No choice is NOT "the right choice"
On Saturday August 13th, the DMH-friendly/DMH-sponsored Decatur Herald and Review had a pull-out paper with the headline, "DMH: The Clear Choice." You may have seen it; it was the small tabloid-appearing paper with a picture of DMH on it with dead trees all around. Regardless of the propaganda printed, I saw quite a few problems with their line of bull:
Problem #1: If one is a patient of a DMH-employed doc, then going to DMH is NOT A CHOICE, because DMH-employed docs were ordered to give up privileges at St. Mary's. Only one doctor has had the guts to stand up to Smithmier and keep practicing at St. Mary's. The rest have acquiesced. How, then, can going to DMH in this situation be a choice?
Problem #2: If one is a patient of a DMH-employed family doc or internal medicine specialist, then one not only has problem #1, but soon won't even get to see their own physician in the hospital! All family/internal medicine docs have been ordered to give up hospital practice, and allow a "hospitalist" to see and treat all patients while admitted to the hospital. How is that choice? The hospitalist doesn't know me, nor do they know my kids (who, by the way, will get seen by residents!!, not the hospitalists, since they don't have training to take care of kids.) If you're a patient of a DMH-employed family/internal medicine doc, you have NO CHOICE but to be admitted by a doctor you don't know, and your kids will be taken care of by residents.
Problem #3: The "top of the line" CT machine is also available at St. Mary's. I guess no one bothered to mention that.
Problem #4: St. Mary's also has interventional radiologists who can do everything that the DMH guys can do.
Problem #5: The Illinois Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, LTD, is based IN BLOOMINGTON, NOT DECATUR. These guys supposedly take shifts coming down to Decatur to be available and to, occasionally, do surgeries. They won't do this for long, I'm sure. And I'm also sure the cost of paying their gas/travel time is getting pricey for the hospital. (But that's okay, the costs will get passed on to you! That's why your tylenol cost $10.50 a dose!)
Problem #6: The same cancer care services that were touted in the "special section" are also available at St. Mary's. Imagine that!
Problem #7: This one is SO FREAKIN' FUNNY, I JUST CAN'T STAND IT! "DMH Inpatient Orthopaedic Unit ranks in the top one percent in the nation--recently surveyed patients gave DMH top scores for skill of nurses and physicians, and coordination of care."
WOW! DMH orthopaedic patients have been all over the nation, and amongst all the places they've ever been to get their knee replaced for the 35th time, DMH was in the top one percent! Even if the rating was based on scores submitted by patients and compared to the national averages, it still sounds like that "Strive for Fives" B.S. that was being pulled all over the hospital! (For those who don't know, the hospital had a 1-5 rating system for many aspects of a patient's hospital care, and the patient was supposed to rate their experience in each of these areas. Unfortunately, the hospital AT THE SAME TIME was making their employees wear buttons that had a big '5' on it, and they had placards all over the hospital that said, "We Strive for Fives." Not the best way to get UNBIASED data. I'm sure the biggest majority of patients put down all kinds of fives after seeing the buttons and signs everywhere. Right, real scientific.)
Problem #8: Hospitalists ARE NOT THE MODEL OF PATIENT CARE! The biggest majority of patients DO NOT WANT TO SEE A STRANGER OR A RESIDENT taking care of them or their family when they EXPECT TO SEE THEIR OWN DOCTOR! They want the same doctor that saw them in the office to be the same one seeing them in the hospital and to be the same one caring for their children. In Rockford and Chicago, hospitals are SELLING THEIR PHYSICIAN PRACTICES BACK TO THE PHYSICIANS, and the hospitalists are having to find other jobs, because no one uses them anymore. Look around and see what the trends are, even in the big cities!
Problem #9 Excellence in care does not come from stupid feel-good B.S. like what you see in the Pacific Institute. Teaching people to be nice and friendly comes from their upbringing as a child, and maybe from their religious experience, not from some company out to B.S. large businesses and take their money in exchange for "teaching" values like this. Six Sigma and other quality assurance programs only work when administration is willing to change. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN AT DMH. Well, it will, but only after Mr. Pettinger and the DOJ get done with their job.
CHOICE?!?! At DMH?!?! That makes about as much sense as the Soviets getting a choice on their ballots at election time.
People, both hospitals have quality staff and quality services, so don't worry about what's available at one or the other. You should go the hospital YOU want to go to. And if your doc doesn't go there, you might want to CHANGE DOCTORS. There are plenty of doctors who still go to BOTH hospitals and WHO WILL SEE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL and WHO WILL SEE YOUR KIDS IN THE HOSPITAL, regardless of where you want to go.
Rant now over.
Problem #1: If one is a patient of a DMH-employed doc, then going to DMH is NOT A CHOICE, because DMH-employed docs were ordered to give up privileges at St. Mary's. Only one doctor has had the guts to stand up to Smithmier and keep practicing at St. Mary's. The rest have acquiesced. How, then, can going to DMH in this situation be a choice?
Problem #2: If one is a patient of a DMH-employed family doc or internal medicine specialist, then one not only has problem #1, but soon won't even get to see their own physician in the hospital! All family/internal medicine docs have been ordered to give up hospital practice, and allow a "hospitalist" to see and treat all patients while admitted to the hospital. How is that choice? The hospitalist doesn't know me, nor do they know my kids (who, by the way, will get seen by residents!!, not the hospitalists, since they don't have training to take care of kids.) If you're a patient of a DMH-employed family/internal medicine doc, you have NO CHOICE but to be admitted by a doctor you don't know, and your kids will be taken care of by residents.
Problem #3: The "top of the line" CT machine is also available at St. Mary's. I guess no one bothered to mention that.
Problem #4: St. Mary's also has interventional radiologists who can do everything that the DMH guys can do.
Problem #5: The Illinois Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, LTD, is based IN BLOOMINGTON, NOT DECATUR. These guys supposedly take shifts coming down to Decatur to be available and to, occasionally, do surgeries. They won't do this for long, I'm sure. And I'm also sure the cost of paying their gas/travel time is getting pricey for the hospital. (But that's okay, the costs will get passed on to you! That's why your tylenol cost $10.50 a dose!)
Problem #6: The same cancer care services that were touted in the "special section" are also available at St. Mary's. Imagine that!
Problem #7: This one is SO FREAKIN' FUNNY, I JUST CAN'T STAND IT! "DMH Inpatient Orthopaedic Unit ranks in the top one percent in the nation--recently surveyed patients gave DMH top scores for skill of nurses and physicians, and coordination of care."
WOW! DMH orthopaedic patients have been all over the nation, and amongst all the places they've ever been to get their knee replaced for the 35th time, DMH was in the top one percent! Even if the rating was based on scores submitted by patients and compared to the national averages, it still sounds like that "Strive for Fives" B.S. that was being pulled all over the hospital! (For those who don't know, the hospital had a 1-5 rating system for many aspects of a patient's hospital care, and the patient was supposed to rate their experience in each of these areas. Unfortunately, the hospital AT THE SAME TIME was making their employees wear buttons that had a big '5' on it, and they had placards all over the hospital that said, "We Strive for Fives." Not the best way to get UNBIASED data. I'm sure the biggest majority of patients put down all kinds of fives after seeing the buttons and signs everywhere. Right, real scientific.)
Problem #8: Hospitalists ARE NOT THE MODEL OF PATIENT CARE! The biggest majority of patients DO NOT WANT TO SEE A STRANGER OR A RESIDENT taking care of them or their family when they EXPECT TO SEE THEIR OWN DOCTOR! They want the same doctor that saw them in the office to be the same one seeing them in the hospital and to be the same one caring for their children. In Rockford and Chicago, hospitals are SELLING THEIR PHYSICIAN PRACTICES BACK TO THE PHYSICIANS, and the hospitalists are having to find other jobs, because no one uses them anymore. Look around and see what the trends are, even in the big cities!
Problem #9 Excellence in care does not come from stupid feel-good B.S. like what you see in the Pacific Institute. Teaching people to be nice and friendly comes from their upbringing as a child, and maybe from their religious experience, not from some company out to B.S. large businesses and take their money in exchange for "teaching" values like this. Six Sigma and other quality assurance programs only work when administration is willing to change. THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN AT DMH. Well, it will, but only after Mr. Pettinger and the DOJ get done with their job.
CHOICE?!?! At DMH?!?! That makes about as much sense as the Soviets getting a choice on their ballots at election time.
People, both hospitals have quality staff and quality services, so don't worry about what's available at one or the other. You should go the hospital YOU want to go to. And if your doc doesn't go there, you might want to CHANGE DOCTORS. There are plenty of doctors who still go to BOTH hospitals and WHO WILL SEE YOU IN THE HOSPITAL and WHO WILL SEE YOUR KIDS IN THE HOSPITAL, regardless of where you want to go.
Rant now over.
posted by Watcher2300 at 8/14/2005 04:14:00 PM
1 Comments:
Other examples of no choice at DMH:
Patients to get medical equipment, ONLY sent to DMH Medical equipment.
Patients to get home health care,
ONLY sent to DMH Home Health.
Patients to get extended care,
ONLY sent to DMH 6th floor and not other quality nursing homes in the area.
NO CHOICE is NOT "the right choice!"
<< Home