Star Tribune - letter to the editor
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
(Note: this letter ran at the same time that the Star Tribune printed a copy of Coy Harville's letter to the editor which is posted below....ALSO, this letter was run in the Register and Bee on April 4)
Of all the horror stories and deceptions coming out of Lifepoint's Danville Regional Medical Center, the most disgusting has to be the callous words of CEO Art Doloresco when asked about the hospital's probationary status in terms of its accreditation.
According to the newspaper, he said, in effect, that it is none of our business to know the areas where the hospital failed in the inspection that landed it on probation.
Whose business does he think it is? He says it's between him, the failing department, and the accreditation group.
Nonsense! It is primarily the business of us poor people who have to risk our lives going to the hospital.
How can anyone make an intelligent decision without knowing which services to stay away from?
Doesn't Doloresco realize that the only answer to his policy is for prospective patients to run from the place?
Above all, his statement shows clearly that he doesn't even think in terms of what's good for the patients.
It's one thing for Lifepoint to think we are all idiots, which they clearly think we are. It is quite another for them to treat us openly with such contempt.
What do we have to do to run them out of town and get back a decent hospital?
Mary
Danville
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12 comments:
If we could get the $200 million back and hand it to them, I bet they would be glad to get out of here! But how are we going to prize it out of the greedy hands that hold it? Obviously none of the filthy five are even going to offer to help us get the hospital back. Maybe we ought to run them out of town with Lifepoint.
Here is an interesting link: http://www.healthgrades.com. This organization rates hospitals on various categories. It is very interesting that DRMC has been compared to Lewis-Gale in Salem, Lynchburg General in Lynchburg, Carilion Medical Center in Roanoke. This orginization rated the hospitals based on Inhospital Mortality, 1 month mortality and 6 month mortality. All of the above named hospitals received a satisfactory rating except one; Yep, DRMC scored poor on all three categories. One year ago DRMC got a satisfactory rating for the Inhospital Mortality. The hospital is definitely slipping and now that the Duke affiliation has disappeared I believe it is ill-advised for anyone to have a major cardiovascular procedure at DRMC. DRMC also scored poorly in Coronary Interventional Procedures (Angioplasty/Stents) although it did get an acceptable rating for the 1 month mortality. I would be interested in reading about what others think of this information.
I believe , and this is first hand knowledge, that the Coronary ratings are NOT related to the MD's that are completing the Bypass and cath-stent procedures.They are the same MD's as before LPNT.
The difference is Lifepoint has increased the number of patients that the ICU and telemetry RN's are responsible for thus reducing the level of care for these patients which increases the risk to the RN and especially the patient.You see you can't pay million dollar bonuses to CEO's, take the bonuses away from the staff and increase their workload, and not decrease the level of service.For every extra patient that a nurse has the mortality rate goes up, for every patient. Their are those that will have you believe that hospitals have increased the load on RN's and taken away the CNA's and all is well, this is a LIE. Call the human resource offices and read the want ads in the paper.Staffing is better and outcomes are better in the hospitals noted and other hospitals in general , especially NON-Profit hospitals.Danville was lied to and is continuing to be lied to by the
FAB five and LPNT. The only reason we can't speak is that LPNT WILL fire us.
Agreed. Nurses CANNOT speak out or they will suffer. Our managers can't speak out either and they know the truth!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait until you read Dr Smith's article(april 1st). Seems that he thinks the unaccredited hospital is all well and good . Well when you have a time limit and your area can send patients
to other units with NO treatment whatsoever, I guess it is all better. Oh and have your family treated at a hospital in which you have privileges at why not. I hope his letter is an april fool's joke. It would be nice if the sale to lifepoint was an april fools joke mainly because Lifepoint is a
JOKE!!!!
The main focus for Arthur when he came to Danville was "to improve the ED". And, true to his promise, he has been able to manipulate the stats to work in his favor. But let's be honest, as nurses we know that patients seen in the ED do not receive stat medications or treatments as ordered prior to being rushed out of the ED enviornment for a bed upstairs.
So, maybe Arthur can say that wait times are lower but patient care is dangerously compromised as a result "just get 'em out of the ED".
As a nurse (an experienced on at that), I hope neither my family or I have to be treated for serious illness or injury in the ED with the current state of affairs.
WE need to see the list from
joint commission period. Danville and Pittsylvania Co. councils should DEMAND this list, even though LPNT is a privately owned Co., The City and County have a legal obligation to provide care for it's citizenry, and should, if need be, subpoena this information.
We all know LPNT will lie.
Help us. We are EXHAUSTED and no matter how hard we try someone is going to get hurt or die.The standard of care is non-existent.
We can't keep this up.
Please help.
We recently had a loved one in the hospital, and my family saw the strained faces, the tired voices of nurses and staff as they struggled to do the best they could. It is heart-breaking to see. I could write a sizzling letter about one thing that happened to us, but I am not because it is NOT the staff person's fault. It is the fault of the evil institutional greed of the people who bought the hospital. All we know to do is to pray for the nurses and staff to have the strength to carry on.
FORMER PATIENT'S FAMILY.
Geez, these don't sound like the comments that would be made by a PIG IN MUD (thanks allcaps).
It would be bad enough to hear that employees of a company are understaffed if they were just the people who were changing the oil in your car or cooking up your lunch.....but these are the people who are responsible for your health and safety and must make life and death decisions under these conditions.
What are we supposed to do about this????
And, let's be fair....in the BEST of times, there are great nurses and there are mediocre nurses...there are great doctors and there are mediocre doctors.
At some point, working within a system that is set up for failure is going to cause even the best nurse or doctor to make a mistake...or get fed up and leave.
So true, my personal fed up clock has already rung on it's 3rd "snooze" and I don't think I can take a 4th.
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