Monday, June 11, 2007

In the Loop.....6/21


Frank,

Just to keep you in the loop: My mom was scheduled for a pacer placement a week ago at PRMC. I suppose it was the case of the devil you know, vs that which you don't. Got a call Monday morning and found out that the cath lab was down and we'd have to go to Baylor--the Heart Hospital--in Plano for the pacer.

The immediate area hotels had special rates far below the usual. We arrived the night before, with some trepidation. But, the experience was eye-opening: The morning admission was breathtakingly simple, five minutes in admitting, a ride up to the room, and an inital crew of three nurses in the room to do prep, answer any questions, and make things as smooth as possible. No confusion, they knew we were coming.

I included pictures of the room, and the room she recovered in--exactly the same, one floor difference, and setup to convert to an ICU bed if needed. There was even a hide-a-bed for a family member. A 32-37" lcd tv (I didn't measure) was wall mounted and quite clear.

The procedure was smooth, with only a bit of problems with the recovery--previous meds depressing blood pressure. After that, clear sailing. Dinner was even a filet--quite tender and to order.


The staff was motivated, hand-selected, and very professional. If a light came on, it was answered--fast! But then again, the hospital is owned 49% by the physicians, so they make sure that the customer is king. I'm certainly convinced.

I appreciated the care my mom received when she was in PRMC for her cath, but I'll have to opt for a facility that is new, with equipment to match.



Certainly looks good, and I've heard that a lot of Paris residents are taking advantage of it. If Essent and Hashmi want to compete, this is the standard to shoot for....frank

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I for one am happy your mother had a good experience at Baylor-Plano. BUMC is, IMO, a first-rate facility who keeps its patients in mind when it comes to healthcare.

On the other extreme.........I need not say more.

Anonymous said...

Choice: Procedure at PRMC or Baylor.

PRMC: Charges more, old equipment, staff shortages. $62,281

Baylor: New building, new equipment, highly motivated staff, sparkly clean. $23,299

.............your choice

Anonymous said...

Nursing school must have just graduated. E$$ent filled alot of nursing jobs recenly. Funny thing is no critical care positions were filled. Still have lots of RN positions open (1 CCU, 1 Cath Lab, 3 ER, and 4 ICU). When is e$$ent gonna wake up and realize they can't fix a hospital with new grads? Gotta have experience to work critical care and these new grads will move on to greener pastures as soon as they have a little experience under their belts. What are you gonna do then? Oh I know; hire more new grads.

Anonymous said...

Oh the joys of training newbies.....some will shine, some will get by, and some will hopefully just get. Same in any profession, not just nursing.

Experience is something you cannot teach, and sadly it's something some facilities will not pay for. Never minds years of experience and horse sense, get some greenhorns hired who have no clue which way is up, with nobody who's been-there-done-that to guide them, and watch the feces hit the fan.

Does a disservice to the greenhorns, patients, and the folks hired to orient them. Don't mean crap to management, est. the NashVegas management.

Anonymous said...

WHAT comparison can be made here? I don't even have to say the word. It's a blaringly simple choice if you ask me

I am very happy that you, your family and especially your Mom received the level of care that was given at Baylor. Something that all facilities should aspire to. And something that can be attained with key management in place. Something that we have been bereft of here in Paris for a very, very, very long time.

Foresight, leadership, planning, execution. For some, easily attainable, for others, well, I rest my case!

Anonymous said...

In Health Care, Cost Isn’t Proof of High Quality
New York Times June 14, 2007

"For most consumers, the fact that there is no connection between quality and cost is one of the dirty secrets of medicine."
PETER LEE, the president of a California health insurance consortium.

"Stark evidence that high medical payments do not necessarily buy high-quality patient care is presented in a hospital study set for release today."

"In a Pennsylvania government survey of the state’s 60 hospitals that perform heart bypass surgery, the best-paid hospital received nearly $100,000, on average, for the operation while the least-paid got less than $20,000. At both, patients had comparable lengths of stay and death rates."

"(The) Pennsylvania findings support a growing national consensus that as consumers, insurers and employers pay more for care, they are not necessarily getting better care. Expensive medicine may, in fact, be poor medicine."

Sound familiar?

Anonymous said...

THESE PICTURES LOOK JUST LIKE THE LELAND SHORT STAY HOSPITAL THAT OVER 40 PARIS PHYSICIANS WERE READY TO BUILD 5 YEARS AGO.WE HAD THE FINANCING AND THE LAND ;THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTED IT WAS THAT THE ORTHOPEDIC GROUP(CLARENCE tEMPLE,M.D.)WOULOD NOT GO ALONG WITH THE PLAN ; WITHOUT THEM IT WAS NOT ECONOMICALY FEASABLE.THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE NEW ORTHOPEDIC FLOOR WAS BUILT AT THE OLD ST JOE.TOO BAD THAT IT IS PRIMARILY USED FOR MEDICINE AND GENERAL SURG PTS SINCE THE NUMBER OF MAJOR ORTHO CASES HAS DROPPED BY 30%.WHEN WILL PEOPLE WAKE UP AND STOP SPENDING MONEY ON THESE HAIR BRAINED HALF MEASURES AND SPEND IT ON A NEW HOSPITAL?THE FOLKS KNOW WHATS UP AND ARENT COMING BACK UNTILL THE QUALITY MATCHES THE COMPETETION!

fac_p said...

Actually, the Ortho group has closer ties than any other players with Essent. Who else could complain to Hud and get Knizley fired?

Who else had an entire floor revamped for their practice?

Essent did pretty well by them, but, enough people were put off by the hospital that they still lost business. The replacements, the revisions went to Dallas and Tyler, and the no- and low-pays tramatic injuries stayed. Too little, too late.

Funny thing, Hud was so afraid that he'd make the same mistake he did with ARCON, he did it in reverse. At this point, he'll be lucky if he can hold on until the full renovation is completed.

Now the big player is Hashmi, and he's got the ear.

Got a spare mil or two, Hud? Can you say, Death Spiral?

Anonymous said...

Hashmi would be a fool to invest a dime in this place.

Anonymous said...

"PRIMARILY USED FOR MEDICINE AND GENERAL SURG PTS"

Oh no...you can't put gen surg pt or pneumonia with ORTHO!! Usually if the ortho census is low they combine with 5th floor (gen surg) or they stay open with 3 pts on the ortho unit....