Reports from St. Mary's Hospital indicate that Decatur's only neurosurgery group (Drs. Oliver Dold and Robert Kraus) have withdrawn privileges at St. Mary's Hospital.
Although St. Mary's has been paying 1/2 of the subsidy of these same surgeons' medical malpractice insurance costs for the past two years, the surgeons repayed St. Mary's by only performing 5% of their elective surgeries there. What a nice way of saying thanks.
Earlier this year, DMH Administration, who employed the neurosurgeons in Decatur, sent St. Mary's a bill for their "half" of the 2006 medical malpractice subsidy for these surgeons, but added in an additional bill for the "tail coverage" for departing neurosurgeon Marie Long who's surgery numbers were identical to her former partners.
Can you imagine Ken Smithmier had the gall to ask St. Mary's for over $350,000 to subsidize neurosurgeons who HE WON'T EVEN LET OPERATE AT ST. MARY'S?!?!? Ken Smithmier definitely does NOT have the welfare of Macon County residents as his top priority. His arrogance and lust for power have made him ignorant to Decatur's need for quality healthcare for all of Decatur's citizens.
Instead,
Ken Smithmier has effectively told the city of Decatur and the residents of Macon County:
"
I really don't care about you or your loved ones. If anyone needs a neurosurgeon, they will have to come to my hospital. If you prefer another hospital, if you really want choice, that's your problem. I don't give a rat's ass. As far as I'm concerned, there is no choice in Decatur, unless you choose ME. Remember what I've always said: If you want to control the doctors, you have to OWN them. And I do OWN these neurosurgeons. When I say jump, they ask how far. Any of Decatur's citizens who don't like it can eat sh*t and die for all I care."
For Ken Smithmier to take this bold of a step must mean that his organization is hurting bad for cash. Building too many buildings, forking out over-blown salaries to heads of non-existent "Institutes", and of course those
large lawyer fees to defend an FBI investigation for Medicare/Medicaid fraud and blatant violations of the Stark Anti-Trust laws must really be adding up.
All this flurry, right before he gets indicted. What a waste.
