UUMC’s North Texas expansion brings new opportunities and challenges

United Memorial Medical Center has submitted official documentation to the state of Texas to commence construction of a 23-bed hospital located in Hurst, marking the hospital operator’s initial expansion into North Texas. UUMC currently operates four facilities, including three acute care hospitals in Houston and one in Sugarland. The forthcoming hospital, UMMC Mid-Cities, is poised to become eligible for the Medicare program and will function as a for-profit establishment, not physician-owned.

The application outlines that UMMC Mid-Cities Hospital will serve as a general hospital providing emergency department services, clinical laboratory, X-ray, and surgical facilities. Notably, the facility will not cater to obstetric, mental health, or pediatric care requirements. According to the documents, the hospital will possess one emergency department bed and 23 medical surgery beds.

In 2022, Becker’s Hospital Review reported that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services terminated UUMC’s Medicare contract due to failure in complying with health and safety standards. However, the hospital stated its intention to continue treating Medicare patients without reimbursement. According to a CMS letter from 2021, Houston’s Fox 26 reported instances of rusted equipment in operating rooms, unhygienic cabinets, cockroaches, an open floor drain that allowed pests to access the operating rooms, inadequate certifications for staff, and poor infection control methods. The Houston Chronicle reported that the hospital’s governing board was replaced following the CMS incident.

According to The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grade, UMMC’s primary campus in Houston received an F, and its North and Sugarland campuses received a D and F, respectively. As much of the data was inaccessible, the institution did not receive a numerical rating. The campus at UMMC’s primary location experienced subpar ratings in several categories, including falls, collapsed lungs, blood leakage, accidental cuts and tears, blood infections, sepsis infection, communication, safe medication administration, responsiveness, and more. The American Hospital Directory revealed that this campus is staffed for 151 beds and has a one-star rating for patient experience.

UMMC-Mid Cities Hospital is expected to occupy the location where St. Camillus Medical Center previously stood. While St. Camillus appears to be closed, its website remains active, and attempts to contact hospital leadership went unanswered.

UMMC-Mid Cities Hospital is situated 2.5 miles east of Medical City North Hills, with 157 staffed beds, and less than five miles west of Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford, with 251 staffed beds, as per the American Hospital Directory.

The application documents indicate that Syed Mohiuddin, described as an accomplished businessman and entrepreneur by the Indo-American News, will serve as UMMC’s CEO. UMMC’s leadership declined to respond to questions before the deadline.