I was asked, in a comment, for your input (which we get in the afore mentioned comments) in a more ordered structure.
I am an interested physician who reads your blog. Would you consider asking your readership for a listing of grievances, in order to form a priority recipe, of those issues that employees, patients and physicians find most troubling with the current hospital's plight? This would help those of us who feel an intense need to help.
And, even if it were the hospital asking, I'd be willing. There is really no down-side. Let's keep the comments on this one limited to direct issues. "Administration is full of @#$%!" is not what I'm looking for; "Administration is hiding significant issues" would be. And then, possibly, an explanation.
This may not be as 'fun', but it certainly gives more credence to complaints, comments, and the blog.
We're sure to find a hot-button item or two to keep things interesting, and at the end will be a vote for priority. I would suggest that commenting would be the least revealing method, and if two comments reflect the same issue, only one will be added to the list.
There are several reasons to do this: Public awareness (of the blog as a venue.) Public recognition of problems. Public pressure. As for results: A large number of readers are employees, so an improvement in conditions has a direct effect. We are all potential patients in a life-or-death situation.
Based on the season:
He's making a list, checking it twice....
THE LIST:
1. highly skilled docs boarded in emergency medicine;
2. a nursing staff with a modicum of competence and compassion;
3. better triage procedures;
4. a bigger ER.
5. better customer service
6. CEUs
7. better attitudes
8. follow-through with suggestions and complaints
9. support for the nursing staff
10. updating equipment
11. more personal contact by physicians with patient families post surgery
12. more respect for allied health personnel
13. more community involvement
14. YOUR COMMENT
Has anyone noticed that the majority of the comments are "people" issues? Many of which are low- to no- cost items. Three are high-cost (full ER boarded physicians don't grow on trees, neither do ER expansions, nor equipment.) Training personnel isn't cheap, but neither is constant turnover and "insured flight" (kind of like "white flight" from cities.)
You have to make this the hospital that its own staff would go to. How many of the physicians on staff (or their families) have you seen as patients?
21 comments:
Now you're talking to guys like me. There are a number of us who are extremely interested in seeing medicine return to Paris the way that I remember it growing up...with class and dignity. I would very much like to see a confidence re-seed and grow with cultivation by all involved.
In regards to the fix it list. Provide nursing staff with quality continuing education. Physicians and administration back your nursing staff when issuses arise. Don't just finger point. Proper follow through with staff about suggestions and complaints. Most importantly remember this hospital needs everyone to run smoothly all employees have value as staff and as individuals as well.
Number one on the list should be: Doctors and nurses should leave their arrogance outside in the parking lot.
The number one focus needs to be customer service. The first customer is the Doc's, then your staff, and then the patients. You know, if the doc's are happy and the nurses are happy the patients will be happy. Doc's and staff will focus on quality care. The business will come. If somebody from the invester group is reading this, check out The Studer Group. Do a google. PRMC paid big bucks to move me to Paris only to send me on my way after 9 months with a severance. Currently I travel as an independant healthcare consultant and have seen outstanding result with Quint Studer, I do not work for him. CHS which just bought Triad has really signed on to this process. My family and I still live in Paris, and we would go to a Doc in the box or out of town before going to PRMC and it doesn't need to be that way. While I was there a survey that was done showed 16 million dollars a year of medical care left town, my guess it right now it is much more. Good luck!!!
Certainly Paris deserves more than a 3rd rate hospital co. with mediocre management and desperate financial goals. Leadership should focus on quality but the underlying goals of ownership won't let it. If you always do what you've always done........
Obviously, there is much disatisfaction with the hospital situation in Paris. There has been for some time now, but far worse with Essent ownership.Only two groups can do anything about it:
1) physicians can pressure ownership to improve. If not, they can compete with clinics, diagnostics,or another hospital.
2) patients can boycott the hospital, at some risk due to the availability of other services.They also can support alternative competitors.
Essent will fail eventually due to poor leadership and a flawed plan. Paris physicians should be ready with a plan to benefit the public. No company..for-profit or not-for-profit...will deliver as well as the local interests will. Paris should have already learned that. But, local physicians are of an age in their careers that they don't want to take risks with their retirement. Therefore, the public leaders of Paris should align with the Drs. and develop a quality hospital plan for the good of the community. Without it, Paris will linger through another transition to further mediocrity due to lack of interest and leadership by it's citizens.
So far, this looks very promising. Those of us who are involved in this agree with the triad of Patient-Nurse-Physician comfort and confidence. I feel that the employees are THE biggest asset a company has (maybe it's only asset, since it's the only one that a company can control, as to mix and content). However, THE engine that drives the boat is the PATIENT. We must re-establish confidence in the system.
The LIST is so far a good one and will go a long way toward providing a foundation for guidance. Thank you, Paris.
The limiting factor it seems to me is the identifcation of the south campus as dirty and out dated. Moreover;the nursing staff is , for the most, part young and inexperienced.. The nursing staff at the north will do almost anything to get out of being floated to the south .why is that?
Patients tell me almost daily horror stories about how they are triaged in the ER and how they are treated when they are seen.Why is that?
The equiipment in the cath room # 1 is so bad that one cardiologist admitted publicly that he would not have a cath done there himself!Why is that?
The anaesthesia department is in constant turmoil and there is no contract guranteeing that we will have anaesthesia coverage.Why is that?
We now have a lone radiologist on permanent staff we used to have 9.Why is that?
The hospitals insured patient discharges are down 37% in two years .Why is that? These are some of the Questions that ought to be addressed by someone if they are serious about fixing the problems.
Alas , I am not optimistic that the money is there to fix even the minor problems outlined here.I was never sure that building a cardiac center made any sense;the starting point should be fixing the hole in the bottom of the boat before worring about the color of the flags on the masthead!We must get back to basics and rebuild our patient base . That will take a move to the north campus and a revitalization of basic general hospital services.
For God's sake we dont need to spend $20 million on a cardiac center when we are not providing even minimal ICU care to car wrecks , acute MIs and strokes
etc.!
The people of Paris deserve a first class hospital.They will return here if the quality of their care is compassionate and at least equal to what they can get in Tyler or Plano.What they won't do is take chances with theirs' or their loved ones' health and safety.
People are driving long distances to obtain care that they have obtained here for 75 years! The way out of the bog we are in is to retrace our steps and do the basics first ,then worry about the frills that probably should be done at a level 1 hospital anyway!
At last, this blog is coming up with a viable list, instead of the usual P&Ming- the one thing that concerns me is that because the list comes from this blog, the powers-that-be at E$$ent and the PRMC front offices won't accept it. They'll most likely ask why the employees didn't come up with this earlier and present it in the suggestion boxes.....and we know the answer to that one, don't we boys & girls?
Then again, it's pretty much assumed that there ARE employees, posting anonymously, making suggestions here (more power to you folks!!), knowing their risk of termination is far less than doing so publicy, or (Lord forbid) at work.
The days of two hospitals in Paris, IMO, are over, but who says we can't have the level of care we were accustomed to when there were two hospitals, pre-Christus?
Oh yes, as an employee of a hospital not far away from you folks, I would also suggest to treat those in allied health (X-ray, resp. therpy, lab, physical therapy) with the respect due them. They put in time for their training, and have nationally recognized accreditation to show for it. No way should these folks be treated like red-headed stepchildren......
And while we're at it, treat ALL the employees like they're members of the healthcare team, because from the doctors to the nurses to allied health to housekeeping, they are. A spirit of teamwork and empowerment to do one's job, and do it better, will reflect in the level of care given each & every patient who passes through the doors.
I used to be an employee of one of the two facilities in Paris, and wasn't ashamed in letting folks know it if asked. Now, I wouldn't mention I was a PRMC employee (and at one time I was) even under duress, since the name has such a stain of mediocrity to it. Another part of the sad legacy of Christus and Essent's mismanagement (especially the latter company).
Having the docs take over the R.A.C.E. and Aerofit centers from Essent is nice, but now the next step must be taken to purchase the entire facility (if not the north campus) from Essent and start afresh.
The comment emphasizing the need for a customer service emphasis and referring to The Studor method is right on. Problem is, that takes leadership,money,people, and a vision. Most hospitals that are successful are well into such initiatives. Wonder why PRMC is not? Poor leadership, no money,not enough people, and a blurry vision!The days are numbered as result.
It isn't just nurses who need CE's.
Some decent equipment would be nice. The wheel chairs in ER look like they were bought at a yard sale in Bangladesh.
Quit treating the employees like they're the enemy!
How about asking the DR's to meet in person with the patients family after surgery instead of making a phone call to the waiting room?
Requests so far are no more than basic. That is to say, these should be givens in any community in healthcare delivery. There should not be a need for request for same from non-medical citizens. If you can't take "continuing education" for granted in your medical professionals(it is mandated), Houston we have a problem.
I also worked at a hospital that followed Mr. Studer's approach. It was like night and day difference. Don't you think we coul do this from the grass roots level?
Yeah...but it would be an uphill battle.
I admit, there are some physicians that use the hospital. But, would you say that they and theirs are given 'special' treatment?
Staff will use it because of cost (a whale of difference in insurance coverage), but they monitor family members like hawks.
Well the rumor is that Essent wants to go ahead not only with the Chest Hospital but a new building on North campus to make it one hospital instead of two (which Christus should've done!)
My question is will they actually try to get input from the people who will have to work there to make it a user friendly building or will they just go ahead and plow on thru with no clue to what a hospital is really for??
8:47 AM,
I fear the correct answer is yes- they'll let hubris rule the day and do like they've been doing.
In another vein, it's about high darn time such a move was contemplated- it's the dead-obvious one. More space on the north side, vs. having to buy up & condemn adjacent property on the south. The former Big Mac lobby is more like a hotel lobby, while the old St. Joseph lobby is, well, cheesy, thanks to Essent's inferior decorators.
You haven't seen the new deco at North....the "new" carpet looks old....is it what designers call "distressed"? Perhaps....
Where mercy is shown, Mercy is given....
a summation of some famous guys's words... JESUS
I'm discussing with my dad reasons to leave Paris and to move to my community where quality healthcare is available. This is a difficult decision to leave his friends but one we must make.
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