Saturday, January 27, 2007

Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain...

The name of the game is DECEPTION..... Here's a short list of comments heard while corporate officers visited last week:

"DRMC is still 'your' hospital. We don't make local decisions at the corporate level"
"Corporate has never tried to force DRMC into a LifePoint model"
"DRMC has been recognized for its individuality"
"DRMC must reconnect with the community"

I don't know about the rest of you but I refuse to have the wool pulled over my eyes any longer. I can no longer stand by as LifePoint points the finger at DRMC associates for undermining corporate's intentions. It is not DRMC that needs to "reconnect" with the community.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Name that movie....

Okay....lots going on....have heard lots of buzz, so now I'm just filtering through it, separating fact from fiction.

In the meantime, I've got a contest for you....see if you can name that movie.

" 'They don't have a choice! ___ ____'s the only one doing the talking. People want leadership. And in the absence of genuine leadership, they will listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership...They're so thirsty for it, they'll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there's no water, they'll drink the sand.'

'People don't drink the sand, 'cause they're thirsty...They drink it 'cause they don't know the difference.'"

Slow news days?

Well, not really....just been laying low so far this week. There's been enough stuff going on, so I'm just waiting to see how it plays out.

Senior management was in for a visit....had some meetings with middle managers....also rumor has it that the senior managers had a conversation with Coy Harville.

If anybody wants to share some news or just your opinion, just leave a comment.
(and don't forget that you can choose 'anonymous' as your ID)

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Agent Mulder was right....'trust no one'

If you haven't gotten a chance to read it yet, be sure you check out Kinney Rorrer's opinion article in today's Register & Bee. As if the title "We must all watch them" isn't enough to grab your attention, how about this.....
"Considering their bleak track record, the members of the Danville Regional Foundation should be watched and challenged at every step by our elected officials, the news media and, of course, the public."

or this...
"The Danville Regional Foundation....is dead wrong in dismissing the ongoing controversy at the hospital by stating...that the 'manner in which (the hospital) is being operated....is in the past.' This may be true, for the extremely wealthy, but for the thousands of us who must rely upon the hospital, the manner of its operation is very much in the here and now -- and is of life-and-death importance to each of us."

Lifepoint unknowingly bought itself a tar baby.
(For those of you not up on your Uncle Remus, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tar_baby )

Update...here is a link to the opinion article by Mr. Rorrer:
http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB%2FMGArticle%2FDRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149192757238&path=!news!communityvoice

Saturday, January 20, 2007

A vist from corporate...

I hear that senior managers from corporate are going to be visiting our fair city on Monday....I hope they take the time to talk to employees and read the letters to the editor while they are here. It should make for an interesting visit.

Wow...

I’m glad I don’t work there

To the editor:
It is interesting to me that the five men who were behind the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center want us to put the bad service from LifePoint Hospitals Inc. behind us and move on.These are the same people that can afford to seek medical treatment anywhere. They also are supposed to be savvy businessmen, so remember this when you patronize (or not) their businesses.
As a matter of fact, they thought they knew so much more than the citizens of this area, they kept the entire deal to sell the hospital a secret for as long as they could. I also wonder how they actually portrayed us to LifePoint. Did they realize that many of the best doctors actually came to Danville Regional because it was a not-for-profit hospital?
Coy Harville was correct in pointing out the things he did in his letter, “Why do they need help?” (Jan. 4, page A4).
As a former long-time employee of Danville Regional, I can also point some things out. For example, before I went to work for a community non-profit hospital 45 miles away, I tried to understand what LifePoint was about. The local physicians and medical personnel tried to work with LifePoint and were repeatedly ignored or placated. LifePoint officials said all the right things about patient care, but continued to implement their own policies, even when Danville Regional people pointed out that it would be detrimental to the medical care we were used to providing. It was hard to start lowering our standards to theirs.
I got mad and when one of their consultants said, “The nurses here are way overpaid for their abilities.” I drew a line in the sand!I did not become a nurse to pad the pockets of CEOs, CFOs and board members. There have been more than $10 million in bonuses paid to the LifePoint executives and board members over the past two years.
I became a nurse to help people recover from illness and to have better lives. I believe LifePoint preys on the medical staffs sense of duty and love of patients to provide the best of care under the worst of conditions. Short staffing, few supplies and old, outdated systems are not in the best interest of the patients - only the stockholders.I have been gone a year and I still get calls every week from someone who had a bad experience at the hospital or from Danville Regional employees who want a job somewhere else. A large number of excellent employees have resigned from Danville Regional, while others were simply terminated.
Working for LifePoint seems no different than working at Dan River Inc. - making a profit for the company man - only LifePoint hasn’t closed yet.
DIXIE , R.N.
Danville

"Cloud of controversy..."

Kudos to Coy Harville for "re-igniting" the controversy...along with all those concerned citizens and physicians who have written letters to the editor...I think we will start hearing more from the "employees" (remember, not associates any more) who work inside the walls of DRMC and really see what is going on with the current state of the hospital. We'll take a bright beam of light on this situation any way we can get it.

One tough job
Danville Register and Bee [editorial]
January 21, 2007

Credit Coy Harville with re-igniting one of the most bitter controversies in the Dan River Region - the sale of Danville Regional Medical Center and the formation of Danville Regional Foundation.
Harville isn’t the only local resident angry about the issue - or more correctly, issues - but he is the most prominent critic to speak publicly on the matter. Harville is a member of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors and was recently voted the board’s chairman.
In a letter to the editor published Jan. 4, Harville wrote about Danville Regional Foundation’s plan to hire a consultant to help determine the projects the foundation should support.
“Among other things, this clearly shows that these people had no idea of what to do with the $200 million when they decided to sell our hospital without a word of community input,” Harville wrote. “They just wanted the money - and put that ahead of us having a good hospital.”
Since that time, others have written letters to this newspaper complaining about the sale of Danville Regional to LifePoint Hospitals Inc. and the establishment of Danville Regional Foundation. It’s a good bet those letters reflect the community’s true sentiment - and ongoing frustration.
Since Harville’s letter was published, the foundation also has announced the search for a new chief executive officer - a move sure to create even more consternation among those in the community angered by the sale of the hospital, LifePoint’s management of Danville Regional Medical Center since the sale and the fact that the same men who made the decision to sell the hospital are now members of Danville Regional Foundation.
The foundation responded to Harville - but just barely - in a Jan. 7 column by Chairman Dr. B.R. Ashby: “We can debate forever the merits of selling the hospital and the manner in which it is being operated, but that is in the past. We are focused on the future.”
That line won’t satisfy the people angered by the events of the past few years, and for good reason. The merits of selling the hospital were never publicly debated. The hospital sale was presented as both a necessity - and a done deal. The public was never sold on the original problem, which was the hospital’s long-term financial viability in the changing world of health care.
At the same time, the first round of Danville Regional Foundation grants has shown the group’s work has the potential to transform this community for the better. Having $200 million to advance the health, education and well-being of this community and its residents is a tremendous asset. Over time, the Danville Regional Foundation’s grants will make a big difference.
It’s unfortunate the members of Danville Regional Foundation have never adequately addressed the controversy that surrounds their actions, both past and present, and tried to win the hearts and minds of the people they claim to serve. The Danville Regional Foundation’s first CEO will take the reins of a group that will make this community better - but will do so under a continuing and well-deserved cloud of controversy. That’s a shame.

Friday, January 19, 2007

CPR?

Experienced nurses have left Danville Regional
To the editor:
In the beginning, I deferred to the “experts” and thought the sale of Danville Regional Medical was a good move. We were told that within five years, we would have to sell the hospital, and by then, it would be nearly worthless (financially). Why not sell it now, so we can at least return the money to the community?
Well, as I now sit by and watch nurse after nurse (who have dedicated their careers to this hospital and community) move to other communities, I have to wonder - would we have been better off if we had waited five years and then donated the hospital to an organization such as Duke Medical?
Of course, that is ludicrous, but at least the community would have maintained quality health care. As the Danville Regional Foundation disburses the $200 million from the sale of the hospital, I hope its members realize the real disbursement is the health care professionals from our hospital. The true benefactors of the sale of our hospital appear to be the many health care facilities throughout Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina that are hiring the staff from Danville Regional (it seems health care professionals with 20-plus years of experience are a true asset to some hospitals).
Remember, as the staff from the hospital moves, they take with them spouses and families. As professionals leave Danville and our hospital’s image continues to suffer, how much harder will it be to attract new businesses and industries? The $200 million the foundation has will be a drop in the bucket compared to the loss of a few new industries.
I have to think that the recipients of this money will look back in a few years and wish they could give the money back if it would gain them quality health care and a vibrant community.
All health care providers are taught the ABC’s of life support (airway, breathing, circulation). Our hospital is still breathing, but it’s “bleeding” professional staff at an alarming rate. I like the idea of using the $200 million to buy back our hospital, but it’s high time someone stepped up and stops the bleeding before we have to start CPR.
STEVE
Ringgold

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

The British are coming, the British are coming...

Well, actually, not the British....but Joint Commission is scheduled to make a visit very soon.
Keep your fingers crossed...

And in related news...

Agents of what change?
To the editor:
Is everyone thrilled to know we have competent agents of change to shape the future of Danville who have it on good authority - being themselves, apparently - “... proven ourselves in our careers and through our voluntary contributions to our community ...” as agents of change who “... take very seriously our responsibility for the investment, management and distribution of approximately $200 million to benefit the health, education and well-being of the Danville area” and agents of change who are “... united in purpose and dedication to our community ...”?
Frankly, I have never read anything that so scared me about a group of self-perceived and self-anointed “agents of change” - maybe that should be “god” with the small “g” - as “Looking at the long run,” (Jan. 7, page B6).Has anyone ever heard the term “delusion of grandeur?” Maybe $200 million that belongs to the general public of the Danville-Pittsylvania-Caswell area does confer some power, but it surely cannot confer - make that “buy” - approval or respect.
May I recommend a research study on the background subject of this discussion entitled, “Are For Profit Hospital Conversions Harmful for Patients and Medicare?” by Gabriel Picone of the University of South Florida, Shin-Yi Chou of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Frank Sloan of Duke University.

H.C.S.
Danville

>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Interesting letter....take a moment to Google the study referenced above. Here is the abstract from SSRN:

Abstract: We examine how changes in hospital ownership to and from for-profit status affect quality and Medicare payments per hospital stay. We hypothesize that hospitals converting to for-profit ownership boost postacquisition profitability by reducing dimensions of quality not readily observed by patients and by raising prices. We find that 1-2 years after conversion to for-profit status, mortality of patients, which is difficult for outsiders to monitor, increases while hospital profitability rises markedly and staffing decreases. Thereafter, the decline in quality is much lower. A similar decline in quality is not observed after hospitals switch from for-profit to government or private nonprofit status.

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Thanks Jo....

I appreciate your note. It's nice to know I'm not the only one out there. Keep the comments coming.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Keep those letters (to the editor) coming, folks.

We’re living with it now
To the editor:
The column, “Looking at the long run,” (Jan. 7, page B6) stated: “We can debate forever the merits of selling the hospital and the manner in which it is being operated, but that is in the past. We are focused on the future.”
Perhaps debating the merits of selling the hospital is in the past, but the manner in which it (the hospital) is being operated is clearly not an issue of the past and is worthy of discussion. How is it affecting individuals, families and our economy in the present? Are people from our area presently seeking hospital services and care at other hospitals? Have qualified, experienced hospital employees and staff been lost because of present management practices and policies? Are physicians leaving our area due to the present management of the hospital? Has our local economy felt a negative impact because of the hospital’s present management
The city’s Web site still refers to Danville Regional Medical Center as a “private, not for profit” facility. The Web site posts 2005 data showing “Health Care and Social Assistance” as the area’s second-largest major industrial sector with 170 establishments and 5,109 employees. (Manufacturing was the largest with 45 establishments and 6,069 employees.) The same site has an excerpt from the office of economic development which states, “More than 125 physicians and 40 dentists maintain community health in Danville.” How have these statistics changed since the sale of the hospital?
We cannot afford to minimize the importance of area health care and the present management of Danville Regional Medical Center. I guess, if necessary, we could request that the Danville Regional Foundation fund the hospital to provide better services in the future.
F.C. MAUTE, M.D.
KAREN MAUTE
Mount Cross
Buy Danville Regional back
To the editor:
A few years ago, we had an outstanding hospital with excellent physicians and services, along with up-to-date equipment.
Our community owned and operated hospital was sold to a for-profit group. I understand it is required to pay about $1 million per year in taxes to the city. And, of course, it needs to make a profit to compensate its investors. This has resulted in a decrease in nursing and administrative staff and services. You and I failed to respond as we should have to oppose the sale.
I understand that other cities in Virginia similar to us in size - Harrisonburg, Staunton, Winchester and Lynchburg - continue to maintain their not-for-profit hospitals and they are operating beautifully.
What can we do now?
Why not use the $200 million from the sale of our hospital to buy back the hospital? Every community needs a good hospital and good medical services. Is it too late to get our hospital back?
FRANCES MILAM STONEBURNER, M.D.
Danville

Saturday, January 13, 2007

An interesting read...

It won't take you long to read, I promise. But it gives an interesting view as to where we were just 18 months ago.
http://www.danvilleregional.org/original/bh05/05sum-a.html
(And, BTW, notice how many people are in the photo of the lobby. Hmmm...)

Is it just me, or is it ironic that the Summer 2005 issue of BetterHealth was its last? This little magazine used to be a source of pride for those folks up in Communications. It won awards but, more importantly, it told everyone in the Danville area of the great things happening inside the hospital's four walls.

For just another delicious slice of irony, read the quote at the top of the last press release posted on dear old DRHS's news page.
http://www.danvilleregional.org/absale.html

So, click the link above...then explore the site. Take a walk down memory lane.

Together, we will have a brighter future.

Just in case any of you have any thoughts or suggestions regarding healthcare in our region, you might want to contact one of these folks.

http://www.danvilleregionalfoundation.org/leadership.html

Amen brother.

I go out of town for medical care
To the editor:
I have been following this LifePoint fiasco since it bought Danville Regional Medical Center. I always thought we had a very good hospital. Unfortunately, I don’t think that now. I read the letter that Coy Harville wrote and I agree 100 percent.
I think if these good ole’ boys were smart, they would hire Harville as their CEO. He seems to recognize that Danville has a problem with LifePoint. According to the Danville Region Web Blog, their current CEO is the fourth in six months. Apparently, there have been several changes in senior management. The chief operating officer is the third since the acquisition and chief finance officer is the second.Why can’t LifePoint keep its senior management?
But that is only just a small problem with LifePoint. There are many more cumbersome problems affecting the hospital, and the nurses and staff are paying for most of them. There is strong discontent running rampant at Danville Regional, and I think our community leaders need to be aware of it. Where are our community leaders? This problem has been boiling over since LifePoint took the hospital and I think Mayor Wayne Williams and Danville City Council needs to look into it. The defeatist way the nurses and staff operate is crippling not only the hospital, but the community as a whole. I think there is more work heaped on the nurses and proper patient care is out the window. From what I have heard, Most of the staff work with an antiquated system that went out in the 1980s and they have received more hours, smaller staffs, regression in equipment and caveman technology.
It is an absolute shame what LifePoint has done to our hospital. We have lost good doctors, nurses and quality care. What Danville has is a CEO with a bigger paycheck. It looks like LifePoint is all about the money and not the needs of the community.
This community needs a good quality hospital like it used to have. It does not need a corporation that disregards the care of its employees or its community. It is unfortunate now that if I want quality care, I need to go out of town.

MICHAEL from Danville