Update on San Jose Medical Center:

HCA- Profits over people.

HCA owns two hospitals, in a region the size of San Jose (the 3rd largest City in California- 10th largest in the whole entire US!) , two miles apart from one another, and in the end is forced to shut one of them down. Then, at the other hospital, the one they left open, HCA immediately refuses to accept Medi-Cal for most services - leaving the elderly and under-issured with little options in healthcare!

Yet- they want to come to Loudoun County, not near the size and scope of San Jose, and build a hospital only five miles from an existing healthcare facility- and they think that both of them are going to survice financially? HELLO? Does anyone else out there see the problem here?

From the article:

"The crusty old buildings of the former downtown San Jose Medical Center are doomed to be an eyesore on Santa Clara Street until local politicians stop punishing the health-care giant [HCA] that owns it for being a bad corporate citizen. Hospital operator HCA abruptly closed the center in 2004, leaving the downtown community without an emergency room. The closest hospital, HCA-owned Regional Medical Center, is two miles away and recently stopped accepting Medi-Cal for most services, making it less than ideal for senior citizens and other [less-insured] residents. That put extra strain on the county's Valley Medical Center.

Valley Medical Center, is what some in the business refer to as a 'safety net facility'- meaning they're there no matter what, and no matter who, needs healthcare.

Role Reversal

I found this nice little tid-bit from July 2007. Talk about role reversal.


Let's see. Martin Memorial Hospitals wants to build a facility 8 miles from Lawnwood Hospital and 11 miles from St. Lucie Medical. Naturally, both hospitals are opposing Martin Memorial's plans.


So who owns St. Lucie and Lawnwood, along with a lawsuit challenging Martin Memorial's CON? Why its our friends from Nashville -- HCA! How ironic.

Read these quotes from the HCA hospital's CEO Gary Cantreall:

"They are duplicating emergency services that are already provided in that area to divert patients who could be receiving full medical services at St. Lucie Medical or Lawnwood," Cantrell said.

and ...

"This is a clear example that Martin Memorial is not focusing on the needs of the St. Lucie County community, but rather its own interests," he said.

Hmmm, sounds like some folks at HCA would actually agree that Broadland is the WRONG location. Guess they're trying to have their cake and eat it too -- typical of large Wall Street corporations.

Maybe HCA needs to reserve a few of its psych-beds for some of their decision makers- they seem to be suffering from a case of dissociative identity disorder. One day they engage in predatory behavior, then the next day they oppose? Weird.

Something else in this article sounds real familiar too; HCA filing another lawsuit in court.


"Martin Memorial’s [non-profit] certificate of need to build a new hospital in western St. Lucie County has been appealed by St. Lucie Medical Center [for-profit HCA] and Lawnwood Regional Medical Center [for-profit HCA]."


"St. Lucie and Lawnwood Regional medical centers, owned by HCA Inc., filed the appeal on July 19."

HCA = Quality Health Care?

Not hardly. Take a look at this article here, where a brand-new $250 million dollar HCA hospital finishes 'dead-last in eight of 10 categories'.

Ouch.

Note; Saint Luke's Health System, is a faith-based, non-profit, health system.

Saint Luke's Health System, the area's second-largest hospital operator, passed a new patient-satisfaction test with flying colors, while market leader HCA Midwest Health System came away with a black eye.

A review of inpatient survey data posted March 28 on the federal government's Hospital Compare Web site revealed that two of Saint Luke's five Kansas City-area hospitals grabbed the top rankings in nine of 10 categories that recently discharged patients were surveyed on between October 2006 and June.

Four of HCA Midwest's six area hospitals, meanwhile, accounted for all 10 last-place scores, with two of them tying for last in one category.

A total of 19 metro-area hospitals participated in the first round of the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which eventually will be mandatory for all U.S. adult acute-care hospitals. One of them, HCA's new $250 million Centerpoint Medical Center in Independence, finished 19th -- or dead last -- in eight of the 10 categories. The Saint Luke's Cancer Institute, meanwhile, finished No. 1 in eight categories.