Thursday, May 18, 2006

This Bud's for You, Hud....5/29

A new quote from cyberspace:

"Paris Imaging Center is now open for business--and you know that Hud has to be really, really, chapped.... A professional, new, up-to-date facility, (on the loop, yet!) surely can't sit well. It's like a maple sap spigot that's jammed into E$$ent's side, and there are plenty more to follow.

When La Quinta made their announcement that it would be used for patient recovery and their families, for the new "physician's offices" next-door, I had my suspicions. I figured it wasn't going to be the standard family practice/ internal medicine suites. Well, it sailed through the rezoning with only minor contention from the other hotel/motel owners. I figure that outpatient surgery center is not the exclusive province of the hospital...something tells me it's a GI/Bariatric surgery center. When Dr Dickey dropped his privileges at the hospital, he divorced himself from the possibility of divided loyalties. Now he has privileges at Clarksville (and he's not the only one checking out the territory. You'd be surprised....)

I figure that it's not Ortho, and Cardiology is still looking at their own--and trying to sell space. Maybe general surgery, or plastics, but it doesn't seem likely.

No, I'd say it's a niche hospital/surgical center, and it's going to hit E$$ent hard--right in their insurance claims.

Now the question is: Who's going to buy the intervening space between the Imaging Center and the La Quinta? Maybe E$$ent will resort to the old Monty technique of buying the competition...after all, that's what got us into this fix."

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Remember the movie, "Paris, TX"? The only thing about Paris shown was supposedly an empty lot. This next empty lot is going to be worth between 1/2 and 3/4 of a million dollars.

Aren't movies grand?

Anonymous said...

I have some experience in medical imaging and had an opportunity to visit the new imaging center on the inside. It is fantastic!

This group of radiologist's have spared no expense; haven't cut any corners or otherwise compromised patient care and diagnosis by buying "second best." They have purchased the absolute state-of-the-art equipment that only a handful of hospitals and imaging centers nationwide can boast about!

E$$ent may want to try and compete with RR by opening a competing site now vacated by RR, but if they try it with obsolete equipment like they put in the ER a couple of years ago, it will be a wasted amount of time, effort and money. Even if they purchase new equipment, rest assured it will be low bid and not the high standards set by the RR group.

Besides, where will they ever get the type and calibre of radiologists like RR? Their bean counters have no clue as to what it takes to be a "real" provider of excellent medical care.

E$$ent only cares about the money, not the patient.

Note to Mr. Nizely: The best time to sell property is between May and October. Is your house for sale.............yet?

Anonymous said...

Andrew, Hud, Administration,

Have you ever asked yourself or colleagues why so many essent employees gave up their entire lifestyles and quit the only hospital in town?

We realize managements thoughts have always been, employees have no choice and will put up with and do as they are told, not what is right for patient care, since there is only one hospital.

HOW BAD DID IT GET FOR THESE PROFESSIONALS BEFORE THEY SAID NO MORE?
Thousands of years of experienced have walked out in the last two years they have been replaced with what?

Bottom line, you know this, like bottom dollar, hundreds of highly educated ex-employees can't be all wrong, you may convince uneducated or people with no medical knowledge that your system is right (right for you and Hud's pocket)
The one's that have left have had no problem finding employment elsewhere. but, why can't the hospital replace the dime a dozen employees like management said they would. They have temps that are not renewing contracts, and ask not to be reassigned at PRMC.

Continue spending hundreds of thousands of dollars re and-retraining inexperienced /temps and try to compete with the new Paris Imaging Center.

As much as we love our town, the weasel in the wood shed has got to go.

Anonymous said...

The Current Essent administration, from the top down has made mistakes that even rank amateur hospital admin "newbees" make.They have chosen members of the staff who they can control to seek advise from ; and any criticism from any other staff members is seen as "if youre not with me you are my enemy".They have bullied the nursing staff as if the hospital was located in a town with a ski slope ,and now are in the "no- end -in -site" position of permanent travellers.In stead of recognizing the upper hand that the 9 radiologists had in negotiating with them , they attacked the group, and are now using travelers in that position also.Some of whom seem to be traveling around the country for reasons other than to see the sites(run out of towns for incompetence comes to mind)There is no telling how much this pyrric victory over the Clifford group will wind up costing Essent;it will shurley be in the millions of dollars( the lost mammograms alone are in the hundreds in the time since the digital imaging center has been open); just as their "victory" over Dr Dicky has cost at least a million$/ year in lost revenue in colonoscopies( that are going to red river general for goodness sake!) .The modus operandi for the used car salesman - cum- hospital system mogule "Hubbilla -the- Conner" seems to be " I will win any battle no matter what wars I manage to lose!" The greatest tragedy, of course, is the loss of our once Great Hospitals that attracted patients from a radius of 150 miles.By the time these clowns have finished "winning" their various battles , it will be us who are left with a "Bohnam -like first aide station ".Hubb and his cronnies will have long ago moved on to whatever beachfront property they own in Florida.Various comments have asked why the Doctors dont save the situation?There was a group Who tried to do just that but the difficulty in getting all of the Doctors to agree on building a new hospital always runs aground on various vested interests of individual groups.In order to accomplish a short stay hospital it was necessary to have all surgeons willing to participate;the deal fell through because one large group thought it was better for their interests to stay with the hospital.They were rewarded ;but now it seems the specter of infection ( which by the way, is no more prevelant here than at Baylor or Presby)has eroded their practice considerably ,especially in the areas of Hip and Knee implants.The lesson we will have to finally learn is "if patient care and patient numbers are related, maybe it is time to try and get together before both are nonexistent!

Anonymous said...

Ya know what is funny. I left the hospital over a year ago, and for so long, I was hearing how bad it is at the hospital.

Now when I ask people how things are going, they say like a Stepford wife "things are going great." I don't know if they are brain washed--or if its a ploy to get people to come back--or if things are actually going ok. Maybe it's good because the censes is low. I don't know.

I do know I keep seeing more and more Paris patients at the facility that I work at now.

Anonymous said...

Actually Dr. Dickey doesn't have privileges at Clarksville. He can only use the OR (can't admit or write inpatient orders), but he seems to do just fine with what he has. I'm sure his quality of life has improved since he left PRMC.

Anonymous said...

Hummm...has OR privleges, doesn't admit...sounds like an outpatient surgical clinic answer to me....

Anonymous said...

What a good laugh? Here is a good lie taken directly from the e$$ent's website.

In fulfilling our mission, we place special emphasis on the values of honesty, respect, and responsible citizenship. We recognize that an organization's values affect, and even determine, its relationships with those inside and outside of the organization. Our values reflect our concern for our community, and our commitment to practices which follow only the highest standards of legal, moral, and ethical integrity.


http://www.essenthealthcare.com/CustomPage.asp?guidCustomContentID=37903CEE-B305-4FF1-889D-CFDFF5B21A4F

Anonymous said...

Good for Paris....Bad for PRMC staff? With what this is gonna cost e$$ent we sure won't be getting any raises. Then again did anyone really think we were?

Anonymous said...

I'm starting to wonder if we aren't going to turn into a ghost town.

The hospital is doing bad--PG&CC is in trouble--I'm making less money now than what I was 6 years ago, by far with the gas, electric,taxes, and food being much higher.

I'm thinking the problems with the hospital maybe the distruction of the whole town. Does anyone else see how it is relating?