Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Out of date...Out of their minds....10/31

E-mails keep on coming, and this is a beaut. Actually, it combines a couple....

Have you checked out the website that Essent maintains on PRMC lately? The information is so out-of-date that it is laughable. Still, PRMC's own website documents the services that USED to be available in the Radiology department rather than what is actually available now.

It is a sobering thought to realize that most of these interventional procedures
have been shut down by the actions of Essent and are no longer available--to the detriment of the patients:

-Angiograms, Vena Cava Grams
-Peripheral Angioplasty
-Arteriograms, Artery Embolization
-Arthograms
-Biliary Stent Placements
-Biopsies
-Cyst and Abscess Aspirations
-Intra-Vascular Stent Placements
-Nephrostomy
-Renal Infarctions with Alcohol
-Spermatic Venograms, Varicocele Embolization
-Compression of False Aneurysm
-Occluding Embolization
-Transluminal Atherectomy
-Transhepatic cholangiogram
-Thrombolitic Therapy for Dialysis Shunts
-Thrombolysis Therapy
-Percutaneous Gastrojejunostomy Tubes
-Renin StudÆ
-Ureteral Stent Placement

There was a time when the hospital was proud of its radiology department and loudly proclaimed its services and expertise. The procedures listed above were virtually unheard of in a town of this size. We truly were a "regional medical center".

Unfortunately, an outdated website is the only remaining evidence of how outstanding this hospital used to be. And how is this for false advertising: "Radiology Department Prevention and Treatment Paris Regional Medical Center's progressive radiology department performs all diagnostic and most interventional procedures. All radiologists affiliated with the program are both board-certified and interventional radiologists. Radiographers, members of the hospital staff, work closely with the physician radiologists. They, too, are highly trained and board-certified."

Gee...is there a true word in that last paragraph???

progressive radiology department --They must be kidding, right? Now,
how old is that equipment? How responsive is their servicing?

performs most interventional procedures. --Really??

All radiologists affiliated with the program are both board-certified and interventional radiologists --Tell that to all the doctors who order interventional procedures and are told to wait until next week or the week after next when one of the locums who does some interventional procedures might be in town.

Radiographers, members of the hospital staff, work closely with the physician radiologists. They, too, are highly trained and board-certified. --Where do I begin. Many radiographers are temps--hardly members of the hospital staff. Just how closely do you think that temp radiographers work with temp radiologists?? And don't we have some non-licensed/limited licensed techs employed?

Computerized Tomography
"Technically known as the Picker PQ5000V Spiral Computed Tomography System, the equipment lessens ...." There hasn't been a licensed Picker PQ5000v on either campus for years, per state records.... The picture is current, but not of a 5000. What they have is better, but it still falls far short of a current state of the art...but maybe their computer folks have more pressing issues to take care of---spying on employees comes to mind....

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't think the computer folks have anything to do with current radiologic technology.
As a matter of fact, who there does?

fac_p said...

Ahhhhh, but they do maintain the website.... Or does anyone....frank

Anonymous said...

I have no joy in my heart when I read this. I'm not in radiologic technology, but it hurts me to see the limitations now in place in Paris.

How many of these procedures listed are offered by the RRVRC?

Anonymous said...

I no rocket scientist but if you'll look at the front page of www.parisrmc.com, in the bottom right hand corner, you'll see that a company by the name of ehc.com maintains the website. 'Cmon guys, let's get the facts right. Makes you wonder what else is incorrect on this site.

...hmmm, you mean all they have to do is send them updates---but they haven't! You're right, it goes back to the advertising director who they pay what?...apparently too much! ...likewise for your English instructor: "I no rocket scientist..." The accuracy of that clip is astounding....frank

Anonymous said...

Good one Frank.. go ahead, pick apart my statements. It's obvious that was a typo but I guess you already knew that too since you know everything else.

All I'm saying is get the facts right or don't post anything at all.

fac_p said...

I have previously tried to stay strictly with the facts, took my lumps and made corrections when they were demonstrated--which is far more than Essent has been willing to do.

So, let's do some serious digging, not just cruising the 'net, and see what the bottom of this pond turns up.

If I remember correctly, 'twas at a medical staff meeting, with Hud and his bud, that Hud stated that RRVR was collecting a fee of $100,000 per month to read films.

It probably wouldn't have mattered, except it got me thinking: Who got the $1.2 million per year? Wasn't Red River.... And, since that was thrown out in front of his investors, it obviously was a judiciously chosen figure. I wonder if this was an occasion not just to blast RRVR, but to put out an explanation as to where a larger chunk of money went.

That could have gone to a lot of raises--equating to far more than the nickel an hour that some of us got.

Since it's not a public corporation, the records are closed. However, if this was declared as an expense, pre-tax(and wasn't), then there are taxes due. If it was received by an individual, then taxes are due. If the hospital is making an extra $1.2M, then investors are due.

But, this isn't what I was talking about in terms of digging. I'll have to pay money for that. Worth every penny....frank

Anonymous said...

Regardless of who maintains the PRMC website, the responsibility of its content is Essent's. It says a lot that they don't feel the need to update the website. For those of us lucky individuals that still work at PRMC the intranet is also a good way to see how much Essent cares. The online Policy and Prodcedures manual is still mostly under Christus headers. Does that mean the policies are still in effect or not?
In the corporate world Profit is the only thing that matters. The enemy of Profit is Overhead. What is your major overhead? Employees. Therefore, Enemy = Employees. And the enemy must be beaten to submission and destroyed. This corporate mindthink is so stupid. Your employees are your best asset--if treated with respect! Employees can make or break a company. But Essent has no clue on how to make their employees work for them. They're [Essent] too busy beating us down.

Anonymous said...

7:36
Does that mean there still in effect or not?
That is a very good question. And as a former employee I bet I can tell u the answer. Its going to depend on how u see the policy. If u do what the policy says and a bad thing happens, then they would say oh well that was an old policy and here is our new policy (that they have just conjured up) and it has been here all along (yea right!) and u should have been following this policy and blah blah blah. C'mon essent we have figured u out u know that is exactly what u would do u did it to me. They try to make u look like idiots the best way they know how, unfortunately for them we have all went to nursing school and definetly know what CYA means. and at essent its not just worring about cya against law suits from your pts (cus we all know how happy they r w/ essents care) its worring about what the hell essent is looking for to get u in trouble or even get u fired.