint Conference Committee . . . having duties as follows:
“a. To use its best efforts to assure to Center that the highest medical, ethical, and professional standards are maintained therein.
“b. To use its best efforts to assure that all patients admitted to Center or who are treated as out-patients receive the best possible patient care.
“c. To provide a forum for discussion and solution of problems of a mixed medical-administrative nature that may arise between the medical staff and the administrative staff of Center.
*619 “d. To use its best efforts to assure that plans for future operations of Center reflect both the medical and administrative needs of the County.
“e. To fully cooperate with County in the training of designated County personnel in Contractor’s area of expertise in the full scope of hospital management.
“Contractor shall also provide to Center, for consultation and advice, its staff specialists in such fields as accounting, accreditation, administration, auditing, budgeting, community relations, dietary services, emergency care, environmental control, food management, laboratory, management assistance and data processing, materials management, medical records, nursing, pharmacy operations, physicians recruitment, purchasing, quality assurance, respiratory therapy, radiology, insurance management, and third-party reimbursement, hereinafter referred to as support personnel.
“Contractor shall establish a management development program for Center’s department heads and supervisors and shall conduct seminars for director of nursing, in-service directors and administrators, and controllers, and seminars in other departmental oriented activities. Key personnel of Center shall participate as needed in Contractor-conducted education and evaluation programs designed to improve the efficiency, labor productivity, cost effectiveness, and quality of care at Center and to insured continuity of management information and capacity should Contractor not continue to provide services after the expiration of this present agreement. . . .

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Bluebook (online)
136 Cal. App. 3d 614, 186 Cal. Rptr. 434, 1982 Cal. App. LEXIS 2046, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/darley-v-ward-calctapp-1982.