Great new blog on another site....check it out!

http://dallashealthcare.blogspot.com/2011/08/ut-southwestern-and-parkland-are.html

The facts keep changing

As I wrote in an earlier post, almost two months after my husband was released from Parkland's burn unit, unable to sit, stand, or walk alone, and sent home for me to try and care for, I received a telephone call from the attending physician we had for the first 10 days of our stay there.  He sounded as if he was reading from a prepared script, and he hurried to get off the phone when I started to ask questions, but the meat of the conversation was that Parkland takes its patient complaints seriously.  He said he had spoken at length with John Jay Shannon that very day about my husband's case, and they had prepared something to present to the Board of Managers of Parkland to show how problems such as ours would be avoided in the future. 

When I received the call, I was so stunned to hear from him that I didn't think to ask to see the report they planned to present to the Board, so I emailed him a week or so later asking (1) if they had presented it yet, (2) could I see that report, and (3) what the Board's response was.  For a week I received no response, so I wrote him again asking the same t hings.  This is is response:

Greetings:
My understanding is that your husband’s case was to be mentioned at board meeting but not discussed in detail and not as a test case in order to make or change policy. The intent was to let board members know that this serious issue was being addressed at the appropriate levels. I think this makes sense as the real work for improvement comes at the local level with me as director of the burn unit and my team.
Having said that, I have discussed the case at all various levels including the nursing supervisors, unit managers, nurses, and residents. I think we have made every effort to close the loop so to speak.
Our efforts at improvement have been directed at improved communications. This will be primarily among the various burn team members so when individuals speak to families and patients we will all essentially speak with one voice. Rather than it appearing like we are all expressing our own independent and uncoordinated opinions.
I can assure you the burn attending is very much involved in all aspects of patient care on the burn service. As you have learned we cover the burn unit for one full month without taking days off. This is done in order to ensure continuity of care. We also see patients either in the wound care area or the patient room every day, although this may not necessarily be observed by families. While this does not ensure a formal attending-to-family discussion every day it certainly qualifies as good care and good supervision of residents. Due to the multiple responsibilities on service the burn attending must rely on residents and other team members to have some of the daily discussions with family members. Given this reality I think our efforts at better communication between team members will help to prevent some of the shortcomings you experienced.
Thanks so much for your patience,

Although I had not copied anyone on either of my emails to him, he felt the need to copy John Jay Shannon, Bradley Simmons, and Kathleen Doherty on his response.  While I obviously know Dr. Shannon, I have no idea who the others are. 

This is NOT what he told me on the phone, and it shows just little Dr. Shannon paid attention in the big meeting they called with my family and me.  Yes, better communication was brought up, but not so much their need for SPEAKING with one voice, but for LISTENING.  They nearly allowed my husband to die there because they would not listen.  They nearly allowed my husband to die there because, in the burn unit, they don't care about anything but the burns.  They nearly allowed him to die there because, when "shift change" came at the end of the month, the new attending physician NEVER saw my husband until I finally raised a big enough stink to force it.

I wish those CMS investigators would talk to me!  I also wish they could see the bill I received with all the fraudulent charges that I plan to contest.  Interesting - the original bill I received was not itemized - - it was merely a total amount.  When I called and asked for an itemized statement, they acted like I was crazy for asking for one!  Interesting.

Where are the people?

I set this blog up to try and give people who have had bad experiences at  Parkland an opportunity to Speak Up and let their stories be heard.  My thought process behind this is that one voice isn't going to make that big of a difference, but many voices might.  I want to try and force something to happen.  I know there are a lot of things brewing, thanks to some brave people who have stepped up to report wrongdoing, and thanks to the Dallas Morning News articles pointing it all out.  I don't know what I, as one individual, can do to help "the cause", but I know that there is strength in numbers.  If I can find some more stories, it will carry a lot more weight with those who might actually do something about it.

For instance, I want to contact Elba Garcia and Clay Jenkins.  They appeared to be interested in getting to the bottom of the Parkland/UTSW issue, but then they backed off.  Why?  I want to ask them.  However, not even being a resident of Dallas County, will they even give any credence to me?  If I can find others willing to step forward, though, I think they will.  I want to go to a Parkland Board meeting - - I might even go to a meeting of the County Commissioners - - but it would be SO much more effective if I had some others to go with me.

I think a great deal of the problem is that (most likely) MOST of the people who are patients at Parkland are not people who get online and read newspaper articles, follow Facebook, or post on blogs.  That being the case, does anyone have any thoughts about how I might find them?

The Hits Keep on Coming

Was out of pocket for a few days this week with my husband back in the hospital, but I want to direct your attention to some really good stuff on another blog:

http://dallashealthcare.blogspot.com/2011/07/ut-southwestern-and-parkland-hospital.html?showComment=1309579821522#c7395919040054587472

I have way more to say, but it will have to wait until this afternoon!

Interesting phone call

Today, almost two full months from the date my husband was released from Parkland, I got a telephone call from one of his attending physicians saying he had heard I was unhappy with the care we received at Parkland.  He just wanted to let me know that, when someone is unhappy, they address it.  He says they are working on improvements.  Says he knows that doesn't help us but it might help the next person.

I hope they really ARE working on improvements, but how strange is it that this call came tonight?  No one cared while we were there.  Judging from Dr. John Jay Shannon's response to my newspaper column, they didn't seem to really think they had done anything wrong - other than in the most general sense.

I can't help but wonder if the mother of the psychiatric patient who died there will be receiving a call soon.  Bets, anyone?

Parkland Does it Again

I'm sure everyone has seen the article in today's Dallas Morning News about the death of a psych patient at Parkland.  Their actions are deplorable, but the most deplorable of all to me is the fact that Parkland CEO, Ron Anderson, will not respond to the mother of this patient.  How difficult would a simple "I'm Sorry" be?  When I met with Parkland (there I go - getting ahead of myself again), Dr. John Jay Shannon at least apologized to my face.  It was obviously not a sincere apology, since his rebuttal to my newspaper column didn't say he was sorry for anything, but for some crazy reason, it made me feel slightly better at the time.  Can't Dr. Anderson try to make this dead patient's mother feel a little better by acknowledging he at least understands her pain?  What a douchebag!

http://www.dallasnews.com/investigations/headlines/20110625-federal-report-details-psych-patients-death-says-parkland-violated-rights.ece

Parkland Bilks Patients

Working backwards a little, we just received a bill from Parkland Memorial Hospital for the time my husband spent there after having been burned and sent to their famous burn unit by another hospital.  He was there for 2 weeks and 2 hours, and the total bill was $196,863.10.  Some examples of the gouging are:  Zolpidem (generic Ambien) - instead of one 10 mg tablet each night, they gave him 2 5mg.  The total charge each of the nights he was there for just this one cheap medication was $38.07.  That's over $19.00 per pill!  By contrast, a lot of the others they gave him were only $3.00 per pill.  I could go on and on about it, but I won't.  I will mention one other thing that is absolutely appalling... My husband has sleep apnea and has a C-Pap machine at home.  It's small and easily portable.  I asked if I could bring it for him to use at Parkland and was told no by several different people.  They provided him one.  Someone from the respiratory department would bring it each night somewhere between 9:00 p.m. and midnight (regardless of the time we requested) and would come to turn it off anywhere between 4:00 a.m. - 6:00 a.m.  The cost of this PER NIGHT was $1098.00.  That racked up over $15,000 of the charges!!! 

Now, Parkland is supposed to be the "charity" hospital for Dallas County.  It is pretty run-down looking, and the new building is probably sorely needed.  However, contrary to what one would think, it is the most financially successful hospital in the entire city of Dallas!  Can you believe it?

Just look at the stats:

The information below was reported between June and August 2010.

Parkland profits = $92,221,250
Baylor University Hospital profits = $67,354,926
Methodist Dallas profits = $39,478,120
Saint Paul profits = $1,784,128
Zale-Lipshy profits = $430,988

Baylor Specialty Hospital lost $4,182,153

Yes, Parkland is the richest hospital in the city.