And The Beat Goes On
Reports filtering in from several area physicians' offices confirm the Department of Justice is still processing information and still asking questions. Some say they are near to "finishing up," and that it won't be too much longer. I'm not sure what that means.
What is definitely still going on is DMH administration's blatant disregard for their employees. Seasoned employees continue to leave in droves, citing better pay at other area hospitals. Meanwhile, current employees are barely able to afford their health insurance, and benefits are still getting cut.
I wonder how much that two page propaganda piece in the DMH Herald & Review cost on Sunday? Or how much the billboards are costing DMH? Are these advertising schemes really necessary to assure patient flow? or is it a "payback" for the H&R not reporting on the FBI investigation and related Smithmier scandals? Maybe if DMH spent more money on employees rather than advertising they would have more quality employees (and better benefits for them!)
We're all waiting, Department of Justice. Anytime is okay with us.
What is definitely still going on is DMH administration's blatant disregard for their employees. Seasoned employees continue to leave in droves, citing better pay at other area hospitals. Meanwhile, current employees are barely able to afford their health insurance, and benefits are still getting cut.
I wonder how much that two page propaganda piece in the DMH Herald & Review cost on Sunday? Or how much the billboards are costing DMH? Are these advertising schemes really necessary to assure patient flow? or is it a "payback" for the H&R not reporting on the FBI investigation and related Smithmier scandals? Maybe if DMH spent more money on employees rather than advertising they would have more quality employees (and better benefits for them!)
We're all waiting, Department of Justice. Anytime is okay with us.
posted by Watcher2300 at 5/21/2007 05:46:00 PM
6 Comments:
Poor physician's offices and their employees. Does anyone in this uninverse truly believe that these employees will tell what really goes on? These employees depend upon their jobs for their income. Whistle blower laws mean nothing when you have 3 kids to feed, clothe, and educate. It would take years of lawyers and lawsuits for employees to win a lawsuit. Who is going to feed the kids in the meantime?
Physicians and Smithmier 1000. Employees 0.
Count me among the few fortunate seasoned, experienced employees who was able to tell Smithmier and his fellow criminals to take this job and shove it. Almost 20 years of experience at DMH and I finally got sick of clocking in everyday knowing that there was no way I could give my patients the care they deserved.
Check the stats at DMH. They hire lots of new graduates. A majority of these new graduates are gone within 6 months to 1 year because of conditions at DMH.
You are right. DMH spends more on advertising than on retaining and offering continuing education to seasoned employees.
Smithmier and others in administration care more about appearance than actual quality care for patients. They care more about their own financial bottom line. Smithmier has tried to make DMH grow too fast. Instead of concentrating resources on existing programs and making them worth bragging about, Smithmier has tried, unsuccessfully, to provide all services regardless of the hospital's ability to recruit and train the staff necessary to provide quality care.
Thank God I was able to get out. I feel so sorry for those employees who feel they have no choice but to clock in every day intending to do the best they can only to clock out carrying with them the burdens of all the care they were supposed to give but were not able to.
If only there was someplace these great employees could go to every day instead of DMH and stll feed their families.
DMH physicians and Smithmier and the rest of his administration have much to answer for and pay for. Sad thing is, they will probably all be long gone from Decatur and this area before anyone decides to make them answer for their crimes.
In the end, the people of this area will be the ones to pay for their crimes.
You might want to take a MUCH LONGER look at the Whistleblower's Law, and what the federal government does for those who it represents.
ANY employee, whether it be a nurse on the floor, someone in accounting, or even a physician employee, can sue DMH on behalf of the US Government if he or she has first-hand knowledge of fraud. If there is ANY attempt at retaliation by any person affiliated with DMH, or by any person who is known to have business with DMH (I'm sure the DOJ knows who is on the DMH board, the businesses represented, the close ties Smithmier has with ADM, the banks, etc...THEY ARE ALSO INCLUDED) that person or business entity will be immediately prosecuted by the US Department of Justice. Period.
If anyone truly wants to end this investigation sooner rather than later, they should take comfort that the US Department of Justice will be there with them every step of the way.
Call them anonymously and find out what they will do to protect you: 217-492-4450.
Remember, the one who comes forward will probably get several hundred thousand dollars as their percentage of the total fine. I think that would more than take care of any financial problems in the unlikely event that Smithmier actually did fire the whistleblower.
Very sad story for the people of Decatur and Macon County. I have a friend who has just one year to go before he completes his surgical residency. Ever since he entered medical school he has talked about setting up his practice in Decatur.
The closer he gets to completing his education however the less he is inclined to come to Decatur. He has heard all about the politics and corruption in Decatur and simply does no want to deal with it.
He wants to take care of patients, not kiss administrative behinds and have administrators tell him where his patients must go to receive care. Now it looks like this talented surgeon will settle anyplace but Decatur.
Look around folks. The surgeons in Decatur are getting older and older and more of them retire every year. Who will replace them?
Decatur cannot afford to lose potential quality physicians because of the rampant corruption and coercion that continues here to this day. Take a look at the new doctors that have come to town lately. Few of them are from this area. They are also leaving almost as quickly as they come. Look at the 2 talented interventional radiologists who are leaving DMH. Sure Smithmier will replace them with fresh meat but I will bet they stay no longer than the other talented MDs who have left here in the past couple of years.
Seems like Decatur is famous (or infamous) around the state for the crimes of Smithmier and friends and this is keeping qualified, talented new physicians with true roots in the community from coming here. Those with roots in this area will stay longer and raise their families here only if they are free to practice medicine and not have Smithmier tell them how they must provide care.
Decatur seems to be more famous for corruption in medical care than for being "The Pride of the Prairie", "The Original Home of the Chicago Bears", or "Soybean Capital of the World."
I know of just this one surgeon
who will not come to Decatur and stay for his entire career. I am sure there are many others just like him who will go anywhere but Decatur.
Smithmier and Stone may be winning the battle, maybe even the war, but in the end they will take their riches, move on, and leave the citizens here sith substandard care.
Lets change the other posters stats to "Smithmier and Stone millions. People of this area zip"
Smithmier & Stone are NOT winning this battle, nor will they win the war.
I liken the times we are in as the early Spring of 1945. The Allies are closing in on Berlin, while the Fuhrer's propaganda machine still floods the masses with stories that the Third Reich will last forever.
April of '45 is coming...it's not a question of IF....it's a question of WHEN.
How many teams of forensic accountants will it take to weed through the creative accounting and records of almost 100 MDs, the hospital and its billing, medicare and medicaid records, hospice, home care, the dmh foundation, insurance records and billing, and so on?
Does the FBI - DOJ know or care about the honest VPs and managers who had the courage to stand up to Smithmier and tell him what he was doing was wrong who were escorted out of DMH and told they were finished at DMH? I know personally of 4 managers or VPs who were told to pack up and get out and escorted out by security. Has anyone interviewed them?
I am sure there were more. Does the DOJ-FBI have list of management, especially upper management people who have been given the boot by Smithmier and Company?
This goes back years.
Why do I think the federal government has bigger fish to fry than Smithmier and Tim Stone? When you think of Pentagon scandals, Halliburton scandals, CIA scandals and so on, the crimes committed at DMH will not be primary on the FBI - DOJ list of priorities.
Has anyone interviewed and investigated insurance companies to see whether they received bribes or kickbaks from DMH? If they have received kickbacks, are these not crimes too?
There are not enough forensic accountants in the DOJ - FBI available to concentrate on just Smithmier and Stone and they and their lawyers know it.
This "investigation" has been going on for almost 3 years and Smithmier and Stone continue to live in luxury at the expense of employees, medicare, medicaid, and insurance companies.
The silence from St. Mary's is deafening. Someone from St. Mary's could have thrown us a bone several years ago giving us some hope that they would be willing to help us but we have heard nothing from them.
Forgive us who are trapped in the DMH web for feeling as though crime pays and hard working people end up paying the price for the crimes of the privileged few.
This whole process is much deeper than just DMH. Others are breaking the laws and are in with DMH concerning billing and payments. If anyone has been turned over to Midwest collections here in Decatur and you paid your bill to DMH I would check your credit report. Chances are very great that MCCI has not taken you off the records.(still showing on your credit report your deliquent greatly affecting your credit score) The FBI has been notified about these practices while MCCI ignores the laws and the complaints that are even made by there employees. MCCI will either fire them or make things so tough they quit. The FBI started to investigate then retirements and switching out investigators became a hinderence to the investigations.If anyone has had this happen to them contact an attorney and file all the legal complaints you can against these 2 arrogant companies. Post your stories here to help others fighting the same battles against MCCI and DMH.
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