THE EMPORIA Surgical Hospital was born in controversy and died in controversy. It may be a few years before the hospital’s value — or lack of it — to the community becomes clear.
Certainly the administration at Newman Regional Health is glad to see the surgical hospital go. Newman’s chief executive officer, Terry Lambert, took the position five years ago that the private venture by Emporia surgeons was an inefficient use of medical resources in the community and that patients would be better served by having all local surgery done at Newman.
Many of the people who had surgery at the little hospital said they liked the intimate setting and the lack of big-hospital bustle.
There was no difference in the skill of the surgeons at the two hospitals — for the most part, they were the same surgeons.
The surgical hospital closed last week not because it was an unsatisfactory hospital, but because it was not a profitable hospital. It was not profitable because Medicare and most of the companies that write health insurance for people in Emporia agreed with Lambert that a private hospital was not necessary. That made the surgical hospital an “out-of-network” provider and cut the amount of money insurers would pay to have their customers treated there.
The surgical hospital, like many other small hospitals and departments in larger hospitals, was a victim of the continuing struggle in government and business to do more with less in medical care.
Once again, Emporia is a one-hospital town.
The city has lost nothing in the quality of available medical care. If Lambert is correct, the care should improve.
What has been lost is one more opportunity for people to make a choice in their medical care.
Those choices are increasingly hard to come by in cities of Emporia’s size.
emporian (anonymous) says...
I beg to differ, have you been to NRH lately? If I need any surgery I plan to bypass Newman's and go straight to a real hospital.
September 17, 2007 at 8:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Wasp (anonymous) says...
Newmans is just a "bandaid station". Don't waste your time or money going there if you need more than just stitches...which a doctor could do in the office...if you can get in before you bleed to death!
September 17, 2007 at 11:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
"I dont think it's the hospital itself but most the doctors that work there that keep me driving out of town for my healthcare."
Kstre... I'm not disagreeing, but have to ask this -- would you have gone to the same doctors at the surgical hospital?
I believe there are good doctors and not-so-good doctors. I also believe that we need to be advocates for our own care. I'm not above searching for my symptoms on webmd.com, then asking my doctor very pointed questions.
When I do this, I've developed very good relationships with my doctors (yes, I've been through 4 since my first doctor left town), including diagnosis of a chronic health condition that worsened over the years. Because I knew my history, I was the one who asked the doctor whether an earlier condition had turned into the full-blown disease. He would have had to search through a 2-inch medical file to find my earlier diagnosis.
Once we made the new diagnosis — together — my doctor has been very proactive in my treatment and care. I wouldn't leave him for anything.
September 18, 2007 at 7:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Siamese Fred you make two excellent observations. One, whether or not we would use the same doctors at the surgical hospital as at Newman's. Since most were the same, there didn't seem to be a local choice. I know there are a couple in this town that I'd never, never, never use again. The one who allowed me to wake up before the surgery was done is one of them. Idiot! Then he wanted to make a joke about it. WRONG!
Two, to become informed about your condition. Knowing as much as possible about your own condition would save time all around, yours and the doctor's. Once informed, a patient would also be able to ask the right questions, maybe even influence treatment.
I still say that we have power as a people of this town to influence our own hospital. It's a one-hospital town, and we need to fix what is wrong. If it's not the hospital, as siamese fred says, then maybe we can stop going to the doctor who is doing such a bad job. They'll eventually get the message. What else can we do? Well, for one thing, we can try to influence other doctors to come here. Of course we'd have to make sure they were good ones. Offer them something. Office space for a year while they get situated? Some $$$ on medical equipment? What else?
September 18, 2007 at 10:25 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Doug (anonymous) says...
Just have any potential Doctor candidate read this forum. I'm sure we will have such a massive influx of doctors that we will have to build another medical building just to house them all.
September 18, 2007 at 5:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
lol doug. I love sarcasm.
September 18, 2007 at 7:36 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )