Hospital and financial troubles

[Guest guest]

I am prompted to write this to see if anyone has any information

regarding the hospital and the " financial troubles " that they are in.

I have worked for hospitals that have said they could not give us a

raise and laid off long term workers the week of Christmas and the

first of the year redecorated the whole entire hospital including

carpet that was less than 2 years old. Of course we were told the

money was from a " different budget " . We never suspended any care to

Medicaid patients however.

My concern is this...............

1. Morale of staff

2. Standard of Care

3. Patient satisfaction

My question is this.......Does anyone receive any standard follow up

form from the hospital that monitors patient satisfaction with the

hospital and its facillity?

If so I am wondering ,,since DR R does have such a large(no pun

intended) number of patients that go there for surgery.......IF the

hospital could offer us some assurances that the Quality of Care is

IMPROVING (As it always should) and not diminishing.

Anyone with any thoughts on this email me privately as I am web only.

You may share your or my answers with the group.

I am prepared to do an informal monitoring of the above issues if the

hospital will not comply with our concerns ....IF there is indeed

others that feel this is a potential issue. I say nip it in the bud

now......if they had to stop caring for the " poor " I want to know why.

" Cost shifting " ie sending the " burden " of caring for indigent to

other hospitals is ILLEGAL. Now so far I don't see that they are

doing this because this is so called " elective surgery " but I really

wonder IF there really IS a financial crunch and if so we as a group

should look out for each other so we will KNOW that Quality of Care

will stay up to par.

I sure dont want to see them replaced professional staff with less

skilled in order to save a few bucks. The nursing care is NOT what is

causing escalating health care costs.....The cost of TECHNOLOGY and

governmental " red tape " is.

The above is the TREND and I have seen it happen many times when

there is a critical nursing shortage(which there is again now).

I sometimes think the hospitals use this opportunity of " nursing

shortage " to replace vacancies with nonprofession caregivers. I am

NOT saying that those nonprofessional caregivers are NOT some of the

most wonderful angels sent to hospitals. I am just stating a fact

that our healthcare system has become increasingly specialized and

filled with technology,sicker patients etc and you should have a

Registered Nurse taking care of you. There should be someone there to

answer your call light promptly and help should arrive in a timely

fashion. Sorry I have rambled on....This medicaid hold thing has me

worried a bit........