State of the Hospital-Danville Regional Medical Center: Well...? Part Deux

Friday, February 23, 2007

Well...? Part Deux

Okay, since my earlier post where I asked if anyone knew how we did related to Joint Commission, we all got a letter from Mr. D about the survey.

Basically, this is what it says...
We completed our triennial survey...the representatives were complimentary of our staff and physicians...etc, etc.

Then, the second paragraph says "We will continue in partnership with the Joint Commission to uphold the high standards for safe, quality patient care. We have opportunities for improvement and we will present a plan for improvement to the Joint Commission."

The letter closes with compliments for the way we "pulled together to respond to the unannounced survey."

There aren't too many lines to read between in the three-paragraph letter...but what it DOESN'T say is whether we were accredited, accredited with provisions for improvement, or not accredited pending our completion of certain major action items?

I feel like we are in limbo here....does anyone know the answer?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...: Straight from Tennessee. You idiots failied JCAH and the lpnt boys are in meetings trying to figure out what to do with this mess. If not for DRMC this company stock would be 55. Who is the idiot that bought it. Mr Bill Carpenter who is now CEO. Can you believe how bad this is for him; almost as bad as BR Ashby and Betty .; February 24, 2007 at 2:54:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: for the idiot in Tennessee. first of all DRMC was in the black and had a great standing in Danville before Lifepoint bought their way into our lives. We do not know how much kick back the Board that sold us out got but I do hope it was worth it. As for failing JCAHO we have never come close to failing until Lifepoint begain to drive the bus. What is the cost of taking a high tech institution and turning it into a stone age laugh. Oh we are not laughing. We do not have time to laugh due to working double shifts because we can not fill positions that are empty because people have just had enough. Mr or Ms "non-idiot" try standing the the hallway and getting screamed at by a family when you have worked 12 to 16 hours.; February 27, 2007 at 9:02:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Straight from Tennessee,
Okay, you just hit upon the perfect solution for everyone involved..."If not for DRMC this company stock would be 55".

Here is the solution you inadvertently gave us...LPNT should sell the hospital back to the community....your shares go up to 55 and we get our hospital back.

Great idea. Glad you were online today. Now if we can just figure out how to get everyone above us to see the light in this line of reasoning.; February 28, 2007 at 10:03:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Us "idiots" failed Joint Commission?
Hmmm...let's do a little research...

How did us "idiots" do back in 2004 for the last triennial survey?

According to JCAHO, we were accredited and listed in "full compliance with all applicable standards".

Not bad for a bunch of "idiots" without any corporate supervision, eh?

Cliff Notes Version:
DRMC in 2004 = Fully accredited
DRMC in 2007 = Who knows? But it ain't looking good.

Variable = Lifepoint

(Looking back a little further, "Accredited with Full Standards Compliance" in 2001 and "Accredited" in 1998); February 28, 2007 at 10:10:00 PM EST

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Letter to Employees, February 7, 2007

Dear DRMC Associates, Physicians and Volunteers: Thank you for all your efforts to provide healthcare to the citizens of the Dan River Region. Providing healthcare, saving lives, and improving the quality of the lives of our friends, family and neighbors is a high calling, and you are answering that call each and every day. Delivering on the high expectations of those we serve is a tremendous responsibility, shared by everyone – physicians, nurses, technical and support staff, volunteers, managers and administration. It’s no secret that to be successful in meeting this responsibility, we must work together. We have seen in our Emergency Department the good things that can happen when staff, physicians and management work together effectively. The reduction in wait times and fewer patients leaving without treatment are ample proof. You should all be proud of this accomplishment. It is our hope that all of us on the hospital team, and indeed the entire community, can come together around Danville Regional and make it a source of genuine pride and positive economic activity for this area. Coming together is way overdue. When Mr. Bill Carpenter, CEO of LifePoint and three other corporate officers were in our hospital in January, they openly apologized for mistakes made at the onset of the hospital sale. Knowing what they know at this point in time, they would have definitely done things differently. LifePoint has committed the support and resources needed to make DRMC a hospital of which we all can be proud. In addition, we, as leaders in different areas of the hospital, commit our time and energy to that same goal. The important thing to remember is that on one person or small group can make this hospital successful. It will take the support and commitment of every single one of us who are connected to DRMC in any way. We need your help to make this happen. Going forward won’t be easy. Any organization of this size and complexity has issues. But it is time to move on, and move ahead. Constructive suggestions are always OK, and in fact welcomed, because there is almost always more than one “right way” to accomplish goals. Bitter, destructive criticism isn’t OK. There’s a reason they call it “holding grudges,” because the only person who feels bad is the one holding them. It’s time for us to let these go. Good things can happen if we channel our energies on positive activities. Never has this been more important than now. During 2006 and 2007 $26 million is being invested to create some good things – the build out of the 5th and 6th floors, the new radiation/oncology equipment, addition of PACS and a new state of the art CT machine. These improvements, coupled with your caring approach, will provide better, more complete care for our patients, close to home. Recent patient satisfaction scores have improved, and will continue to improve as long as we focus our efforts on providing the best care for our patients and support for each other. We also fully recognize the importance of improving staff and physician satisfaction, and the positive impact this will have on the patients we serve. We also have a big challenge that will require everyone’s best – our Joint Commission accreditation review, which will occur sometime in the next couple of months. When you think about it, it is not a stretch to say that the lifeblood of this community is dependent upon Danville Regional maintaining Joint Commission accreditation. Joint Commission accreditation is a key to the continued success of one of the largest employers in the region, and the place where the majority of our citizens come to receive healthcare. An accredited hospital makes the community more attractive for residents who already are here, and also for those people and their employers who are looking for a good place to live, work, play and invest. It also directly impacts the livelihood of all associates and physicians. We need to place a tremendous amount of importance and urgency around preparing for Joint Commission, because accreditation is vital to all of us. While some might think loss of accreditation hurts LifePoint, the real losers are those of us who live and work in this community. We must join together to protect one of our most valuable community assets. Our region’s economic recovery depends on it. So we go back to our original points: we are fortunate to be in a position to serve others, which is a tremendous responsibility we accept every day. All of us want to make this a better place to work, and a better place for our neighbors to receive treatment. We are committed to supporting you and know that together we will make DRMC the very best it can be. We appreciate each of you. Sincerely, Dr. Betty Jo Foster Chairman, DRMC Advisory Board Arthur M. Doloresco President/ CEO Richard A. Smith, M.D. Chief of Staff

State of the Hospital-Danville Regional Medical Center

Friday, February 23, 2007

Well...? Part Deux

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Letter to Employees, February 7, 2007