Hospital board has its say
Fred Harder, chair, William Barnes, Mary Mingenback, Lloyd Stone, Philip Winter, Kendall Wright, M.D., Newman Regional Health Board of Trustees
Originally published 02:57 p.m., May 1, 2008
Updated 02:57 p.m., May 1, 2008
As the board of Trustees of Newman Regional Health, we feel we must respond to the recent article about the hospital. The board members are appointed by the county commission to help assure that the hospital is providing quality care in a safe and fiscally responsible manner. We take this responsibility very seriously. After all, Newman is our community hospital where we, our family members and our neighbors will seek treatment for healthcare needs.
The hospital’s mission is to “strive to provide high quality healthcare services and education in a compassionate and ethical manner.” This mission is at the heart of every decision that is made by the board of trustees. We can assure you that whenever decisions are made, we consider what is in the best interest of the patients and the people we serve in this community.
Physician-hospital relationships are challenging in every hospital in America. At Newman Regional Health, we feel that we have a good relationship with our medical staff as a whole. We encourage communication at all levels through an open-door policy, through monthly meetings with the medical staff and through representation on a variety of hospital committees. Our medical staff has a good representation of many different specialties. Each physician has his or her own unique needs and personality. Part of our challenge is to try to balance all of those needs and still maintain a viable hospital.
Physicians who leave Emporia do so for various reasons. However, we can look back at specific physicians that have left in recent years and know that most of the cases were personal (family, lifestyle, etc.) and were not because of conflicts with administration. You can be assured that we do our best to work with all the physicians and improve processes whenever possible. As a board, we are kept informed of many issues on an ongoing basis, including patient care and physician issues.
We value all of our physicians and the important role they play in providing quality care to the people of Lyon County and the surrounding area. We have a very competent and professional nursing and hospital staff and have the utmost confidence in their abilities. We will remain focused on our mission to ensure that quality healthcare services are available to the citizens of Lyon County.
Board member Don Bailey was not available to read this letter.
tillie (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
May 1, 2008 at 3:30 p.m. ( permalink )
jayhawker (anonymous) says...
What else could they say? I hope that they are taking this seriously, carefully investigating the allegations and not simply taking the administration's word and excuses.
May 1, 2008 at 5:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
native_emporia (anonymous) says...
It would be nice for the board to address why they felt it important to push out the competition in Emporia. Having a choice such as the Surgical Hospital was in the community’s best interest. Could it be because they don't want Newman's to be held to a higher standard? As I stated in the comment section of the last article, I would not trust Newman's Hospital in an emergency situation!
May 1, 2008 at 9:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wildcatnurse (anonymous) says...
The hospital DID NOT push out the Surgical Hospital. Do your research, the surgical hospital was started by money hungry surgeons trying to make a buck and it backfired. Yay! After working at Newman's and now working in a very large, metropolitan hospital, I can attest to the quality of care at Newman Regional Health. The residents of Lyon County are very lucky to have such a great hospital, full of great doctors and highly competent, skilled nurses. Count your blessings....
May 1, 2008 at 10:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hottopics (anonymous) says...
All I can say is that my experiences and I do mean plural were nothing to brag about. My children, my parents, my friends and people I know, that when we speak of Newmans everyone has a story of substandard care or careless mistakes. But what gets me is that when we have tried to bring it to the attention of the administration, they brush it off and pretend to take notice. There are a lot of very good people that work in the hospital and do their best with what they have to work with. I can see how you feel personally offended but I really dont think the majority of us with complaints are trying to insult you or other of hard working medical professionals. I have been cared for by the nurses at Newmans and most really try to get the job done. But with that said, I dont think there are enough nurses per the ratio of patients. Nor the qualified physicians that cover all fields of care we have. We have no choice but to go elsewhere.
I do know that I had three doctors who refused to give second opinions when my child was in need. Two because of age of the patient but one because he didnt like the other doctor for whatever issues and refused to come see her. So much for the hypocratic oath.
May 2, 2008 at 8:21 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anonymous1 (anonymous) says...
I heard that the Hospital LOST $900,000.00 of taxpayers' money in a lawsuit against the contractors of the new addition because the Hospital filed its appeal too late. Will the Board of Trustees address this issue?
May 2, 2008 at 11:52 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
soccermon (anonymous) says...
As a long term employee of Newman Regional Health, I am very proud of the dedication and commitment of the administration and board to ensure patient safety and quality patient care. The administrative team works very hard to ensure that the people of our community have access to good health care. They continually look at processes to ensure the best outcome possible for each of our patients. It is unfortunate that one of these processes that could increase the availablilty of health care to our community, especially those that are uninsured or underinsured has met with resistance from one physician. This is a process that has, infact been a physician request to investigate, as it might increase the chances of bringing other physicians to our community, both in private practice and at the Primary Care Clinic. It is very sad that the hospital is being forced to choose between a process that could benefit many of us in the community and the demands of one very public physician. We must not make this about hospital vs doctor, we have to make it about what is best for our community, to be able to maintain and increase the availability of healthcare to each of us.
May 2, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporialady (anonymous) says...
anonyamous1- It is my understanding that the hospital is self supporting and does not get any of our tax money.
May 2, 2008 at 3:33 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Patient (anonymous) says...
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
May 2, 2008 at 6:46 p.m. ( permalink )
create (anonymous) says...
Anonymous 1: The following is gathered from the NRH website: "Centrally located within the city of Emporia, Newman Regional Health is a 190 bed governmental entity operated on a not-for-profit basis and is accredited by the Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program. Although we are a county hospital, we receive no financial support from Lyon County. The hospital is supported by donations and payment for services."
http://www.newmanrh.org/nrh.nsf/View/...
May 3, 2008 at 7:29 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
anonymous1 (anonymous) says...
The building was built with bonds issued by the County (my mistake, not City money). It is my understanding that when the Hospital filed their lawsuit against the contractors they filed it too late, and because they filed it too late they (the Hospital) lost the lawsuit and $900,000 of the County's money. Does anyone know why the Hospital filed the lawsuit too late and cost Lyon County taxpayers $900,000?
May 3, 2008 at 2:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
smith (anonymous) says...
For hottopics your posting 4-27-2008 11:30PM.
I'm sorry someone misused your medical records. Rumor has it this was allegedly done in risk management department. You may go to www.hhs.gov/och/hipaa and also may go to the AMA website for Hipaa violations and enforcement.
May 4, 2008 at 11:02 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )