Loma Linda University Medical Center

Infobox Hospital
Name = Loma Linda University Medical Center
Org/Group =

---

Caption =

Location =
Region = Loma Linda
State = California
Country = USA
HealthCare = Private
Type = Teaching Hospital
Speciality =
Standards =
Emergency = Level I Trauma Center
Affiliation= Loma Linda University School of Medicine
Beds = 433
Founded = 1905
Website = http://www.llu.edu/llumc/
Wiki-Links = http://www.llu.edu|

Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) is a teaching hospital of Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, California, United States. LLUMC is home to the Venom E.R, which specializes in snake bites. The medical center serves as a level I trauma center for San Bernardino County and the rest of the Inland Empire. It is one of two closest trauma centers for those who have accidents on I-15 or I-40. UMC in Las Vegas, Nevada is the other closest trauma center. The hospital has two helipads for use by an air ambulance or other helicopter medical transport. However, personal use of the helipad by employees of the hospital or any of the other LLUAHSC entities is not allowed.

The main tower of the center was built in 1967 and is 11-stories high. It is one of the tallest buildings in the Inland Empire. Because of its height and white coloration, it is possible to view the main hospital building from various locations around the San Bernardino valley and mountains. The hospital is currently undergoing a seismic upgrade project.

Loma Linda University Medical Center made international news on October 26, 1984, when Dr. Leonard L Bailey transplanted a baboon heart into Baby Fae, an infant born with a severe heart defect known as left hypoplastic heart. Unfortunately, Baby Fae died a few weeks later. However, this effort led to the successful infant heart transplant program, with transplantation of human-to-human infant transplants. [citation
url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C01E1DD1239F93BA15753C1A962948260&scp=24&sq=university+of+california%2C+riverside
title=BABOON'S HEART IMPLANTED IN INFANT ON COAST
newspaper=New York Times
date=October 28, 1984
accessdate=2008-01-18
last=Altman
first=Laurence K.]

Loma Linda University Children's Hospital

The medical center is also the site of the Loma Linda University Children's Hospital (LLUCH). This includes two complete floors of the main hospital as well as the 4200 unit in addition to the five story south tower.

Loma Linda University

LLUMC is affiliated with Loma Linda University, which includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, allied health, religion, public health, and science and technology.

The Proton Center

Loma Linda University Medical Center has also made history with the first use of protons in hospital based medical therapy. On October 20, 1990, the first patient was treated with the proton accelerator. [http://llu.edu/proton/history/]

California Heart & Surgerical Center

In May 2008, it was announced that LLUMC had been in talks since December and had finalized a buyout of the California Heart and Surgical Center (CHSC) located approximately two miles east of the main campus on the border of Loma Linda and Redlands, CA. [citation
url=http://www.llu.edu/news/today/today_story.php?id=1497
title=LLUMC announces plans to purchase California Heart and Surgical Hospital
website=llu.edu/news
date=12 May 2008
accessdate=2008-09-08] This was a marked departure of their previous position of opposition to the facility when it was first proposed in 2005. The CHSC would have been a for-profit facility while the LLUMC is a non-profit facility and it was feared by area hospitals, including Loma Linda, that the CHSC would take all the paying patients. [citation
url=http://www.pe.com/localnews/healthcare/stories/PE_News_Local_D_hospital01.39cade0.html
title=Loma Linda University Medical Center buys hospital it tried to block
website=pe.com
date=1 May 2008
accessdate=2008-09-08]

Medicare fraud

Loma Linda University Medical Center and subsidiary entities have been involved in several Medicare fraud lawsuits from the federal government.

Loma Linda Behavioral Medicine Center paid 2.2 million dollars to settle a federal lawsuit that the organization had fraudulently over-billed federal health insurance programs. The lawsuit alleged that the center had worked with its billing service to prepare two different cost reports, one for internal use and an inflated one to bill Medicare. [citation
url=http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/07861/medicare-fraud-whistleblower.html
title=Loma Linda Behavioral Medicine Center Medicare Fraud Whistleblower
website=Lawyersandsettlements.com
date=April 25, 2005
accessdate=2008-06-29]

The Loma Linda Pathology Group paid 2.2 million dollars to settle a federal lawsuit over fraudulent Medicare billings. The lawsuit alleged that the hospital had been billing Medicare for procedures done by residents and interns as if they had been done by the attending physicians. [citation
url=http://www.taf.org/total2005.html
title=2005 False Claims Act Settlements
website=taf.org
date=October 7, 2005
accessdate=2008-06-29]

Seismic Upgrade Project

The main hospital building is currently undergoing a seismic upgrade project. It is being headed by Turner Construction Company of New York, NY. The project includes reinforcing the main building to bring it up to more modern standards. [citation
url=http://www.turnerconstruction.com/healthcare/content.asp?d=3644
title=Loma Linda University Medical Center Seismic Upgrade
website=www.turnerconstruction.com
accessdate=2008-09-08]

See also

* Loma Linda University
* Adventist Health System
* List of Seventh-day Adventist hospitals
* List of tallest buildings in Inland Empire

References

# US Department of Justice, Office of Debra W.Yang, Press release #04-150, November 30, 2004.

External links

* [http://lomalindahealth.org Loma Linda University Medical Center]
* [http://www.protons.com Proton Treatment Center]
* [http://www.llu.edu/ Loma Linda University]
* [http://www.socaldocs.com Physician Job Opportunities Loma Linda University]