Local hospitals

[Guest guest]

Here is the latest on the 2 local hospitals and their employed MD's in Puget Sound Washington. Multicare has bought a local hospital out, and has just opened a new ER here with hospital to come. Drastically need to expand their doctors. But have just had 6 of the last 8 quit, after less than a year, due to horrendous demands. They expect every clinic doc to see 35-40 patients a day in clinic, 5 min each, one complaint only. This is all from the scheduler who has to schedule it, and is caught in the middle between the complaining and leaving doctors, and the admin who just want more more more.

Meanwhile Valley Medical, the community hospital, has joined with the UW, just and in a contest to get another ER up next door to Multicare out here. They just implemented the third EMR in 5 yr, (yes, my taxpayer dollars), Epic, and told all employees for the months of July and August, NO VACATION, as they have to get this EMR up and going. Apparently this has gone over like a led ballon, and sick leave is rampant. As a patient there, from call to get PE to the appt, it was a huge time sink. Every appt for next 2 months scheduled for 30 min, or more, and I left with more paper than ever. Hand outs about my plan, I wasn't asked, just got, Hand out about how to access my info on line, copies of my lab orders, EKG's, etc, Geez, this is electronic? And when I called to get the appt it took 15 min to input all my demographics over, as "the new system doesn't cross over any data". I was asked by birth date 3x in 5 minutes.

With competition like this, who needs to advertise? Seems to me people will be fleeing these systems if they can. Other thoughts from your locales?

CCote