Tuesday, January 15, 2008

"Panel: Hospital wait times still lag"

Danville Register & Bee
Monday, January 14, 2008

With a statement of its vision in place, the Healthcare Leadership Council met last week and began to tackle the thorny hospital issue of emergency room wait times at Danville Regional Medical Center.
“While statistics show there recently has been more than a 30 (percent) reduction in wait times, the council challenged the hospital that the wait time from the time a patient reaches the ED until he or she is in a bed still needs improvement,” Council Chairman Don Nodtvedt stated in a news release issued Friday. “The hospital agreed they will continue to address the process changes necessary to reduce the wait time. Additionally, there was agreement that communication with the emergency waiting room patients should be improved.”
The council, formed as part of an effort to improve communication between Danville Regional and the community, also viewed a presentation that reported satisfaction survey results in pools of patients, doctors and associates.
“The hospital is currently sharing these results within its organization, recognizing that while for the most part, they have been improving, there is more work to be done in all three survey pools,” Nodtvedt said.
He explained that three areas have been surveyed either in six- or 12-month intervals by an independent research group, allowing the council to see the trends and results.
The council divides each meeting into at least four topic areas, Nodtvedt said.
“We are developing the council’s vision, mission, and goals,” he said. “We have completed the vision and are working on the mission and goals. We must know what the future should look like, where we are going and how we know when we get there.”
Other topics include issues that have surfaced to council members in the past month that develop a pattern of concern.
“This month it was the emergency department,” he said. “We follow on the progress each subsequent month to ensure closure. Then each month the hospital reports to us on their progress - or lack thereof - in areas of our choice. This month it was satisfaction results of patients, doctors and associates, and the previous month it was the intensive care unit.”
Finally, he said, each council member may submit requests for agenda items.
Jess Judy, a division president for LifePoint Hospitals Inc., is a council member and hospital CEO Jerel Humphrey attends every council meeting, Nodtvedt said, noting that other members of the hospital attend the meetings depending on the agenda.
Nodtvedt said it is still too early to evaluate the progress of the council, but said he is pleased with Humphrey’s commitment.
“At the same time, recognizing that the council has no authority other than political influence, I would like to see faster progress,” Nodtvedt said. “This is the consensus of the council as well. We still need to finish our mission and specifically our goals to see if, in fact, we are making a difference.
“The issues are complex and large, so I do not expect this to be resolved quickly either. I do believe the hospital wants to make changes for the better; they just have to do it.
“Most are process changes, which do take time. Many issues started well before the sale, got worse, and now must be fixed - a tough nut - but I do believe Jerel is up to it.”
Nodtvedt said the changes must not be simply lip service, noting that the council is working hard to ensure that through such means as requesting independent survey results, which he said the hospital had initiated before the request.
The council is the successor to the Citizens Commission, a seven-member body that was appointed last year by Wayne Williams, then a doctor and the mayor of Danville, to address complaints about Danville Regional.
The next meeting of the council is scheduled for mid-February.

Fast facts
Number of patients seen in the Emergency Department for 2007: 40,600
Current wait time in Emergency Department : 4.25 hours
National Emergency Department wait time: 3.12 hours (according to Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Source: Danville Regional Medical Center

31 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wait times was on the national news this evening and they stated the national average for chest pains and EMS patients coming in as 30 minutes increased since 1994 from 22 minutes.Not 4.25 hoursor over 3 hrs. And no ICU and Telemetry are not legitimate dumping grounds for the ER.
The ONLY cure for this is increased staffing, period.
Of course it's hard to fund millionaire's salaries when your primary focus is patient care.
Yet another glaring example of why lifepoint was and is BAD FOR Danville, or any other community for that matter.

Anonymous said...

This so-called 30 percent reduction in wait times is a great numbers game. If I remember correctly, it stated that DRMC saw 40,600 patients in 2007. When I worked in the ER pre Lifepoint we saw 55,000 in 2004. I would hope wait times would go down when you are seeing 15,000 less patients than before the buyout.

Anonymous said...

Maybe stock analysts see things improving for us.


Two Top Hospital Stocks for Investors
By David Penn

TradingMarkets.com
January 15, 2008 11:00 AM ET

It is little secret that investors have profited with health care stocks. Here are another two stocks that investors should consider if they are looking for stocks that stand a better than 74% chance of being higher one year from now.

Whether or not investor interest in health care stocks has to do with fears of an economic slowdown, it is clear that stocks all around the spectrum of health and medical care have been some of the most impressive performers of late. From drug companies to biotechnology firms to health care providers, investors see opportunity in the business of helping people feel better.

The Hospital industry is one source of such businesses. With a PowerRating of 7, the Hospital industry is one of the top industries in which investors can find stocks. Our research, looking at industry group performance going back to 1995, suggests that 7-rated industries have provided average annualized returns of more than 18%. The average industry, by comparison, has managed average annualized returns of approximately 14.61%

There are a number of stocks in this group that may be of interest to investors looking for health care exposure. They include stocks with average, 6 PowerRatings like Amsurg Corporation (AMSG | news | PowerRating | PR Charts ), Community Health Systems (CYH | news | PowerRating | PR Charts ) and Health Management Associates (HMA | news | PowerRating | PR Charts ). With PowerRatings of 6, these stocks can be expected to perform about as well as the average stock over the next year.

However there are two high PowerRatings stocks that investors may prefer over the more common fare in the Hospitals group. Both of these stocks, LifePoint Hospitals (LPNT | news | PowerRating | PR Charts ) and Universal Health Services (UHS | news | PowerRating | PR Charts ), have PowerRatings of 8, which means they are among the top class of stocks that investors should be interested in, regardless of industry group or sector.

Why? Stocks with PowerRatings of 8 or greater, according to our research, have been higher one year later more than 74% of the time. Compare this to the reliability of the average stock, which is higher one year later less than 68% of the time.

Moreover, stocks with PowerRatings of 8 have tended to gain, on average, more than 17% after a year. The average stock over the same time period, has gained between 12 and 13%.

Tennessee-based LifePoint Hospitals operates 49 general acute care hospitals in 18 states, making the company one of the largest hospital operators in the country. The company focuses on non-urban populations in states like Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee. LifePoint Hospitals trades between 14 and 15 times earnings, and is trading within cents of its 52-week low of $27.38.

8-rated Universal Health Services has a P/E of 15.50, and of late has been trading near its 52-week low of $46.40. One of the largest healthcare management companies in the United States, Universal Health Services owns and operates acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery and radiation oncology centers.

Anonymous said...

That's the whole problem!!!!

Anonymous said...

This is not relevant to the topic I am responding to, but it is most certainly relevant to the patient care situation at DRMC. I am a nurse at an outside hospital and I have heard rumors DRMC is selling the lab. They will only staff a "stat" lab, all others will be done by an outside facility. Certain specialty physicians are threatening to take their patients elsewhere for treatment, which means more time and expense for everyone but Lifepoint. I can't find anything "official."

Anonymous said...

"It is little secret that investors have profited with health care stocks"
It is also little secret that lifepoint execs own huge chunks of free no load stock, also where do you think the money for supplies and staff went ? Yep their pockets.
Guess why Annie Penn and Eden have those nice new ER's and they are full ,,, Danville residents going where the Non profit CARE is, not feeding the corporate greed dogs.
This is definitely the problem not just at lifepoint US corporations in general, rich= richer everyone else loses.

Anonymous said...

Those aren't rumors about the lab...someone from LPNT was at DRMC this week meeting with lab folks. I think they are putting together a plan A and a plan B and then seeing which one corporate goes for.

Anonymous said...

It is true that LifePoint may do away with the DRMC lab and send the tests to an outside facility. My husband is a physician in the community and was told this by the hospital CEO earlier in the week. This ludicrous idea was discussed during the medical staff action committee meeting on Tuesday evening. Many physicians find it unbelievable that LifePoint thinks DRMC can be a viable medical center without a fully operational lab. Another cost saving measure which will make it easier for physicians to admit their patients to hospitals other than DRMC.

Anonymous said...

my guess...LPNT has already decided to outsource the lab.

Anonymous said...

Amazing !!!!! every other facility around us knows the importance of being self sufficient. Of course they are all non-profit and succesful. Not having a fully functioning lab will destroy services , especially ER, OR, and ICU. Next, they can outsource the patients to other hospitals and see if the insurance companies will just mail the checks to lifepoint execs .(since lifepoint only wants to treat insured patients)They won't need RN's and housekeeping a building you know ,all that overhead. DRMC is still on the way down, so sad. Of course the general public knows nothing of this destruction in service and quality .
If only someone could buy it and return it to a decent state.
I can't ever imagine returning to DRMC with the lack of business ethics evidenced by lifepoints ignorant actions.

Anonymous said...

"my guess...LPNT has already decided to outsource the lab."

Ya think?

Now why would you think that a pre-made decision would go through the motions of being evaluated after the fact?

Oh wait....never mind.

Anonymous said...

I guess you call that "once bitten, twice shy".

Anonymous said...

“I challenge people to not say ‘Lifepoint’ but to say ‘Danville Regional Medical Center,’” he said. “Think of this as the community’s hospital and not Lifepoint (the hospital’s owner)."

CAN you Believe this load of garbage from lifepoint ? I don't even know what to say about the stupidity of lifepoint.

Anonymous said...

RE: “If we can ever get to the point where people’s memories forget 2005, we’ll be the same as before the sale.”

Well, Dr. Campbell... if LifePoint would address the issues that have affected, and continue to affect the employees, maybe we and the community can get over the sale of the hospital. The occasional ice cream socials and sub sandwiches cannot bridge the enormous gap of trust and integrity that is lacking between the employees and DRMC execs as well as LPNT.

RE: “He (Humphrey) has already brought his family here and bought a house.”

Dr. Campbell - Whoop-di-doo! That is just real estate. The employees want to see a commitment to them and their concerns. Address the concerns of the employees and they will make DRMC the hospital of choice for the surrounding areas. Until then, you will continue to see Docs taking their patients elsewhere.

Anonymous said...

Again, this is not pertinent to the topic, but important. I am an RN and as so many others do, I work at a non profit hospital out of town. Last year the count was around 96 RN's from DRMC to this group of hospitals, and I am sure that there are many more since then. It truly saddens me that I, along with so many others, do not have the confidence to have my family use this hospital. The reason is not due to the employees, but to the neverending loss of physicians and services at this hospital. I have many friends still employed there and can assure you they are undoubedly the most dedicated, experienced, and wonderful group of people. It is unfortunate, however, that Lifepoint is continually sabotaging the ONLY hospital this community has....the main reason being FOR PROFIT.

Again, it has been said that they are actually planning to sell the lab. And at whose expense? The many patients that use the only facility that this community has available. I know first hand the expertise of the lab employees. It is unbelieveable to me that it would even be a consideration. Are all labs going to be STAT? Outsourcing the lab can and will have detrimental effects on so many patients.... and more physicians will probably leave.

At what point will Lifepoint stop selling out the community's health for profit. We need this lab and so much more to bring trust back to this community.

Anonymous said...

well well jerel let's see . where to begin:
Whoo-pee- real estate with your salary it's a buyers market or lifepoint will buy it back for you to move again.

You moved to Pinetag- the home of lot's of Danville's oppressors.
Your daughter at Tunstall hmmm
GW,( which would be her assigned school), not good enough ?
All single patient rooms ?
Then why the new move into the tower with 2 patients per room?
Outsource the lab ?
How about outsource the patients and just draw the insurance checks , I bet lifepoint would love that since lifepoint has made Danville their retirement fund.
Dr Campbell was GREAT for Averett but please , enjoy retirement , DRMC is not his forte'.
Fast tracking patients past the ER to floors is a BAD idea, the floor nurses are so overloaded that just the initial assessment may be hours away , even with the new patient staging idea it won't work . lifepoint has so badly damaged the reputation of DRMC that RN's and few travelers will even come .
God only knows what they've promised Duke since I hear Duke is sending students here maybe they will sell if enough pressure is put on them.
This area NEEDS a non-profit teaching facility not a money hungry pimp that prostitues services to the best insurance payers.
sorry to burst your bubble Jerel.

Anonymous said...

Everyone that I know who is unfortunate enough to work for lifepoint (not just in danville)
says the same thing verbatim "lifepoint destroyed our facility and cares nothing about the care that another prudent provider with the same patient situation should provide."
Patient/provider safety is definitly not #1 on their list.
DRMC R.I.P. 7/01/2005

Anonymous said...

Is Frank Campbell smoking crack? How can the loss of 10 of the best physicians, hospital in-pt services from the best docs who stayed in town, the stroke rehab unit, the heart surgery unit, 24 hr ability to do radiology procedures and now the lab mean the hospital is still the same as before? Just forget about 2005? Wished I could........

Anonymous said...

Just tough for this crowd of bloggers to swallow the fact that there some that actually ARE working hard to improve things and get on down the road. Are we perfect? NO Are we going to be back to pre-2005 tomorrow? NO, but we're working damn harder than someone who has nothing better to do than piss and whine with this blog.

Anonymous said...

Working hard to make things better?? There are a few who are trying. Others who have tried and failed are tired of banging their head against the corporate walls like Mark Anderson's office. Sorry, Mark, you are too penny conscious. Those pennies you save today costs DRMC and this community dollars that would have been earned tomorrow. Investors want to see a return on their investment. I would rather make alot of money tomorrow than a little bit today. I guess Lifepoint financial wizards were once employed by the likes of Enron-make the books look good today and forget tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

That's where lifepoint came from : HCA got into legal trouble with the Federal Gov't and tah dah part two of the scheme was born (actually part 3) ...lifepoint.

they only care about how much money they can steal before :
A: getting caught
B: Federal Law changes
C: retirement

Anonymous said...

RE: "Sorry, Mark, you are too penny conscious. Those pennies you save today costs DRMC and this community dollars..."

Mark, along with RUTHless, were responsible for newly created Director positions. These positions provide no added value (financial or otherwise). It only allowed some very incompetent females to be promoted.

Anonymous said...

How can such "intelligent" people make such poor decisions? It seems as though they lack any intuition and fall short of emotional intelligence.

Anonymous said...

Because they're not that intelligent . Part of being intelligent is having good people with you and making decisions based on that . lifepoint has adopted the do it or else and we'll reward you if anything is left(which it won't be) mentality.
Self promoted intelligence is not intelligence. There are ,or were , employees in the hospital with as much or more intelligence, training, degrees, and experience than the whole of the idiots that have passed through the "o" seats.
But they fear that which they don't understand , decency and intelligence.

Anonymous said...

Intelligence is nothing without integrity.

Anonymous said...

decency = integrity = morals= etc... ALL of which the lifepoint culture lacks

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