Emporia doctor says there is an ongoing problem between local physicians and administrators at Newman Regional Health, and says it is something others also have noticed. The topic surfaced Thursday evening during a health forum at the Lyon County Courthouse. (See story below.)
The information came as State Sen. Jim Barnett, who practices internal medicine, responded to questions about the need for medical personnel in the state’s workforce. It has been difficult to attract doctors to rural communities and to the state itself, he said, and the numbers of physicians who have private medical practices headquartered in Emporia has dropped by almost 24 percent. The Flint Hills Community Health Center also struggles to keep doctors.
“Emporia has a very significant manpower issue,” Barnett said. “… We’re losing doctors right and left.”
Barnett said that in 2003, Newman records showed 42 active staff members. The figures were provided to him by a medical staff coordinator at Newman, who noted that the figures were gathered from the yearly full medical staff committee rosters.
“As of May 1, it will be 32,” Barnett said.
The problem is a long-standing one that has remained unresolved for a number of years.
“We have an adversarial and antagonistic relationship that’s developed between doctors and the hospital,” he said.
There are fewer doctors maintaining a day-to-day presence here, and more specialists coming in to visit for one day a week. Emporia area patients are driving to other towns to receive treatment and are being hospitalized in those towns.
“There’s something seriously wrong. It’s been smoldering for years,” Barnett said. “I’m going to speak out on it tonight.
“You want the brightest and the best. We can’t attract those young physicians to the community if we have those types of things going on. It’s a huge community issue; it’s a quality of care issue. It costs a lot of money and it’s inconvenient to go out of town for quality health care. … We’ve got to get this one figured out and in control,” he said.
Outside the meeting, Barnett talked briefly about some of the issues he has identified.
“I think communication is one of the many problems that exist between leadership at the hospital and the physicians,” he said.
He also has concerns about the quality of care his patients receive at the hospital.
“When family members report medicine errors, or history (errors), I have repeatedly asked for changes to be made by the administration that have been ignored,” he said. “I’m not the only one.”
Barnett believes that physicians’ relationships with upper-level management constitute a significant reason why doctors have left and other are at-risk of leaving.
“I sense at times that doctors are considered a necessary evil by the hospital,” Barnett said.
Barnett’s concerns about working relationships are not unique to the Emporia medical community, Newman Regional Health Administrator Terry Lambert said this morning.
Lambert responded to remarks about communications, quality of care, and other issues that Barnett mentioned at the forum.
“It’s not unique to Emporia,” Lambert said. “It’s always a continuous improvement activity that we do of trying to improve quality of care and improve communication throughout our system. We’re always working on that.”
Lambert also said that other doctors did not share Barnett’s opinions.
“I’m not really sure that certainly the whole medical staff feels this way, that there’s major problems or anything like that,” he said. “We get lots of great comments from our patients and we know a lot of our doctors really like the care that is given.
“Are there isolated incidents that occur? We’re all human and we understand there are things that happen. We do our best to put policies and procedures in place so that things don’t happen again.”
He said that physician-hospital relations is a top priority for the hospital’s board and that the board currently is exploring ways the groups can work better together.
Lambert said he also meets with doctors individually and within their medical groups to try to address concerns they have, “and certainly we have lots of just medical staff meetings in general that we meet together.”
The hospital’s goal is for the doctors and nurses to form a care team for patients.
“Not that we’re not doing that now, but we are looking at ways to improve that care delivery so that there is better communication,” Lambert said. “We are absolutely doing that, just like every hospital in the United States.”
Lambert said that, because nurses are with the patients all day, there needs to be better ways to communicate information to the doctors, face-to-face and electronically.
“(The nurses) work very hard and they do a very good job,” Lambert said. “But could we do a better job in communication? Yes. And are we looking at different care models that will enhance that communication? Yes, we are looking at those.”
The 10 doctors who have left Emporia in the past five years had a variety of reasons for leaving, he said.
Some moved for personal reasons, Lambert said, mentioning Drs. Jay and Suzanne Ciotti, who returned to Colorado where they had trained, after fulfilling a professional obligation to work in Kansas. Dr. Brian Hendrickson moved his practice out-of-state to settle near his wife’s family.
“There’s lots of extenuating circumstances of why those people would leave,” Lambert said.
The current complaint is something Lambert believes every hospital and medical staff goes through.
“You have to find ways to work together,” he said. “We are committed to working together and finding ways that the hospital and the physicians can integrate ... and that the two groups become more closely aligned and affiliated.”
He said the hospital is investigating different service delivery models to improve overall patient care and to improve physician satisfaction.
“When we do have issues, we do not sit on them,” Lambert said. “Sometimes things don’t move as fast as ... we would like because we’re dealing with so many different personalities and systems ... but certainly never does anything go unaddressed. We take any problems or concerns from a physician or a patient very, very seriously and we track those things down and try to figure out (solutions)” solutions.”
hickory (anonymous) says...
How 'bout the paper interview all the Doctor's "off record" to find out if they have the same feelings as Barnett? And if Lambert is completely out of touch with the Doctor's, maybe he needs to be replaced.
April 25, 2008 at 2:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialady (anonymous) says...
I have had surgery, both inpatient and outpatient at Newman Hospital. I found the staff caring, the place clean and the service outstanding.
I have not found that same service when I try to see my Dr. in the office. Dr Barnett, it seems you are tired of being a doctor with all the time being a senator consumes- taking away from your actual practice of taking care of patients. How are you available when the hospital might need you when you are not available for your office patients? At least you used to have a nurse who knew us well, why did she leave? How long are you planning on being here even the little time that you are? Is it true that you have a residence in Kansas City and spend as much time there as here?
April 25, 2008 at 3:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Newman Hospital has been a joke since I moved here in 1990. The last time I went to the ER will be the LAST time I go to that @#%! hospital. I lost my dr. when the Ciotti's moved and faced a long waiting list to get even routine exams. I chucked it all and now drive to Burlington where I get excellent, compassionate care both at the dr. office and the hospital. How many doctors call you at home to check on you after an outpatient surgery? Dr. Shell did. I had my son at Coffey County Hospital and they were wonderful. Quite a few people I know refuse to use Newman Hospital and will drive to Topeka or Wichita instead. I agree that something needs to be done. The saying goes that manure runs downhill. I suspect the problem stems from management's attitude and the staff just reflect that. There are some good people working there, don't mistake me on that. But overall the service is lousy.
April 25, 2008 at 3:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Penny (anonymous) says...
I would never make a sweeping judgement about an entire facility based on one experience, but I will share that I have had some horrific experiences at hospitals in Wichita and Olathe. (We were only there because of the type of care needed, not because we were avoiding local facilities) I think there are system-wide issues, not a particular facility or staff. It seems Emporia loses a lot of young physicians after they have served the amount of time it takes to get their student loans forgiven by the government. Then they move on to where they really want to be. This seems like an issue that has no single simple answer.
April 25, 2008 at 3:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporiafan2 (anonymous) says...
As an employee of Newman Regional Health, I am appalled that Dr. Barnett would think the hospital thinks physicians are a "necessary evil." This hospital bends over backwards for our physicians. We purchase almost any equipment they ask for, they eat free in our cafeteria, they receive appreciation gifts, etc. We also invite them to participate on committees for our continued efforts in improving patient care. As far as physicians leaving our community, many of the newer physicians that have come to Emporia are here to serve their time in a rural setting necessary to forgive their school loans. They then move on to be closer to family, larger institutions, etc. I believe it has very little to do with unhappiness with the hospital. Dr. Barnett has never practiced anywhere besides Emporia and has no idea how physician relations are with other hospitals. I would suspect that like many of our nurses do when they leave, that he would find that the grass is not greener on the other side. Many times these nurses return here to tell us how wonderful things are at Newman Hospital! I believe that our nurses do the best they can to provide the best patient care possible for our patients. Why else would one become a nurse with the hard work and low wages?
April 25, 2008 at 3:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The article basically states a "he-said-he-said" situation. I'm with hickory. Let's hear from other physicians anonymously, and let them detail what problems, if any, they are experiencing. If this is administrative, then we need to replace people. This is a serious situation that has gone on for too long. That hospital belongs to Lyon countians and we need answers.
April 25, 2008 at 4:43 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Bjnemp (anonymous) says...
I agree, Create. After 40 years in the corporate world, I found there to be three sides to every story: he said, she said, and the truth. We need to find out the truth.
April 25, 2008 at 4:52 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
create....we need to hear from the hospital workers about the Doctors too. Are they treated with respect? Do they see excellent diagnosis and care by physicians?
April 25, 2008 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
witchdoctor (anonymous) says...
SHAME ON YOU Dr. Barnett!! If you think this community does not see through this thinly veiled stunt then you have seriously underestimated our intelligence. Yes, times are hard and the challenges in health care are great but you do NOT solve them this way. We will all lose in the long run if you create conflict and infighting in your quest for a bigger piece of the health care dollar.
We all know that is what this is REALLY about. Your office (yes you and your partners) are in competition with the Hospital. YOU bring visiting doctors to town that take patients out of town and make it impossible for those services to be developed here in Emporia. You demand that tests be performed in your office instead of the hospital.
It seems to me that the employees of Newman Hospital have served you, and your patients for many years. They must be greatly hurt and offended by your poor representation and self serving disrespect of their efforts. No system is perfect and EVERYONE has to work together to make it better. Dr. Barnett, what are you doing to make it BETTER?
April 25, 2008 at 5:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
April 25, 2008 at 6:50 p.m. ( permalink )
yankee (anonymous) says...
As a previous employee of Newman's, I have to agree with madpoet. There are some excellent staff, but over all it a lousy place. Many times doctors are unavailable and do not call back when paged. This is true for emergent and non-emergent care. When they finally do answer the page they are annoyed and are very rude to whoever it is that they speak to. At Newman's it is all about who you know. They definitey need new blood in the upper management positions. Attitude starts from the top and trickles down.
Emporiafan2....having worked at much bigger hospitals I have to say that the grass is greener $$$ on the other side. It is possible that if they left and came back that they just could not hack actually having to work for their money. I was appaled at some of the care and practices at Newman. Newmans was probably the worst experience I ever had and was glad to move on. It was embarassing to say where I worked because it was usually met with harsh remarks
April 25, 2008 at 7:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
pizza (anonymous) says...
I read, with interest, the intial article as well as the comments. Having never been a patient in the hospital I cannot speak for it. In a lot of ways we are very fortunate to have a hospital with many services in Emporia. Certainly they cannot offer eveything the big city hospitals can but surely it is better than the alternative. The problem I see is that Dr. Barnett is behaving very unprofessionally in his public comments about the doctors and the hospital management. These are the type of complaints that professional people resolve amongst themselves. Airing your dirty laundry in a public forum is certainly unprofessional on Dr. Barnett's part and it seemed Terry Lambert commented more than was necessary. JMO.
April 25, 2008 at 7:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bobhornet (anonymous) says...
If only Dr. Barnett would leave Emporia--this man is a disaster in the Legislature and a divisive man in the community. Now he is going after the hospital. This community is best served when Jim Barnett's mouth is closed.
April 25, 2008 at 8:01 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jwnks (anonymous) says...
I agree there is a lot of room for improvement at Newmans! Last week, my 17 month old granddaughter was taken to the ER because she had a flu bug and had become dehydrated. The ER doc had fluids administered through an IV. After a couple hours, she was sent home. A few hours later, her momma took her back because she was still dehydrated, still no wet diaper. This time, they decided to admit her and start an IV again. Several attempts were made to get an IV in the poor terrified child, to no avail. The attending physician made the call to send her to Stormont Vail in Topeka, where they were able to get an IV in her with their first attempt. At Stormont Vail, we were told they get a lot of patients from Emporia who simply need IVs started. They also commented that the poor child looked like she had been turned into a pin cushion. That sweet little girl went through a lot of trauma and terror that day. She had bruises from head to toe from the attempts to get an IV started. She is fine now, back to her sweet, honery, curious 17 month old self, thanks to the staff at Stormont Vail in Topeka and the attending physician here who had the wisdom to have her sent out.
April 25, 2008 at 9:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scionxb (anonymous) says...
My 4 year old daughter was in the hospital here 2 weeks ago also dehydrated from the flu and needed an IV. They attempted 3 times the first day and again 3 times the second day. I was extremely frustrated, crying, and talking about taking her somewhere else. They had 5 different people whom were supposed to be "The Best" including the Pediatric nurses. My little girl was traumatized after trying for 2 hours each day, stabbing her with needles. Thank God she began keeping gatorade down the second day in, or who knows what would have happened to her.
April 26, 2008 at 12:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporia_soldier (anonymous) says...
I agree that Newman's is a bad hospital and I am one of those who will travel out of town to Coffey County for treatment. My mom has made the statement that even if she is dying to tell an ambulance that she wants to go to Coffey County or anywhere other than Newman's. We had a bad thing happen at Newman's when my nephew was born a little over 3 years ago. He was fine when he was born and within about 15 minutes the doctor's were trying to figure out a way to transport him out before he died becuase they didn't know what went wrong. As a newborn he was throwing up blood and had started having seizures. One doctor made the statement that 1 out of 4 wasn't bad meaning they had already sent 2 newborns out ahead of my nephew. I guess it could be a coincidence that 3 out of 4 babies born that day had to be transported out but how do you explain a normal newborn that suddenly starts throwing up blood?? My nephew was in Children's Mercy for the first 3-4 months of life before he was even out of danger of us loosing him. Please tell me how people can think they will get appropriate care at a hospital that only does what they have to in order to get by. Also Coffey County Hospital don't seem to have any trouble keeping the youger doctors there after they have fulfilled their duty on student loan programs. How can you explain that???
April 26, 2008 at 2:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dhcc66 (anonymous) says...
as for the comment about Dr Barnett and his house in KC....i'm pretty sure i remember reading about his "victory party" from the last election being up there instead of down here....wonder if the Gazette will ask him about that one
April 26, 2008 at 6:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jwnks (anonymous) says...
scion, I'm glad your little girl started drinking and keeping down Gatorade and got better. Solder, I'm glad your little nephew got better too. Children are precious! We have decided that if we ever encounter this situation again, we will skip the middle men at Newmans and go straight to Topeka. When the ambulance personnel arrived to transport my granddaughter, one of them asked why they were transporting her, to which the nurse replied that she needed an IV started. The paramedic looked at us with disbelief and said, "That's all!" He then informed my daughter that her insurance probably wouldn't cover the cost of the ambulance. Well, what was my daughter supposed to do, say, oh...well.....never mind, we will just leave her here and let her die from dehydration! We had no choice! We weren't given the option of taking the baby to Topeka ourselves, and at this point we were all worn to a frazzle. I do have to say that the nurses who were attending my granddaughter, trying to start the IV, were all real nice. I know they felt really bad about what was going on. I think they need more training on starting an IV on a dehydrated child. At Stormont Vail, they have something I think they called a Papoose Board which they put the child in to start the IV. Why can't Newmans get one and train their personnel to start IVs in small dehydrated children.
As for Dr. Barnett having a home in the KC area, I'm not sure what that has to do with the rain in Spain. I'm glad he had the nerve to speak out about Newman Hospital. Hopefully, his criticism will lead to improvements.
April 26, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
savannah (anonymous) says...
A bandaid hospital is not what Emporia needs.Believe me, if any of your love ones need immediate medical attention where time is of extreme importance you will wish you had a hospital that could take care of the problem and at least if we couldn't take care of the problem, stabilize the patient. Sometimes driving to surrounding cities is not an option. So, use what has happened as an opportunity to fix the problems at hand and move on. Yes, open communication is needed for all....nurses, doctors, patients, etc. Realize that there are problems to be addressed and address them. Instead of slamming the hospital, the doctors, etc. Move for improvement instead of taking a middle school attitude and call names at one another. Address the issues at hand and make it a place where you feel safe. Administration, listen to patients but when you are listening include all involved so everyone will learn. Make it better.....not worse by setting up the walls and only addressing the negative.
April 26, 2008 at 11:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
My comment was removed??? What the hec? We can say fowl words here but because I express my opinion about the administrations lack of concern and having to much control to do NOTHING??? Someone needs to be in those files and in their faces to hold someone accountable.
My daughter had severe pneumonia and after days of no improvement we moved her to Childrens Mercy. Thank god we did. She was only receiving 25% of needed fluids in her IV, was so dehydrated and weak. She was over medicated with cough meds that made her sleep. She was on full O2 and stats still at 90%. Childrens Mercy had her on the right road and we saw huge improvements within TEN HOURS, not 3 days.
April 26, 2008 at 11:20 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
old_soldier (anonymous) says...
Savannah - you are 100% correct!
jwnks - the ambulance crews are required to inform you about insurance issues. This is so you can make an informed decision about your options. The doctor is not your "boss". The decision is yours!
As far as Newman's, yes there's room for improvement. Having been in Topeka, I hear the same thing about Stormont and St.Francis too. The change has to come from the demand of the population of the people it serves. It is not going to happen overnight, maybe not even next year, and I do agree that there are lot of services that should be available that are not.
As far as IV's on children go, they can be difficult, especially after previous sites go bad, because that now limits your available sites. I/O (intraossous) should have been an option with a critically ill child, although it sounds horrible when it's explained to a patient /parent. But it can be a life-saver.
April 26, 2008 at 1:16 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyoncounty (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
April 25, 2008 at 9:41 p.m. ( permalink )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
Having some experience in organizations, I can tell you that when a high profile person, in this case Dr. Barnett, goes public with a complaint about the organization's management, there is definitely a problem. The problem becomes how to ferret out the issues. Some things, however, are absolutes:
1. When complaints like this surface, there is a serious failure of leadership by the administration. Otherwise, problems would be solved in house before it reached the public domain.
2. Most governing bodies of institutions like this are ill equiped to understand the dynamics of the organization well enough to provide meaningful oversight.
Although I do not know anything about this, I do know Dr. Barnett well enough to know that he is a good man who is not given to saying harsh things about anyone. In fact, in my opinion he would be governor today if he had been as negative toward the other candidate as the other candidate was to him, but he avoided negativity completely. In my mind, he has earned the standing and credibility that he enjoys, at least with reasonable people. Consequently, we should listen carefully to what he says.
April 26, 2008 at 3:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyco (anonymous) says...
Jayhawker is correct-Dr Barnett is a highly educated and well-spoken individual, not one to run his mouth without reason. Does anyone honestly believe that this was his first attempt to get people to listen to the problems that exist within hospital administration? This is more likely closer to his last attempt in my opinion. All of the physicians in our community are very good and decent people with their patients care as their first priority. And for the person that openly pointed fingers at specific doctors and said it was ALL FACTUAL-some of it was very much not true and did not even need to be said at all. I have never met a more caring and trustworthy physician than Dr Harris.
Dr Barnett simply said outloud, what everyone else has been thinking. The hospital has it's problems, but a lot of the nurses are of the highest quality and have dedicated their lives to caring for their patients, regardless of the work environment they must endure on a daily basis.
Let's come together and build a foundation for the hospital that consists of happy employees, confident and reliable physicians and an administration that is willing to listen and change.
April 26, 2008 at 4:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
tmegredy (anonymous) says...
Maybe I am blind, but I just don't get what Barnett and some of you are saying. For the second time in two years, I just completed a four-day stay at Newman. While I would not give the food the highest marks (when you were as sick as I was, no food will be good), I have no complaints about the hospital or its staff. In fact, I give them high praise. They treated me with respect and concern. Whenever I needed a nurse, they responded quickly and efficiently. They treated me like I was the only patient in the hospital.
It's also hard for me to imagine that the hospital would send a patient to another hospital just to start an IV. I am what is known as a "hard stick." The record for number of sticks for an IV, which occurred at one of those "big city" hospitals, is seven. At Newman, it took only two tries by one professional to start an IV. Not being much for pain, I appreciate that.
For various reasons, I have been a patient at Vanderbilt medical center, Nashville; University of California San Diego Medical Center; Wesley Medical Center, Wichita; St Francis hospital, Wichita; Newton Hospital, Winfield; and Newman. Give me the small town hospitals, like Newman and Newton, anytime. They treat you like people. As one nurse told me, I treat patients like I would want to be treated.
As far as doctors, I have yet to meet one locally that I did not like. Thank you, Dr. Vanessa Cook, for the great care you have given me and my family.
Tod Megredy
Emporia
April 26, 2008 at 4:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kmg (anonymous) says...
The doctors at IMA are famous for sending patients to other towns for surgeries that can be done here in Emporia scuh as pacemakers (maybe because they accomadate Mid America Cardiolgy out of their office) or vascular sugeries that can be done by our towns vascular surgeon. Why is this? Are people informed by their drs. that these services are available. As far as the hospital why don't you advertise for the doctors and their specialities like you do the Wound Care Clinic What a money maker I bet that has been for the hospital
April 26, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
HappyinEmporia (anonymous) says...
I am familiar with Dr Barnett and he does not make these comments lightly. He has put his neck on the chopping block. Many other doctors that have done this have left town.
Newman has a great staff of caring nurses, pharmacists, nutritionists and other professionals.
Problems with patient care should be dealt with in a more formal forum whether it be from a doctor or patient. A letter should be written to the administration with details , times, events, and people involved. Policies and procedures are in place to attempt to correct problems.
Does a problem exist with the present administration?
Does a problem exist with the present management group?
We have to get it right. Emporia has lost too much recently to not pay attention to details of one of her biggest employers.
Doctor Barnett did not make these comments out of anger or effort to get rich. Just the opposite, he more than likely will lose a fair amount by speaking out. It is like any business person on the school board or city council, you are likely to make somebody upset.
I agree with Tod, small town hospitals have a lot to offer. Your neighbors are caring for you. We have been fortunate to be able to attract some young doctors like Dr. Cook. I too have had the opportunity to know most of the medical professionals in Emporia and have not found one I did not like or did not care.
April 26, 2008 at 8:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
ZingerBringer (anonymous) says...
Maybe Dr. Barnett should spend more time trying to get candy bar registrations like he did the keg registrations. What a joke!! He is only out for his own personal political gain. I have never and WILL NEVER vote for him. On another note, if he does have a house in KC.....I will be the first to offer to help him move.....FOR GOOD!
April 26, 2008 at 9:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
busymom (anonymous) says...
After reading through all of the comments the conclusion that I have come to is that we need our local hospital, and I think we have a pretty good one. Second all of the comments that have been made concerning care/opinions of patients are just one side to a story, and the hospital can't post their side due to confidentiality so you have to take those comments for whatever they are worth. Third shame on you Dr. Barnett. Not only did you abuse your political position to take something that seems to be personal public, you have made accusations against the hosptial that you are too guilty of and probably hurt your practice and your colleagues in the long run. I think you need to pick a career because it sounds like your patients aren't happy with your medical care, and now the people who voted you into office aren't happy with you either. I for one don't care to be one of the stones crushed in your climb of the political ladder. I enjoy living in Emporia, and think this is a good place to raise a family. You can keep the big city. Maybe next time you need to take the high road and deal with your personal problems in a professional manner.
April 27, 2008 at 12:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
One sided? I can assure you mine and my families experiences with Newmans are not far fetched. Nor are the hundreds of others that have had such experiences. There are not enough space or time to put them all down just prove the point.
The only thing that comes from us venting here is just that, venting. Newmans administration brushes complaints under the rug or turns a cheek because of the mal-practice suits it deserves to have if they ever admitted the truth.
My children wont be going back to Newmans if only to temporarily be transferred to Childrens Mercy, the hospital that knows what it is doing. There I wont have to worry if someone is going to get into our medical files and use them for their personal amusement and take them off of hospital property. Yes, that did happen. Yes, it was brushed under the rug.
April 27, 2008 at 11:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
food4thought (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
April 26, 2008 at 3:04 p.m. ( permalink )
jayhawkers1 (anonymous) says...
Well, Dr. Barnett, you should be very proud of yourself for viciously attacking the hospital that has supported you for years. Newman Regional goes out of there way to work with their doctors and resolve issues or problems that they have. In case you have not noticed, the doctor issue is not specific to Newman Regional, it is a widespread issue.
Why would you go public with issues that appear to be your own personal problems rather than the hospital's problems.
Shame on you! You should try to "communicate" with the hospital in a professional, not condescending manner to resolve these problems that "YOU" seem to be having. I guess the double role of doctor and politician is probably affecting your ability to do either job successfully.
And to you people that are whining about imcompetent care etc., let me tell you this. I am sorry for you misfortune, but sometimes situations evolve that are really no ones "fault", they just happen. By the way I think a needle stick is a very small issure to dwell on. It is a very small part of the total hospital experience. I, and my family have been a patients many times at Newman Regional and I want to let everyone know that they are one of the best. The staff is professional and caring. Everyone goes out of their way to provide the best possible care. I could go on and tell you stories about time spent in other hospitals and situations that happened, but what would that prove? Nothing. Nasty remarks go back to the people that make them. They probably also have other issues going on in their lives that motivate them to be so nasty and judgemental.
Newman Hospital is Number 1 in my opinion!!
April 28, 2008 at 10:31 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
citizen (anonymous) says...
My family have been going to Newman Hospital forever. ER, surgeries and having babies. It is a great hospital. Very caring Doctors and Nurses. With all of our visits we have not had one problem. It is a great Hospital.
April 28, 2008 at 10:48 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
armybrat (anonymous) says...
One of the original problems has to do with a program created by the ste of Kansas to provide Drs to underserved areas. Forgive all debt at taxpayers expense and then after four years most are gone. Furthermore all the Drs. on this program want to go to east of the dust bowl divide and not where the poorest areas are which really need basic medical services.
April 28, 2008 at 11:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawkers1 (anonymous) says...
" I guess it could be a coincidence that 3 out of 4 babies born that day had to be transported out but how do you explain a normal newborn that suddenly starts throwing up blood??"
this comment is by emporia_soldier.
I am sorry this is not a normal newborn if they are throwing up blood. You should have finished your story. What was the problem? Thank God for our communities emergency transport system. And also thank God for the physicians that had the foresight to transfer this pt to a critical care hospital.
All of this is very important. I pray everything is alright now.
April 28, 2008 at 11:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anyonesdr (anonymous) says...
It seems as though the good Dr. Barnett's actions have caused a stir once again. As I have read through these comments, it does leave a sour taste in my mouth. The Gazette promplty published only ONE doctor's view points, without the public's full knowledge as to why he chose to lash out at NRH and his fellow colleagues. It seems that the mention of the Hospital and the medical community looking at improving their ability to care for patients (looking at the use of hospitalists) has caused one person (Dr. Barnett) and one group (IMA) to speak wrongly and inaccurately. It has little to do with "medical errors and poor care" or "communication" from upper level management, it has to do with the hospital being progessive and moving towards the trend in health care to help attract the younger, and brighter physicians; moving beyond stagnation. This trend is with having physicians who practice solely in the hospital setting (the hospitalist) and care for patients while they are in the hospital, and the care then being turned back over to their outside provider once discharged. This also allows the physician/provider in office based practice to provide better care to those in the office setting. Dr. Barnett has also criticized a group of nurses who bend over backwards day in and day out to "cater" to you and your groups' (IMA) needs. Imagine if the public saw your very unprofessional, fake, and backstabbing behavior like many of the nurses get to see.......all to often!!! As for management, in any organization, there can always be room for improvment. However, it seems that they do have the best interest of their employees, patients and physicians in mind when changes are made, or decisions are made. We must remember that many times regulations beyond the control of our local administration are what guide these decisions. We must also remember that our local hospital is not a facility that will be able to provide all aspects of health care. There are times when transfers to tertiary facilites are needed to give the best care available. We must take all steps to make sure that the staff we have at our hospital can perform the steps, procedures and care needed, and not simply transfer for an IV (as always I know there is another side to this story). So, Dr. Barnett you have done what you set out to do, build some walls amongst you and your colleagues; hurt those that are caring for your patients, while you go play in Topeka; and drive more of your patients away from your failing practice. We can all hope that they find the care they deserve from any of the other local providers.
April 28, 2008 at 12:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
jayhawkers1 (anonymous) says...
Thank you anyonesdr. Amen.
April 28, 2008 at 1:23 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Anyonesdr, sorry, but I had to read your post more than once. Let me try to understand you here. Are you saying that Newman's is planning to attract physicians or "hospitalists" who will only practice in the hospital? And that this new trend in hospital care is causing Dr. Barnett to lash out at Newman's? Please explain this serious accusation.
You have much to say in other areas, but this trend you speak of seems to be a pretty important thing for the people of Lyon county to be informed about since it will bring about changes in the style of care to which they are ordinarily accustomed.
Perhaps I have been in the dark, but it looks like we need to have more information about this trend.
April 28, 2008 at 1:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
witchdoctor (anonymous) says...
A description of the Hospitalist program being considered can be found in the April 4th edition of the online Gazette.
April 28, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Thank you, Witchdoctor.
April 28, 2008 at 3:31 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporian (anonymous) says...
I am no doctor, but I work closely with Newman's and I will never be a pt there.That hospital will likely be one of the things that makes my wife and myself leave this community. NRH= Not Really a Hospital.
April 28, 2008 at 4:53 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
esther (anonymous) says...
Thank you to 'anyonesdr'. I agree. It seems to me that since Dr. Barnett is so against this type of hospitalist program that possibly physicians are leaving because of the stranglehold Dr. Barnett has on the medical politics in this community. Is it possible that the reason that Dr. Barnett is upset with NRH because they are trying to work with all of the physician groups, not just Dr. Barnett? It sounds to me like school yard tactics by a school yard bully. Hmmm.
April 28, 2008 at 8:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
yankee (anonymous) says...
Emporia has nothing to offer a young physician and his/her family. Businesses are closing left and right. The hospital although they want to become a "state of the art" facility it just will not happen. Most of the Doc's are not interested in updated treatment modalities. They are stuck. It is too small of a town be state of the art. Seriously, patients are transferred out becuase the Doc's think that they will be better taken care of else where. I've worked there. I know what goes on. I also know that issues are brought up time and time again and ya know what those issues are still a problem a year or so down the lane. I personally think that Dr. Barnett has most likely gone to who he needs to go to and they swept it under the carpet. COMMUNICATION IS KEY and NRH lacks that.
April 28, 2008 at 10:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
I would really like to see the Gazette dig a little deeper into Barnett's allegations and see if doctors in this community really do share his feelings.
April 28, 2008 at 11:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
Shouldnt the administration of the "NRH" be held accountable for this? I wonder how come the Dept of Health, if that is who it is, doesnt see what is going on or do they have any input on how this hospital is managed?
April 29, 2008 at 11:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Blackshirt (anonymous) says...
It really looks like the bottom line is that Physicians are fleeing the community for some reason. Is it the hospital? Is it the community? Who knows, but it is a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
April 29, 2008 at 11:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sadinemporia (anonymous) says...
Not that I agree with Dr. Barnett's comments, because everything I hear about him isn't very positive, but I don't hear anything positive about the hospital either. All I can say is that I go to Topeka to see my doctor and am much more pleased than with my previous Dr. here in Emporia.
April 29, 2008 at 2:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporia_soldier (anonymous) says...
This is to jayhawkers1. My nephew was born totally normal and passed all the initial exams as a healthy newborn. It was some time after birth when he actually started throwing up blood. He went from a healthy baby boy to very critical. When he was transported to Children's Mercy they did numerous tests and had no idea what was causing the condition. The first comment from the doctor at Childrens Mercy was that the first couple weeks would be the most critical if we were no planning a funeral first. Newmans had no idea what to do with my nephew other than try to get him out from under neither them. On the flight to Children's Mercy they started taking precautions to try to control the situation which Newmans never did. He was put under heavy sedation in order to stop the seizures being caused by the blood loss. Childrens Mercy immediately started giving him blood as soon as he arrived because if you didn't know a baby can not loose very much blood before the situation becomes very critical. All of this are things that Newmans could have done in order to help this baby have a better chance. Newmans didn't even start an IV on him. We all stood there and watched a newborn go down fast as Newmans staff looked totally lost as to what they should do. My brother actually id the one that told the doctor to call Childrens Mercy and get my nephew out of there before he died. After months of testing the only thing that anyone could come up with on his condition was that Newmans was careless during suctioning him as a newborn. They caused a bleed in his brain. My nephew is no a functioning 3 year old who still has health problems. He is on a transplant list for a new liver because the medication they had to use at Childrens Mercy to keep him alive affected his liver. You can not just give him over the counter medication like a normal child. If he gets a cold you have to take him to the doctor for medication that won't disrupt the little amount that his liver is functioning. Luckily because a babys brain can remap itself usually after many seizures that can cause brain damage he is almost like any other child his age. He started walking late and just recently really started talking but by Gods grace he is still able to do all of that. I don't know how much medical knowledge you have but I can tell you by experience in the medical field this should have never happened the way it did. Also how do you explain the other newborns who were also flown out in critical condition from Newmans the same day??? If you have any further questions please feel free to comment. Just because you want to protect Emporia and Newmans doesn't mean everyone else should feel the same way. Be grateful that your experiences with Newmans have been pleasant and pray that it continues to be that way. Everyone turning their back on the problems that Newmans has is not going to solve the problem.
April 30, 2008 at 2:06 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
That is the problem. Everyone turns their back if it doesnt pertain to them. Let someone else fix it is the attitude and why so many things continue to happen to good people.
I am a strong believer that if you do nothing to try and change it, you cant keep complaining. Sure one person can get things rolling but they need support to see it through.
Where do I sign up?
April 30, 2008 at 10:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyco (anonymous) says...
The reality is that our community has a hospital that employees some of the brightest and best in their professions. There are problems that exist in every organization. Why would Newman's be any different? There are very legitimate problems listed on this blog and very unfortunate stories, some true and others obviously fabricated by the same people that feel it necessary to comment on EVERY other issue that occurs in this community! Those of you that choose to take your business out of the community-I assure you, some of you will not be missed! As a business owner, I certainly do not want to see the likes of you either. You have to consider the source of some of these allegations and realize that if this were any other topic, it would be met with just as much opposition and malice....because obviously some people have NOTHING else to do with their infinite amount of spare time than post their nasty opinions on every topic-whether it truly concerns them or not.
April 30, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyoncounty (anonymous) says...
lyco:
About your comment on ALL FACTUAL,,,,well it was true! Maybe it shouldn't have been said on here, but for what this certain doctors wife has gone through, health wise, she deserved better respect than that! Yes, he did do it! I know, I was there when he was caught. So believe what you want!
April 30, 2008 at 4:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyoncounty (anonymous) says...
lyco:
"As a business owner, I certainly do not want to see the likes of you either"
What? R u crazy? Tell us what your business is so some of us don't have to go to your business! Because I certainly will make sure that none of my family or friends does business with you! You really seem like a hypocrite to me! You complain about people commenting on everyother issue, well I see your name several time above! So where do you really stand? Hmmmm?
April 30, 2008 at 4:55 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyoncounty (anonymous) says...
from lyco:
"because obviously some people have NOTHING else to do with their infinite amount of spare time than post their nasty opinions on every topic-whether it truly concerns them or not"
You should run for President! You are all over the place here! I hope your business is succesful, but I have my doubts!
April 30, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
lyoncounty (anonymous) says...
esther:
I have to disagree with your statement. Bottom line is this, Dr. Barnett is a great physician. He is NOT the reason Doctors are leaving this facility. Whoever thinks that needs to step outside the box. Someone stated above that this was probably his last step to get things done. I am sure he went to the top! When they don't listen, the next step is the great media outlets. Since their are none here, he went to who he needed to to get things done. One reason NRH will never thrive is because they don't specialize in much around here. You really have to go elsewhere to get major things done. That isn't the fault of NRH necessarily. We are right in the middle of three major cities that do have specialists, Topeka, KC, and Wichita. However, that doesn't explain why some go to Burlington. I have been there before just because that is where I was close to when I had gotten sick and Burlington really has a great Facility. Some say on here we have nothing to offer doctors around here, that jobs are leaving, etc. etc. etc. Well other than Wolfe Creek, Burlington has nothing over Emporia. Yet their hospital is thriving. Why? Administartion is key and that is a fact! In order to make over due changes here, we need to start at the top and work down.
April 30, 2008 at 5:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
dayjob55 (anonymous) says...
I personally agree with Dr. Barnett and what he has said about NRH. In my opinion they have succeeded in running a lot of medical institutions and professionals out of Emporia. Emporia Gazette - why don't you do some investigative reporting on your own? Contact every professional (especially the doctors) that has left Emporia in the last 5 years to get their opinion on why they left. Do it anonomously so there are no repurcussions and the doctors feel free to speak what they see as the truth. This needs to be done by an outside party - not NRH, not the local medical community. Housecleaning probably needs to start at the top. The question is where is the top - our county commissioners? the management group that hired Lambert? Lambert himself? I don't have the answer but it's out there somewhere if the right people with enough backbone to do some digging will do it. Another thing - how much are the doctors that NRH has "hired" being paid out of our tax dollars in addition to the money they get either from insurance companies or from private pay people? In this economy in this town the last thing we need is a little more waste starting at the top.
April 30, 2008 at 7:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
gazette_reader (anonymous) says...
If people posting here feel that the problem isn't the doctors we have, or the nurses we have...then that leaves either poor facilities or poor administration.
Again, I'd really like to hear from the doctors and nurses.
April 30, 2008 at 9:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
glarson (anonymous) says...
Kstre—
This forum is moving now because the last time I checked on Wednesday, it was at 49. This morning, it's at 58.
Also, I'll be moving the similar thread on the editorial about this topic so folks don't have to post twice. That thread has a ways to go to reach 50, but will go ahead and move.
So... here's the link to your new site, folks:
http://www.emporiagazette.com/forums/...
BTW, The Gazette is working hard to follow this story and put it into context for our readers. Look for an in-depth series in The Gazette early next week.
Gwen Larson
Managing Editor
May 1, 2008 at 7:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )