How Competition Impacts Healthcare: Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital

Cottage Hospital uses its monopoly to invest in nurse training and quality care, avoiding the pitfalls of private equity-driven hospital systems

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, July 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “Fortunately, Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital has used their pricing power from their monopoly in Santa Barbara County to re-invest in the training of registered nurses, certified nursing assistants, and licensed practical nurses to ensure that our community has the bedside staff to keep patients safe,” states Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national malpractice attorney.

Dr. Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national malpractice and product liability attorney, states, “We have seen hospitals across the country destroyed by private equity firms that buy community hospital systems, sell the hospital's real estate to a Healthcare REITS they partially own, then charge the hospital rent to use its own facilities. On top of that, they charge management fees while cutting staff, especially those who provide bedside care."

Dr. Vigna continues, “As a result, these community hospitals often deteriorate into what could be described as decubitus ulcer factories."

Dr. Vigna adds, “Cottage Hospital’s monopoly on hospital services in Santa Barbara appears to be serving the community well and delivering the quality of care for common medical conditions that a Level 2 Trauma Center is expected to provide. We do not see the occurrence of 'Never Events' that are preventable with basic bedside care in Santa Barbara. UCLA entering our community is positive addition, as long as they do not open another hospital in the community and remain a tertiary care provider for those diagnoses that are rare, complex, and require advanced medical procedures. Procedures such as organ transplantation, intracranial bypass for conditions like Moyamoya, and fetal surgery should be handled by UCLA or elsewhere.”

Dr. Vigna concludes, “Competition against Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara isn’t necessary since our hospital is providing safe bedside care and ensuring the necessary care for those who are uninsured, homeless, and economically vulnerable. Pricing power is positive for Cottage Hospital and Santa Barbara if the leadership at Cottage Hospital continue to re-invest their profits in training the future bedside caregivers, and retaining the caregivers who perform with salaries and benefits that allow them to remain in our community.”

Vigna Law Group represents those injured by dangerous medical devices and those injured by medical malpractice across the country.

Dr. Greg Vigna is a resident of Santa Barbara, California and attended Mountain View and San Marcos High School. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and a California and Washington DC lawyer with national litigation practice focusing on birth injuries, ‘Never Event’ lawsuits including Stage IV pressure injuries, and defective medical devices. He represents the most injured with the Ben Martin Law Group, a national pharmaceutical injury law firm in Dallas, Texas.

Read Dr. Greg Vigna's books on birth Injuries, bedsores, and mid-urethral slings.

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
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Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
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