healthy4u: Cook County

Hospital - noun, 1.  a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm or young  2.  an institution where the sick or injured are given medical or surgical care, <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hospital">Merriam-Webster</a>              - noun.  1.  an institution providing medical and surgical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people, <a href="http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/hospital?region=us">Oxford Dictionary</a> Two recent NY Times articles raise concerns that changes in leadership may cause hospitals to stray from their original purpose.  Cook County Health and Hospitals System The first NY Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/us/19cnchealth.html">article</a> discussed leadership of Cook County Health and Hospitals System (in the Chicago, IL area). This is a public health system whose mission was traditionally "to serve Cook County's neediest patients." The management of the system, however, is now increasingly in the hands of paid consultants. For example, until recently, its COO (chief operating officer) was: <blockquote>Mr. [Tony] Tedeschi, [who] like other of the system’s recent top managers, works for the Sibery Group, which has had contracts with the system to provide temporary executive talent.</blockquote> Furthermore, his successor was <blockquote>Ms. [Carol] Schneider, whose contract runs through December, works for the Washington Group Ltd., a consulting company that provides administrative help to the system. </blockquote> Furthermore, <blockquote>PricewaterhouseCoopers has a three-year, $50 million contract calling for it to save the system $300 million or bring in the equivalent in new revenue.</blockquote> Not to mention, <blockquote>consultants from the Sibery Group, which is based in Oak Brook, [were appointed] to top management posts within County Health. For example, a Sibery employee, Robert Hamilton, was until recently chief operating officer of Provident Hospital. Another, David Sibery, was until recently head of support services for the health system. </blockquote> Turning leadership over to executives hired by outside, commercial firms has lead to concern. <blockquote>The role consultants play at County Health is the object of strong criticism from doctors, nurses and other staff members who say they fear that consultants driven by the bottom line are at odds with the system’s obligation to serve Cook County’s neediest patients. Hundreds of front-line staff members have been laid off in the last two years. </blockquote>One particular concern was the lay-offs directed by yet another group of consultants. <blockquote>The county decided to close Oak Forest based in part on the advice of Navigant Consulting, which in a 2009 report found that Cook County’s hospitals were overstaffed compared to those of other health systems. Navigant’s assessment also formed the basis for the layoff of 1,350 people systemwide in the last two years. Doctors, nurses and union leaders argued that Navigant’s calculations were flawed. </blockquote> Most troubling are allegations that outsourced leadership by commercial consultants is stifling health care professionals' input into the system, including perhaps whistle-blowing about threats to its core mission: <blockquote>A doctor at a county clinic who would not let his name be used because he feared losing his job said consultants were 'coming at it like our county system is a system that could make money.' The purpose of the system 'is to take care of people regardless of their ability to pay,' the doctor said. 'If they want to get out of that commitment, that’s fine, but they’re going to leave people in the dust.' </blockquote> In addition, <blockquote>A nonunion supervisor, who would speak only on the condition that her name not be used for fear of retaliation, said the constant presence of consultants — and a lack of clear results — was undermining staff morale. 'I’ve never seen employee morale as low as it is now, at all levels,' the supervisor said. A survey of employees conducted by management in January found that fewer than a third of health system employees think senior managers are 'trustworthy' or have 'a sincere interest in the well-being of employees.' The survey also found that more than half of employees do not think they can voice their opinion without fear of retaliation. Dr. Richard David, co-director of neonatal intensive care at Stroger Hospital, said doctors were frustrated that Pricewaterhouse consultants had not sought their advice and seemingly ignored opinions offered by medical staff members. Dr. David said cuts most likely recommended by consultants were interfering with patient care in his unit. He cited calls from other doctors that go unanswered because staff reductions have left only one desk clerk, who also covers another unit. </blockquote>So it appears that through the miracle of out-sourcing, nominally public hospitals can now be lead by hired executives from commercial firms, whose corporate culture may be more about laissez faire capitalism than serving the poor.  SSM Health Care The <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/us/21nuns.html">second</a> NY Times article was about the exit of nuns as leaders of Catholic hospitals and health systems.  In summary, <blockquote>In 1968, nuns or priests served as chief executives of 770 of the country’s 796 Catholic hospitals, according to the Catholic Health Association. Today, they preside over 8 of 636 hospitals. ... only 8 of 59 Catholic health care systems are directed by religious executives. </blockquote> The focus of the article was on the retirement of Sister Mary Jean Ryan as CEO of SSM Health Care, (SSM honors Sisters of St. Mary, a predecessor of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary, the Sister's order). Sister Mary Jean Ryan was not a typical hospital system CEO: <blockquote>her legacy ... extends to preaching about the dignity of patients, paying blue-collar workers above scale, making her hospitals smoke-free, banning the use of foam cups and plastic water bottles, and insisting on gender-neutral and nonviolent language. There are no 'bullet points' in SSM presentations, and photographs are 'enlarged,' never 'blown up.' Even Sister Mary Jean can struggle to define precisely what the nuns brought to their hospitals. 'There is this thing called presence, she said, explaining that she was trained to see Jesus in the face of every patient....</blockquote> Also, her leadership: <blockquote>meant turning away business arrangements with doctors who decline to accept Medicaid. It has meant discounting treatment for the poor and offering charity care to the uninsured, just as the order’s founders did. The St. Louis nuns’ earliest ledgers denoted patients unable to pay as 'Our dear Lord’s.' </blockquote> But Sister Mary Jean has left, and this, and the general loss of religious leadership of Catholic hospitals and health systems: <blockquote>has stirred angst in many Catholic hospitals about whether the values imparted by the nuns, concerning the treatment of both patients and employees, can withstand bottom-line forces without their day-to-day vigilance. Although their influence is often described as intangible, the nuns kept their hospitals focused on serving the needy and brought a spiritual reassurance that healing would prevail over profit, authorities on Catholic health care say. </blockquote> Money is likely to become much more important at SSM: <blockquote>Mr. William P Thompson, Sister Mary Jean’s handpicked successor, said he planned to hold fast to her commitment to patients, the environment and nonviolence. But he also acknowledged that he would be 'trying to drive more efficiencies in the system.' </blockquote> One cannot help but wonder if these "efficiencies" will resemble those deployed by the outsourced consultant leadership of Cook County.  On Private Equity and Catholic Hospitals Furthermore, there is reason to think that Catholic, non-profit hospitals and health care systems may become even more like commercial firms. An <a href="http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-1/FIN-269977/Private-Equity-Interest-In-Nonprofit-Hospitals-Growing">article</a> in HealthLeaders Media about the increasing interest by private equity firms in non-profit hospitals and health care systems noted, <blockquote>[A] well-publicized deal was the buyout of Massachusetts-based Caritas Christi Health Care, which was a nonprofit, by Cerberus Capital Management. [see our posts <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/Caritas%20Christi">here</a> and <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/search/label/Steward%20Health%20Care">here</a>] The 2010 sale not only gave Caritas a cash infusion, but altered its tax status to for-profit. These acquisitions moved to center stage the use of private equity capital as a strategic opportunity for healthcare leaders. For instance, this past February, the nation's largest Catholic health system, Ascension Health, partnered with the Stamford, CT–based private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners, embarking on a joint venture to buy Catholic hospitals. Leo P. Brideau, FACHE, president and CEO of the St. Louis–based Ascension Health Care Network, says the joint venture allows the organization to provide an alternative funding source for the acquisition of Catholic healthcare entities.</blockquote> Then, <blockquote>Brideau says seeing other Catholic hospitals financially flounder—only to be sold to non-Catholic entities—aligns with the organization's mission to grow its network of Catholic hospitals. The vision to strengthen Catholic healthcare was another driver for Ascension's partnership with Oak Hill Capital. </blockquote> However, the article raises further concerns about whether private equity's interest in non-profit, particularly Catholic hospitals will help these institutions' missions.  The thinking of one private equity expert was: <blockquote>The core goal of a nonprofit hospital or health system is to provide patients with high-quality, cost-effective care, while earning a healthy margin; private equity firms have a different end goal. The general aim of a private equity firm is to achieve a large return on investment in the form of capital gains. How the private equity firm achieves those ends is where hospitals need to do their homework, [managing partner of Linden Capital Partners Brian] Miller says. </blockquote> Despite what private equity gurus may think, non-profit hospitals' missions never used to make a goal "earning a healthy margin" co-equal with that of taking good care of patients. It does not appear that achieving "a large return on investment" will be compatible with the traditional culture of Catholic hospitals in which "healing would prevail over profit." Nor does it appear compatible with the recent words of Pope Benedict XVI (as reported by the AP, <a href="http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-18/news/29901339_1_young-people-pope-benedict-xvi-ethics">via</a> the Boston Globe): <blockquote>'The economy doesn’t function with market self-regulation but needs an ethical reason to work for mankind,' he told reporters traveling aboard the papal plane. 'Man must be at the center of the economy, and the economy cannot be measured only by maximization of profit but rather according to the common good.' He said the current crisis shows that a moral dimension isn’t 'exterior' to economic problems but 'interior and fundamental.'</blockquote> Summary As hospitals and health systems are increasingly lead by people from the world of business, at a time when business culture increasingly believes "greed is good," the fundamental values of hospitals and health care professionals are more often ignored, if not directly threatened.  To repeat, health care organizations need leaders that uphold the core values of health care, and focus on and are accountable for the mission, not on secondary responsibilities that conflict with these values and their mission, and not on self-enrichment. Leaders ought to be rewarded reasonably, but not lavishly, for doing what ultimately improves patient care, or when applicable, good education and good research. If we do not fix the severe problems affecting the leadership and governance of health care, and do not increase accountability, integrity and transparency of health care leadership and governance, we will be as much to blame as the leaders when the system collapses.

Will Hired Executives Let "Healing Prevail Over Profit?" - Questions from Public and Catholic Non-Profit Health Systems

Hospital - noun, 1. a charitable institution for the needy, aged, infirm or young 2. an institution where the sick or injured are given m...

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<a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-invest06.html">Another story out of Cook County, Illinois</a>... There is an ongoing federal investigation into the award of a $49 million contract for radiology services for the new Stoger Hospital of the Cook County health system. The contract first went to DD Industries, a joint venture of Siemens Medical Systems and Faustech Industries. The President of Faustech was politically connected, having made contributions to various County Commisioners. After General Electric sued, claiming the county had violated its bidding procedures in the award to DD Industries, a federal magistrate ruled that Faustech was not a legitimite partner in the deal, but was in it merely to arrange "access to county officials." The story came out when the Cook County Board President, John Stoger, for whom the hospital was named, warned County Commissioners to watch what they say to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This is the second story I have found about the Cook County health system in a month. (See the first story posted <a href="http://hcrenewal.blogspot.com/2004/12/political-insecurity-at-provident.html">here</a>.) This story, about the questionable awarding of a security services contract, seemed to be another reason Stoger did not want his Commisioners talking to federal investigators. He warned them that saying too much could make the FBI "think you're involved deeper than you are." It makes one wonder how deeply they were involved. It also makes one wonder what is happening to the morale of all the doctors and other health care professionals who must labor in this system..., and the effects of all this on patients, not to mention the academic mission at Cook County. It's not that I mean to particularly pick on Cook County, by the way. These sorts of "true crime" reports about various health care organization seem to be appearing daily in the news media (and who knows how many other reports appear in the vast number of media outlets that I don't scan). The news media, however, almost never deal with the effects of these shenanigans and skullduggery on patient care (and teaching and research when applicable). Until physicians, and the larger health community start paying attention to the extent and outcomes of health care mismanagement, we will have little chance of fighting it.

How Deeply Involved at Cook County?

Another story out of Cook County, Illinois ... There is an ongoing federal investigation into the award of a $49 million contract for radiol...

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