Friday, November 17, 2006

Your Comments are Welcome...12/15


It's hard not to hear the comments when you mention that you work at PRMC. I've heard of more incidents involving patients in the last year than in the previous six. Some have been relatives, some have been the actual individuals. E-mail them or if you want it as a comment, just comment. This is one forum in which complaints are asked for, and not swept under the rug.

Additionally, if you have a complaint in general, this is seen by Essent corporate at least once a day, most days six or seven times. Some execs even check it after hours. Trust me on this one. They are very aware of this blog.

If you mention that you don't want any identifiable information included, but in order to make the point to me, there are certain 'tells', that's fine. I'll use what I can, and if it can't be told without identifying you, then I just add it to my understanding of what we are facing.

I was asked why radiology was a hot-button issue here? You go with the gold. The topics with radiology were producing more comments than anything else. One post got 77 comments (and the comments are the best part!) If nursing was commenting more, we'd probably have a broader mix. But with RRVR even making the Paris Snooze, you go with success. There has only been one other that has been better (104), and that was a physician lambasting the medical community for sitting on its hands. Got to admit, there aren't too many that draw that kind of attention.

I will have some financial data a bit later, dealing with Essent's balance sheets. We will see how those go over. Just a few of the basics. All public domain, or subscription, but immediately available to the public for verification.

7 comments:

fac_p said...

NVMC broke ground for a new medical office building--part of the proposed expansion. The last we heard any specifics, was about the parking lot monitor, I mean CEO.

The zoning change makes the property more valuable, but a medical office building does not a hospital make.

We still are in limbo about the chief of cardiology's practice restrictions, and the census.

One has to wonder why these wonderful docs, fresh out of residency, can't land a better gig, and have to depend on subsidized housing! Might be a rendition of Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons": "I owe my soul to the company store...." Hud would love that...and it has a Tennessee connection!

Anonymous said...

Hey Frank... whys the blog so boring these days????? I want some real excitement!!!!

Anonymous said...

So here's the latest on the new MOB. Indeed ground was broken but then so were the phone lines! The construction crew cut them and NVMC was without phone service for about 8 hours.

Not to be outdone, PAX was down as well as Meditec! A banner day all in all for the staff at NVMC. Medflight refused to land shortly after this ground breaking happened as the piles of dirt were too high and too close to the helipad. One has to wonder if this is NVMC's way of keeping patients in house. Needless to say, the life flight team reamed out administration.

This new office building has a whopping 4 offices in it and looks like it belongs in a mini strip mall. 4 offices? Why bother!!

Shall we move on to the staffing issues? A patient called to get appointments for PT and was told they couldn't get in for several weeks because everyone had resigned.

Both the Mammography supervisor and ultrasound supervisor have resigned as well. Talk about too many chiefs and no indians!!

The census remains between 12 and 20 on any given day. The family practice docs are looking to get privileges at other institutions. Can you say "sinking ship"!

I guess when you look at all the salary dollars they are saving you can see why the revenues are in the black, however, 500K is a far cry from the 4 million the hudette quoted in an earlier blog!

As far as subsidized housing for the new docs, Ayer Mass has the lowest real estate prices and tax rate of any town in this side of Springfield. Those townhouses are such a ridiculous idea, but then again that's how their ideas run. One of the surgeons and radiologists just sold their homes in Groton. Maybe they want to be the first residents in the townhouses or are they just getting the hell out!

So long from The Center....

Sounds like it was an interesting time. Wonder if their downtime procedures were ready for that!

As to the established physicians, Essent seems to be trying to break the influence that any particular ones might have. Their strategy would indicate a willingness to recruit based on subservience, rather than on competence. If they get both, so much the better, but the former quality is the one pursued.

If they push the office building as part of their 'improvements', it kind of makes sense. More cash flow from leases, locking in providers for a fixed period of time, and meeting a portion of their responsibility for improvements.

As to the $.5M, it will probably be better for this year, but who knows? The stats should be posted by the end of the year....frank

Anonymous said...

Heard from a source that David Kreye was looking at a hospital in Minn. Know anything?

Anonymous said...

If someone has a picture phone pic of one of the offending "smoke alarms" they ought to send it to Frank for publication.

Anonymous said...

Just curious. We all know the Paris Snooze won't publish any thing anti-PRMC/Essent. What about other papers in this area? Are they all owned by the Snooze? I'd think Hugo/Antlers, Mt Pleasant, Clarkesville and other surrounding areas would like to know that their healthcare is in jeopardy.

Anonymous said...

Andrew got himself in the Paris Snooze, defending the deposed city manager...they had a lot in common: Both run rough shod over employees, both are supported by Snooze's publisher, both had an agenda. Maybe Hud ought to hire him. He could probably keep those pesky cameras hidden!