Physician-Board Meeting
Well, for all the critics out there who have questioned whether physicians actually inform the board of our ongoing issues, we did meet with three Board members last week. The concerns that were officially addressed with these Board members and CEO were as follows:
• Diversion problem and the plan for the winter season. We have already been on diversion more this summer than any previous summer we remember. It is very concerning to physicians as there has been no official statement on what plans were being made to help alleviate the situation.
o At the suggestion of physicians, they are agreeable to form a multidisciplinary group with physicians, hospital personnel from nursing, ICU, registration, bed control, discharge planning, EMS etc. to discuss possible solutions to help alleviate the problem.
• ER issues including satisfaction and why the fast-track and the observation unit are not yet up and running as we were told last year.
• Length of stays that seem to be increasing
• Staffing issues on the floors and other departments
• OB issues regarding the facility and the staffing
• The Board was updated them on Medicaid concern
• We discussed the rumor about the hospital’s Bond Rating
• Two of the Board Members were questioned on their decision to add a VP position when all other departments were asked to cut their budgets. The only additional comment that was offered was that they didn’t want to lose good people to other places. So, does this set a precedent that any director needs to just threaten to quit and then receive a VP position? We will continue to disagree on the poor timing of this decision.
(corrected paragraph)But it is to be noted that the vote was 4:3. The three Board members voting not to add the VP position at this time were Von Marshall, Kay Garry, and Darrell Mills. Board members who voted in favor were David Atkins, Mame Garner, Keith Megraw, and the Chairman Bob Kleehammer cast the deciding vote.
So, as you can see, important issues were once again brought to the attention of the Board and again to the CEO.
• Diversion problem and the plan for the winter season. We have already been on diversion more this summer than any previous summer we remember. It is very concerning to physicians as there has been no official statement on what plans were being made to help alleviate the situation.
o At the suggestion of physicians, they are agreeable to form a multidisciplinary group with physicians, hospital personnel from nursing, ICU, registration, bed control, discharge planning, EMS etc. to discuss possible solutions to help alleviate the problem.
• ER issues including satisfaction and why the fast-track and the observation unit are not yet up and running as we were told last year.
• Length of stays that seem to be increasing
• Staffing issues on the floors and other departments
• OB issues regarding the facility and the staffing
• The Board was updated them on Medicaid concern
• We discussed the rumor about the hospital’s Bond Rating
• Two of the Board Members were questioned on their decision to add a VP position when all other departments were asked to cut their budgets. The only additional comment that was offered was that they didn’t want to lose good people to other places. So, does this set a precedent that any director needs to just threaten to quit and then receive a VP position? We will continue to disagree on the poor timing of this decision.
(corrected paragraph)But it is to be noted that the vote was 4:3. The three Board members voting not to add the VP position at this time were Von Marshall, Kay Garry, and Darrell Mills. Board members who voted in favor were David Atkins, Mame Garner, Keith Megraw, and the Chairman Bob Kleehammer cast the deciding vote.
So, as you can see, important issues were once again brought to the attention of the Board and again to the CEO.
posted by Anonymous at 6:10 AM
26 Comments:
Why should the board discuss an internal personnel issue with doctors? Hospital staffing decisions are not your business.
You just like to complain for the sake of being critical of management. You make yourself look like a sour old crank instead of a professional medical doctor.
Your posting does not make much sense. I can tell you must be pretty excited. If you read the people that voted sounds like it was 7 for instead 4:3 against.Maybe I am missing something. Also, why did you meet with just 3 Board Members?
I bet they were not the 4 that voted adding a "new position", as you call it. I agree with diogenestrainee. As someone aptly said, "Who died and put you in charge." Its Monday a busy day for Doctors, you should tend to your business, or maybe you should apply for a position at FMH and then you could tend to theirs.
HB, someone on this blog was talking about the 1700+ employees at Floyd Memorial, I would bet that you have less then 1% of that total as employees in your office.
Are you keeping them all happy, I bet not. It is easy to furrow out the people that are the unhappy campers in a workplace, because the happy ones are going about their business and usually covering the A--es of the ones that don't work and do nothing but complain.
anonymous was correct on the wording. I have corrected the wording. If you see, the posting was at around 6:00am and I don't always catch the errors.
Hospital staffing is a concern for physicians as it directly affects patient care. That is our business! Accountability is tough for some of you out there.
What part of the posting do you find offensive? These are all legitimate concerns and the Board should have knowledge of them.
These meetings are the scheduled quarterly meetings that were started on my suggestion 4 years ago against the wishes of the CEO. We can only meet with three board members by county law. Four would make a quorum and it would then be required to become an open public meeting.
You have a blind spot a mile wide when it comes to rationalizing your motives. Sufficient staffing levels in patient care and direct medical support might be a legitmate concern for doctors. You have no business meddling in administrative staff issues. I am sure that your office staff sometimes interfaces with hospital staff. Should hospital admin investigate the adequacy and competence of your hires or is that your business and no one else's?
You really need to get off your high horse and tend to the things you actually know something about. Isn't it about time to do a follow-up audit on those Purity Ball contracts you had the young girls sign?
diogenestrainee,
Not cool. Why would you mar your intelligence with a question like that?
Who were the 3 board members that you and others met with. You didn't mind posting who voted and what their vote was. I noticed you didn't address that in your follow-up or is that too telling.
We met with Mr. Kleehammer, Mrs. Garner and Mrs. Garry
Woooh, boy. Maybe I am missing something here. But there seems to be an imbalance here. The anger is so strong and inappropriately out of control. Just who are you Diogenestrainee? You lower yourself when you attack the person and not the issue. Either you are just a very angry person at life in general, or you are a member of the Administration. Or better still, are you a former Board member who has always been a close, personal friend of Administration. Which one are you?
Good business practice would be to get suggestions/concerns from your customer. If I recall, the hospital's Care program refers to everyone as a customer. Like it or not, the physician's are the hospital's customers, too. They use the facility. Isn't it smart to discuss/canvass your customer to ascertain better ways to meet their needs? Isn't this just good business? Disney (one of America's most successful businesses) has used the technique for years. I see nothing wrong with the board demonstrating an interest in its customers' conerns. The Board has been critized for years that they are isolated. My only criticism is: it is a shame that the entire board could not be present because of the law governing a closed meeting. Come on, people, let's not let the negative energy cloud our thinking.
Truthseaker said...
"You lower yourself when you attack the person and not the issue"
If that is the case, then HB must be underground. He has trashed the competence and integrity of hospital managers, board members and county commissioners repeatedly.
To your point about board members meeting with doctors, I see nothing wrong with that. My problem is HB thinking he has a role to play in the naming of administrative staff at the hospital. That has nothing to do with him.
And, finally, your guesses about my identity are wrong. I have said many times I am not (and have not been) an employee of the hospital, a board member or a member of county or city government. I am simply someone who thinks that Floyd Memorial is one of our best community assets and I appreciate the work that hospital management has done to provide such a fine facility for Floyd County.
The more I think about this issue,the more I am confused with the response of some people.
It makes no sense to me that people would be upset to hear that the MD's in our community are protecting us. I for one am glad the MD's are standing up for all patients. Isn't it appropriate for them to be a patient advocate? Isn't it appropriate for them to protect the health of the community. Who better to realize the problems than they? And who better to get the attention of the hospital administration than they? A mere employee of the hospital would be jeopardizing his/her job.
Physician's certainly have more power and influence than the average citizen in the community. I for one, think it is the responsibility of our physicians to represent the community in any health care we face. And I also judge it improper for anyone to defend the hospital's administsration if a defensive posture is taken to their being challenged to explain.
I go one step further. Did the Board not take an oath when they took office? Are they not also accountable to the community? Why are we afraid of knowledge? Some might criticize based on understanding the role of the board, which is to govern vs the role of administration which is to manage. Granted there is a fine line between fulfilling one's obligatin by keeping informed and just plain meddling in management. And there is the rub. I would prefer to err on the side of the community than to "protect" the administration who is there to serve the hospital and ultimately the community. Who are we protecting? the citizens or the hospital administration who is a paid employee?
Shouldn't we be grateful? Can someone please explain this to me?
Those are noble words and who could disagree? From what I have seen on this blog, HB is less interested in protecting the community than he is in pursuing a personal vendetta against the CEO. He obviously, has an intense dislike of that man and he is determined to demonize him whether it is justified or not and whether it hurts the hospital or not.
I agree with diogenestrainee, it seems that HB has more of a personal vendeta against the CEO of FMH. Granted he has made his case by posting several areas that should be looked at, but in the end everything always comes down to the CEO and the job he is either doing or not doing. It seems that HB thinks that all problems could be eliminated at FMH just by removing the current CEO. Anyone that thinks by removing 1 person in a 1700+ organization will abolish the problems at FMH should rethink their position. By the way, before I am labeled as a BH crony, I do not know the man, nor do I know anyone on the Board, and only know 2 very happy people that work at FMH and are content with their employment. I am someone that thinks everyone is entitled to their opinion, but it should not have a hidden agenda.
As Harry Truman said: "The buck stops here." Hmm, wonder what he meant by that? Do you think he credits the top of an organize with being ultimately responsible?
Poor truthseaker, you actually think doctors are advocating for patients? I've got news for you I work with doctors everyday and the only thing they advocate for is their bank accounts.
Now that the Doctors have met with Board Members and the CEO I am assuming that their will be no reason to continue the ongoing bombarding of the CEO and his decisions that are bringing about the decadence of FMH. Maybe HB can give it a rest.
Hmmm....We shall see.
Sorry for typo meant to say there not their, but sure you get the idea. :>) By the way I agree with anonymous about the Bank Accounts.
Been a lot of crying about that on this Blog.
I have come to the conclusion that diogenestrainee must be an expert in the FMHHS affairs even though he claims to not be a part of the hospital. Additionally, I agree with truthseeker on how he attacks the person and not the issue. He remarks about how he appreciates the work that hospital management has done to provide such a fine facility for Floyd County, but, like many administrative people do, fails to recognize the people on the frontlines that do the hands-on work from the time a patient enters the ER until the time they are discharged. He constantly praises and supports the ones that come in at 8 or 9 in the morning and leave by 4 or 5 in the evening, but forgets about the ones that work 12 to 16 hours a day including weekends and holidays. I too think that Floyd is one of our community's best assets, but I praise & support the one's that care for me when I go to the hospital. While I'm a patient there it's not the administration caring for me it's the doctor, nurse, aide, respiratory, therapy, dietary, housekeeper, laundry, that shows and provides the care. It's them I appreciate for their professional hard work they provide.
As far as hospital staffing NOT being any of MY business as a doctor? If I am recommending a hospital's services and care to one of my patients, then they better be getting the quality of care they deserve. As a patient I would expect no less. I don't think the issue is the compentence of the staff, but the availablity of enough staff to handle the number and acuity of the patients. I don't think there's a licenced person out there (doctor, nurse, RT, PT, OT, ST, etc) that is willing to put their license on the line constantly during staffing shortages or cutbacks knowing that one error can cost them their entire career. Diogenestrainee needs to come down out of the clouds, off his throne, and face the real world.
This is New Albany Indiana, not fantasyland. Wake up people.
Dear Dr. Dan (HB),
On behalf of several associates at FMHHS - THANK YOU!! We hope the meeting will produce postive results. Heck with what the outsiders say. We know the truth.
A few responses to Anonymous at 8:14PM:
RE:
"fails to recognize the people on the frontlines that do the hands-on work"
That is not true. As a frequent visitor to Floyd as a patient or when visiting friends or family, I have always been impressed by the friendliness and professionalism displayed by the staff there. My comments on this blog have been in response to HB's very PERSONAL attacks on the management of the hospital.
I also specifically stated earlier in this thread:
"Sufficient staffing levels in patient care and direct medical support might be a legitmate concern for doctors." I then added: "You have no business meddling in administrative staff issues." Those are two very different things.
Finally, everyone agrees that staffing levels are an issue--in every hospital, nursing home and other health care facility in the United States. From what I have seen on this blog, the problems that Floyd has in this area are shared by all hospitals in the region and are the direct result of insufficient numbers of trained personnel in several professional categories. Of course, that is a problem for American healthcare. HB would like his readers to think that the Floyd CEO is personally responsible for every chronic problem facing all medical providers.
Hi Dan, I want to thank you for continuing in your efforts to make the organization top notch. It's difficult to ask those tough and unpopular questions. The key here is accountability for operations. Physicians are key stakeholders in the success of the organization, and should have a voice. Best of luck in your ongoing efforts; it's admirable that you are willing to speak out on behalf of those of us who cannot...
"Length of stays that seem to be increasing". First, that's not true. Why don't you speak to the physician who chairs the committee where the length of stay is reviewed, and ask him if you can sit in on a meeting? This will give you an opportunity to review this data firsthand. Secondly, there is only one person who determines when the patient leaves the hospital - the PHYSICIAN.
Believe me, they don't care about losing good people, only working them to death. When was the last time a woman got promoted?
To the last poster, I have been in FMH several times over the last few months, and I haven't noticed anyone that looks like they are being worked to death. Quite the contrary. Some looked as if they were not really working.
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