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Blog Archive
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2007
(182)
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July
(20)
- "Leaders to form hospital panel"
- Hospital Healthcare Panel to be formed
- DRMC opens line of communication
- Dead End?
- "LifePoint misses in Q2"
- Updates on the McKenna sale (not to LPNT)
- "County may get critical care center"
- "Hospital names new CFO"
- "Hospital passes surprise survey"
- Sitemeter is back --->
- Good news alert
- "Final Report" from Citizens Commission available ...
- Citizens Commission report to City Council - July 3
- "Get it done"
- And in a related story...
- "LifePoint says it will fix problems"
- "Citizens group to present recommendations on hosp...
- A little speculation about Doloresco's replacement...
- "City Council to discuss commission's report"
- "Annie Penn looks across state line"
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July
(20)
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
52 comments:
If you want to see more about what the bank boys are doing to the city, check out
http://blog.preservedanville.com
New site looking at how the city is tearing down the unique, historic buildings that give Danville its character and ripping the heart out of the economic engine that preservation and heritage tourism provides. Fascinating to know that Davenport is part of this too.
I made a comment, several post ago, about a rumor that Carilion was looking at building a hospital in the northern part of Pittsylvania county (Altavista area). Front page on the Register and Bee states that a resolution was passed by the board of supervisors that would clear the way for an "emergency/critical care center" to be built north of Chatham. Maybe Sentinal Event can post this to the blog and a conversation can ensue about this proposal?
Lifepoint lost the bid to buy McKenna Memorial Hospital in Texas.
Wonderful news! Just one step in curing a terrible cancer in America!
In reading this blog and comments from the community people, it has become quite obvious that as long as LifePoint has a part in DRMC, there is going to be negativity. The public cannot get beyond the impact the secreative sell of the hospital has had on everyone. When you look at the lose of many of the leadership people at DRMC being replaced by "LifePoint People", and the fact that DRMC has now become strange territory to most of its patrons, what else can be expected. For there to be regrowth, something of a major impact will have to happen; i.e., sell the hospital again, built a competitive hospital, etc. I hope there are smart-minded people with authority in our community who can straighten out this mess.
We have no real leaders, and certainly no smart-minded people. Better go elsewhere for medical services. This is hopeless, so long as the crooks who sold the hospital horde the money they got from it.
County may get critical care center
By REBECCA BLANTON
Register & Bee staff writer
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
CHATHAM - A new trauma center may be coming to northern Pittsylvania County.
The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution approving the placement of a “critical care center” north of Chatham.
Staunton River Supervisor Michael Irby stipulated that the center be north of Chatham so it would serve the northern part of the county.
“Anything south of Chatham is typically served by Danville Regional,” he said.
Coy Harville, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, said he believed the board would easily pass the resolution, but asked how the board could get the word out.
“How can we make this thing fruitful?” Harville asked.
County Administrator Dan Sleeper told Harville that Irby was making a recommendation he had suggested.
“If you’ll pass the resolution, I believe we’ll get some information fairly quickly - by the next meeting,” Sleeper told Harville.
Neither Sleeper nor the board offered much more information about the center, including its cost or size.
Oh ,thank goodness.
I have a week's vacation coming up and too broke to travel. I plan to start working to get this website somehow linked to every city where LifePoint has a hospital. People really need to be warned about the dangers they face.
Amazing.... it took 100+ years to build Danville , and it only took 1 greedy company and 5 five greedy "men" to destroy it .
The proposed Critical Care Center should take care of anyone whose not already going somewhere else.
Don't believe they are going somewhere else? let's have a census log.......and for verification to the contrary if we could get figures from the real DRMC's last 2-3 years....How many are on your floor tonight and how many can you hold How many nurses, percentage of travelers to staff, other?
City Manager Jerry Gwaltney supposedly had surgery recently. Don't know what kind. But did he get it at our local hospital or did he go out of town?
Anyone know?
In regards to the patient poll. ICU all week 2-6 patients. Tonight 1 patient; can hold 19 patients.
It could be mentioned that this is typically our low time of year in regards to census. It tends to be cyclical and has been so for the many years I have been here. In the past few years (while Lifepoint was here, I might add) the census did not lower as much as it did in times before they acquired the hospital. There may be many of you who simply havn't been here long enough to remember how it was.
Been here a long time
The above blogger is right.
There were many pre-Lifepoint times when the census was so low that nurses were told to take PTO days off instead of coming to work or were rotated to other areas that were short staffed that day. Just because the numbers are down now doesn't mean the end is near...we've been there before.
may have dropped then but certain departments are indicative of change , No ICU census means NO hearts, there were(from earlier) posts 3-7 a week.
The ER has been low for some time now and the telemetry floor(someone let us know for sure)seems to be very low.
Caths are down reportedly (+/- )20-35%.Some MD's are reporting a 35% drop in referal and admission to service.Don't believe it ask them. Haven't seen numbers for the ER but the surrounding ER's/hospitals are reporting 25%+/- increases in almost all of the above.Sourced from surrounding papers and calls.
I too am a long time employee and, yes, there have been cyclic episodes of admissions. But nothing this bad in a while. No open-hearts scheduled for the rest of the month or the next month. And now mention of this "emergency/critical care center" may be coming to the county, not good news for Lifepoint.
A friend told me he went top the ER recently and there was not a single person in the Waiting Room!
I really hate to mention this because I understand how all fear of losing jobs, but before everyone starts blaming the community for the decrease in patients at the hospital, perhaps we all should do some research about one of Lifepoint Hospital's siamese twin hospitals (ie.joined at the hip) by reading this book. It was released January 2007.
"Coronary: A True Story of Medicine Gone Awry" by Stephen Klaidman.
This story documents hundreds of unecessary heart proceedures done by Tenet Healthcare physicians-resulting in many lives lost and unecessary pain and suffering...all in the name of the mighty Wallstreet dollar.
Additionally, there are several investigations mentioned on other websites that are quite tragic.
It would be even more tragic if those who endure the fall-out of corrupt circumstances do not completely understand the reasons. More importantly though, it is vital that our entire nation understand the risks. It is indeed a life threatening matter of substantial magnitude nationwide.
Although this book documents Tenet cases, there are cases regarding Lifepoint Hospitals which are quite similar- some not yet publicized.
While on the subject of Tenet, it should be added here, that George W. Bush's brother joined the board of directors in April 2007, and has received over $390,000 in bonuses, stock etc. since his involvement. With the Bush family and their collegues imbedded into America's Healthcare it certainly adds suspicion to how the executive branch of govt. could possibly make decisions into our nations healthcare without crossing conflict of interest boundaries. When past Surgeon Generals report that they were instructed not to speak on matters like stem cell research and other directly health associated issues, it raises questions about the safety of health of our nation's people and the motivations and reasoning of an elected leader.
I am not completely implying that our president is the driving force of these incidents,as it should be noted that sometimes corruption can bread corruption. However, when specific groups or corporations are intentionally sheilded, it gives room for vial corruption and even terroristic activity to manifest. In today's climate and issues, there is substantial reason to believe that some of these manifestations began several years ago.
Anderson takes job in Danville
Councilman says he has no plans now to leave city
Thursday, July 19, 2007
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Martinsville City Councilman Mark Anderson has taken a job in Danville and although his employer said he expects him to move there, Anderson said he has no plans to leave Martinsville � or the city council � at this time.
If he does move to Danville, he will have to resign from the council because he no longer would be a Martinsville resident, according to City Attorney Eric Monday.
Anderson said Wednesday night that he became chief financial officer at Danville Regional Medical Center effective July 2. He had been chief financial officer for Memorial Hospital in Martinsville.
Jess Judy, regional president for LifePoint Hospitals, confirmed that Wednesday. Both the Martinsville and Danville hospitals are owned and operated by LifePoint.
Judy said that Anderson planned to announce himself that he now is working in Danville.
Being on the city council, he said, �obviously it�s a very sensitive issue� for him.
Judy told Danville City Council during its July 3 meeting that Anderson was becoming Danville Regional�s chief financial officer, minutes of the meeting obtained via the Internet show.
�If it�s in the minutes (of the Danville council meeting) ... I would take that as a fact,� Judy said.
He said he introduced Anderson to the Danville council during that meeting as Danville Regional�s new CFO.
�Our preference,� Judy said, referring to LifePoint, �is for all of our hospital executives to move to the community� where they work.
So Anderson would be expected to move to Danville, he added.
But Anderson said he has no plans at this time to move to Danville. When asked if his house is for sale, he replied, �not at the moment.� When asked if his children are enrolled in schools in Martinsville or Danville, he said, �I haven�t decided that yet.�
�Those are decisions I have to make. As long as I�m a resident of Martinsville, my kids will go to school there and I will serve on council, and if anything changes I�ll notify you,� Anderson added.
Anderson has served on the Martinsville City Council since last July. He was elected to a four-year term in May 2006.
Vice Mayor James Clark said that �everybody needs to take care of their career. I can�t blame him (for going to Danville) if it was an upward promotion.�
Anderson has brought financial expertise to the council that other members do not have, Clark said.
He has been �very conservative in his budget expectations ... and pressed hard for streamlining� city finances, added Clark.
If a vacancy occurs on the city council, council members will have to appoint someone to fill the remainder of his term ending in June 2010, according to Monday.
�In terms of how they would go about it (making an appointment), it would be entirely up to them,� Monday said of the council.
The council would have 30 days from the time the vacancy occurred to do that, he said. If the council members cannot do that within 30 days or cannot agree on a new council member, a special election would be held. That election could not be held within 60 days of a general or primary election, Monday added.
Clark said the council will �have to talk it over� if a vacancy occurs.
�I have no earthly idea who would want to� fill Anderson�s seat, Clark added.
Clark said, though, he would recommend that the council first look at appointing a former council member.
LifePoint has not yet started the process of finding a replacement for Anderson at Memorial, Judy said
Aww, so another CFO is refusing to move to Danville. No surprise there, is it?
Except he's willing to stay in Martinsville! lol
I guess between the 2 highest unemployment cities in VA it's a coin toss.
"He has been "very conservative in his budget expectations ... and pressed hard for streamlining" city finances, added Clark.
"Streamlining"....should be a good fit here!
Isn't it disguting that we have to learn this from an out-of-town newspaper? The information was conveyed at a Danville Council meeting, and our paper was too dumb to report it.
I really get heartburn reading this blog and keep saying I'll quit. The Danville paper was not "dumb" in failing to report the new CFO. They were PAID OFF by the resumption of LifePoint ads in their paper. Don't EVER confuse ignorance by them when it comes to money. They are the same breed of out-of-towners lusting for low-hanging fruit that you see in LifePoint.
Actually 2 of the highest unemployment areas in the country if you leave out New Orleans
Streamline. Hmmmm...Close 3B...psych...human resources(don't need them if you don't need to hire) and ....ICU.That should do it.If these are closed it MIGHT pay one of the HUGE salary and bonus plans that lifepoint usually affords it's "O"'s.Oh wait they might need 1 human resource worker to keep up with the revolving "O" list.....
I like the blogger's idea that we get this blog into all the cities where LifePoint operates in order to help innocent people to be warned. Any suggestions about the best way to do this?
Shame on all of you Bill Carpenter, Bill Gracey, and Jess Judy. Dr Frist trained all of you better. Buy the boys house move him to danville and let him get the job done. We are not idiots in Danville. No one has got the job done because of LPNT big dog big bonus big stock option Nashville bobble heads. No wonder your CFO made fun of all of you with BOBBLE HEAD MOMENTOS!!! Stop the spin . Jess is he moving to town or not? the answer is yes or no not some spincycle b s. And I thought the boys at the bank were the problem. Bill Carpenter front page danville paper after buying DRMC "NOothing will change!!!" You are a LIAR my friend.
NEWSFLASH !!!!! they are all liars.
Corporate leeches that generate nothing but big bucks and bonuses for themselves at cost to everyone else.
Liar is a nice word for people who steal from communities and then destroy what's left. Get the point, Boys, this is pure unadulterated EVIL! They don't care that their vicitms are the low-hanging women and chldren and babies.
They're not as bad as the Bank Boys. Never.
If you help a crook, you are a crook.If you help perpetuate a lie, you are a liar.
Corporations and the Gov't PAC's that own and help them are greatly responsible for the mess the USA is in now.
They are as bad if not worse.
Let's get back to ground zero. Where did Gwaltney have his surgery done? That's a real issue. We know Councilman Luther went to UVa, and is now going to North Carolina. Has Gwaltney been a patient at DRMC?
Wonder if we called the snoozepaper if they would ask him as a public service. Or maybe City Council should ask since he is a City employee.
Has no one realized this is Mr Gwaltney's personal selection, for whatever his reason(s) may be, and no one else's ? Gezz, nosey neighbors, just leave it alone..
So you think it is unimportant for the ones publicly encouraging the use of our hospital to be expected to practice what they preach?
Hospital names new CFO
By SUSAN ELZEY
Register & Bee staff writer
July 20, 2007
DANVILLE - Danville Regional Medical Center has a new chief financial officer.
Mark T. Anderson has been CFO of the hospital since July 2. For the past five years, he has held that same office at the LifePoint Hospitals Inc.-owned Memorial Hospital of Martinsville and Henry County.
Anderson is a Martinsville city councilman and will resign from that post to relocate to Danville.
He said in a news release that he and his family - wife Lisa and children Jordan, Brian and Melissa - are looking forward to moving to Danville.
�We have a contract on a house here, and we are putting our house on the market in Martinsville,� Anderson said Thursday. �We are planning on having our children attend Danville schools in the fall.�
Anderson said he does not know yet if he will seek political office in Danville.
�I enjoy politics, but my focus will be to work with the physicians, my administrative peers and associates to provide quality health care services in Danville,� Anderson said.
�We look forward to the expertise and nearly 20 years of experience that Mark brings to this position,� Ruth McDaniel, interim CEO for the hospital, said in the release. �He has a proven track record and our associates are already benefiting from his leadership.�
Contact Susan Elzey at registerbee.com or (434) 791-7991.
First of all you don't know what type of surgery he had or his health history and if he choose to go elsewhere it may be related to personal health issues in which this was not the appropriate choice for him. you can not blanketly make a judgement about anyone choosing to go elsewhere it may be related to the specific health issue or one's own health history. And no one: public official or not should have to discuss that with the public.
So what have all you sub trailer park sleez have to say now.
Anyone who chooses to make themselves a public figure, and take a stand on an issue, opens themselves to public scrutiny and questioning. Granted he doesn't have to give a specific reason for his choice. He is however obliged to at least say "It was a health issue that couldn't be treated here" etc.
By the way its "if he chose to go elsewhere" not "choose" and it's sleaze not "sleez". Even those who live in trailers can get an education.
We are paying a fool's fortune to Gwaltney, and we deserve to know all about him. If he wants to refuse to discuss a matter, then it's up to him to say so. As citizens, we have an obligation to ask him anything we want to ask him.
Don't forget, he's the luminary who sells us the nonsense about Danville being a "world class organization." By the way, even a guy like me who lives in a trailer can correct Gwaltney's lousy grammar; it should have a hyphen, since world-class is a modifier.
Just heard from a family friend that the pr people at LifePoint want to "help" them with another letter praising the place.
"Fool's fortune."
No kidding , the first thing that happened with his arrival was a position was eliminated and he received a raise and was vested into a retirement system that he had never contributed to.
The second thing : He appointed his "associate" as police chief.
We do not have the right to know what he went to A hospital for and I don't care, BUT we do have the right to know why he didn't patronize DRMC.
HOMETOWN DANVILLE at it's best
I agree with Hometown Danville. It is absurd for us not to know whether Gwaltney uses the hospital he wanted sold so he could collect the tax money.
So, now he is moving to Danville. Believe it when you see it. Let's see.. what point between the two counties will permit him to keep his political seat and his job. This is just another joke on Danville. Get a good laugh now 'cause you won't be laughing later.
I like this guy. He might be for real.
Yeah, article states that the associates are already benefitting from the new CFO. I have not got anything from him. However, ask the folks in the business office that got fired and the ones from Martinsville he brought with him. That must be what Ruth meant by employees already benefitting, Martinsville people got jobs to help with their unemployment issues. The spin just gets better and better.
Some of the people in the business office are apparently not doing their jobs. I had an ER visit a few months ago. I have yet to see a bill from the hospital. It can't be because the address is wrong. I received bills from the doctor and Danville Radiologists. Perhaps these people needed to be let go.
You are wise to wait until you review all details on your bill before paying anything. You'll be amazed.
I got a bill 18 months after treatment. Incredible. If they can't run a billing department, what else are they doing wrong? Good place to avoid.
How about some local humor...
How many Danvillians does it take to change a lightbulb?
......None, they're too afraid to try.
Why did Mr. Gwaltney cross the road?
......Because Mr. Davenport told him to.
What does the City Council have to say about Corruption in Danville?
......"it's a private matter."
What is the difference between a slug and a Danville City Council member?
......None, they both lack a spine.
What is the difference between Lifepoint and a bucket of manure?
......The bucket.
What is the only brand of ice cream allowed to be served at DRMC?
......Ben & Jerry's.
How can you tell when the City Manager Gwaltney is lying?
......His lips are moving.
How do you know which days are the ones that Ben Davenport is not making money at the expense of Danville?
......Sorry, trick question -- there are no such days.
What do you get when you cross a bullet-riddled corpse and Police Chief Broadfoot?
......A suicide.
What do City officials consider to be "progress" in Danville?
......A pile of 100-year-old bricks
How does City Council handle critical situations that affect the entire population of Danville
......"it's a private matter."
Surely someone can do much better than these...
Anyone that can balance a checkbook and that has any honesty could.
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