Terminology is important
Terminology is only meaningful when everyone agrees on the definitions. The CEO at Floyd is using terminology to justify more bad decisions, but he gets very defensive when asked to define the terms.
So what is an FTE/adj. occ bed (Full Time Employee per adjusted occupied bed)?
This is the question.
Every hospital calculates this number differently and telling managers, physicians and the Board that our ratio is higher than Clark, Jewish, Norton’s etc. is not only misleading, it is deceptive in many ways.
Here are the variables:
So what is an FTE/adj. occ bed (Full Time Employee per adjusted occupied bed)?
This is the question.
Every hospital calculates this number differently and telling managers, physicians and the Board that our ratio is higher than Clark, Jewish, Norton’s etc. is not only misleading, it is deceptive in many ways.
Here are the variables:
Does each hospital include the ER beds, OB beds, Nursery beds, Urgent Care beds, and rehab beds that are part of their hospitals?
Does each hospital include personnel in departments like marketing, laundry, security, medical records, transcription, and many other departments? This is vitally important because many hospitals contract these as outside services.
How does each hospital define a FTE?
Do part-time employees get counted and if so how?
He is currently using the numbers to justify cuts in certain departments that he says is overstaffed. Two of these departments are the ER and the OR.
Has anyone had to wait in the ER or has any surgeon had difficulty scheduling cases. I am quite certain that overstaffing is not the problem.
Until we know with certainty that everyone is defining the term in the exact same manner, NO comparison is valid and cuts are unjustified.
posted by Anonymous at 6:15 AM
9 Comments:
Are you a member of the management team hired to run the hospital? Are you a voting member of the hospital board which approves management decisions? Are you responsible for balancing available services, staffing and expense management?
It seems to me that your concern should be whether your patients get good care of not at the hospital. Budget and staffing decisions are not your job.
As an active member of the Medical Staff and upcoming Vice Chief of Staff, it is my concern that staffing ratios remain adequate to care for our patients.
I am the one responsible for the ultimate outcome on my patient.
The Board needs to have a clear understanding that what is being presented is an accurate assessment.
the managers know these numbers are inaccurate and have voiced our concerns repeatedly. But they have an agenda and certain areas always seem to be protected.
We'd bet the finance department will never be listed as overstaffed.
HMM, wonder why that would be Ralph.
Speaking of cuts, it seems that one of the long-term nursing directors was told that she was not a "team player" and that her position had to be cut. This, after 42 years -- seems if that was really the case, she would have been canned long ago. This same director also donates lots of money to the foundation and has close ties with many who do. What a dumbass decision! Just goes to show - there is no loyalty, is there? I bet the surgical nursing director keeps her job - and she is the epitome of a self-serving bitch! She recently lied and back-stabbed one of her long-term charge nurses - who left to go to another area after 30 years or so. And they think the staff doesn't know these things? People better watch their backs because the powers that be don't give a damn about their employees. They continue to make stupid decisions affecting their patients, staff and community.
As the host of the blog, I know there are very strong emotions regarding certain individuals.
Please state your comments without name-calling.
We can all make valid comments and point out the problems in a healthy manner.
If comments continue to use language inappropriate, I will choose to delete the responses.
Everyone is making good points. Let's keep it from being so personal.
Very rarely, and never in good organizations, does management discuss confidential personnel issues. So...the rumor mill carries only the perspective of the affected employee or, if that person doesn't discuss it either, the uninformed perspective of rumor mongers such as "Anonymous 12:06.
I feel that the CEO better care about ratio.I wouldn't want a nurse who has 11 patients to be responsible for my love one.The nurse has her hands full with 8 patients but 11...Someone is going to suffer and its the patient.Lets save the all mighty dollar and work the nurses like dogs.When a patient has a bad experience at a hospital,they will tell everyone who will listen.That there alone will bring Floyd down.
Good question about the variables in figuring FTE/adj occ bed; and most interesting the comment about contracting departments. I've heard that the food services for the hospital are going to be contracted in the future as a means of cost-cutting. (and I suppose job cutting) Well, I've seen the type of personnel that has come and gone that were contracted. Agency Nurses, Therapists, Security and Cleaning services and I'm sure many more have been utilized throughout the hospital, but the care and the quality of most of them left much to be desired. The best thing about working at FMHHS is the core group of hard-working caring people that come to Floyd and stay there. To have these good people's jobs vanish and be sold off to a contracted service will most definitely affect the Floyd Family. Yes, dollars may be saved, but what about the Quality and the care that will be given. One of our Patient Promises is for good tasting nourishing meals. Can that be done better by strangers or the caring people that work here? I believe there are contracting services for management; Think we could get more Bang for our Buck There?
Rumor has it that the company that they want to contract with is Morrison foods.Have you ever had a loved one in the hosptial at Jewish. The food service there is nasty.FMHHS has the best food and the patients rave about the food.That will be another complaint that the patients will add and the staff will be the ones have to deal with complaints. The big boys(little) will not have to hear it.I say we send all complaints downstairs to the office and voice their concerns.I have enough to do.I will agree with the patients and tell them who to talk too.Floyd keeps it up not only will they lose patients,they will lose good employees.I'm looking for a new job as I speak.
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