The emergency departments at two Upland, Pa.-based Crozer Health hospitals temporarily closed for several hours Dec. 3 due to a lack of radiology services, health system officials confirmed to local news outlets.
"Our radiology system is completely down," Tony Esposito, CEO of Crozer Health, said in an email to The Philadelphia Inquirer early Dec. 3. "Our outside vendor and our team are working diligently on it."
The brief closures were attributed to a technical issue with radiology services. Normal ED operations at both facilities had resumed by 2 p.m., according to CBS News Philadelphia and WHYY News. The Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals told CBS that the issue stemmed from the technology used to read X-ray films. Becker's has reached out to Crozer and will update the report should more information become available.
Crozer, owned by Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings, a private equity-backed company, has scaled back services significantly in recent years. In 2022, Crozer ended all inpatient acute care services at Delaware County Memorial Hospital, which remains closed. The same year, hospital-based services were also suspended at its 25-bed Springfield (Pa.) Hospital. Most recently, the system discontinued surgical services at Taylor Hospital, citing low volumes and reduction in general surgeons.
In late October, the Pennsylvania attorney general's office sued Prospect for years of alleged "mismanagement and neglect" in its stewardship of Crozer. The complaint accuses Prospect of breaching its asset purchase agreement of the four-hospital system by cutting services and closing facilities. In a statement to Becker's, Prospect called the lawsuit "hasty" and "unnecessary," claiming it would further disrupt access to care for Crozer patients.