Mercy Parter- Please do not assume that we are not Mercy Employees. I am an ex-mercy partner. I remember getting many emails from Javon Bea beginning around 9 months before the Baldridge inpectors would come coaching us on what the the 4 pillars were and so on. I also remember the Mercy's mission statement being changed to about 1 sentence because it previously was so long no one could remember it when the Baldridge inspectors would ask. I also remember after the September 2005 inspection a list of questions were circulated through our department along with answers of what questions were asked by the inspectors. In late summer 2006. Our Team Leader quizzing us on various Baldridge questions (that were asked in the past) in our group meetings. There were also mock-Baldridge inspectors (Mercy Team leaders)coming around and actually asking "Baldridge" questions. I have worked in for other health systems and no one ever coached or prepped us like Mercy did. Ever. We were usually told to answer questions honestly and to know where the MSDS book was. It was as simple as that. For the record I left Mercy on my own accord (with a good employment record)too. I found working for Mercy incredibly stressful. I now work am satisfied with my employment at another clinic. I find I am able to concentrate on what I know best. Patient Care.

mercy partner: the public did not give mercy the baldrich award...and if you think its based on customer satisfaction surveys, your wrong there also. Who cares about any award when is costs you $150,000 to apply for it. If they were recognized by an unsolicited award, then that would be an honor, but by the sounds of the recent comments on various Mercy news stories, that wouldnt happen.

Where did Javon get the money to fly to DC and get yet another award he paid for? Mercy is laying off employees and cutting back services, yet the CEO feels is it okay to bask in the limelight. As to his letter to community leaders, does he remember how Beloit Hospital felt when Javon put up a cinic right in front of their hospital? Please....enough whining by Javon Bea. His letter also said that, "to date" Mercy has not built a hospital on their Deerfield drive site. Watch out folks...

I, too, have read the letter Javon Bea sent to business leaders and felt it was one take on the economics of the Dean-St. Mary's announcement, not whining. The article in Sunday's paper with regard to the insurance products owned by both St. Mary's and Mercy may be closer to the economic crux of the financial analysis leading to St. Mary's decision. The desire for another hospital is similar to the desire for another cable company or another airline. There are tremendous infrastructure requirements but the public appears to value choice and is willing to bet that efficiencies and competition will lead to lower prices. Time will tell on that one, given that the ability to "choose" a hospital is somewhat limited by the current system of employer-based insurance. Another anology is the outcry about Walmart (i.e. "Big Business") coming into town and the effect on local businesses. Make no mistake about it, St. Mary's is Big Business and not your local provider. As part of SSM Healthcare based in St. Louis, it is part of a $2 billion system in four states (Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma). Big Business is not inherently good or bad, but it is a different from a local business.

One more thing: I'd love to see Bea's tax returns.

TCB:

The Gazette portrays Bea as a local guy, who grew a local business. That is not the case. Deferred compensation IS compensation, as defined by the second word in the compound term. I believe that items factored into Bea's compensation should include: junkets to DC, multiple homes in multiples states, and $40,000 boardroom tables. To answer your question, I believe Bea's compensation should be approximately $400,000, plus incentives based on customer satisfaction (which the public doesn't know right now, as Mercy won't release the data), customer mortality/success of procedures and the economic efficiency of the company. Further, I think that those incentives should be capped. Let's just say that I side with the congressional probes into the salaries of the oil companies/Walmart CEO who are making record salaries when we are paying record prices. Feel free to disagree with me. It isn't jealousy that makes me write. I just get upset when I see friends and loved ones suffer permanent brain damage or disfigurement from the incompetence of the ER diagnoses or plastic surgery team, and have them lowballed by the compassionate Mercy legal team, all helmed by Bea.

mercy hospital does have alot of good employees, some not so good, and thats everywhere you work. but i see this man javon bea receiving an award,which is fine i guess, but i think alot of their employees should be rewarded publicaly more,especially the nurses,(which im not) but i have had experience with several of them,and they were very good to me and my husband, and much more explanitory than some of the doctors.

Bea just sent out a letter signed by him, to what I would assume to be all of the Forward Janesville members trying to undermine free- enterprise. Why would I not mention him? He sent me a letter, he signed it, should I just ignore it and say it was from Mercy? I think it was in poor taste, not poore taste from Mercy- just him.

It's interesting to see that whenever Mercy is mentioned in any context whatsoever, the majority seem to heap the blame, praise, critisism, or whatever, on Bea.
Is everyone forgetting that he answers to a Board of Directors?
Local people who have to take responsibility for allowing him to do what he does...whether good or bad.
Apparently they think he is doing a pretty good job and what they want him to do, or they would not continue to pay him to do the job he is doing.
Does anyone even know who is on Mercy's Board?
If you have complaints, it may behoove you to find out.

seeing as non of you guys work for mercy maybe your conception of us is wrong. I have worked for mercy for two years and I enjoy it. As for the Baldridge award we were prepared for it no more than anyone else prepared for an audit, test, or anything else. I use what I learned in school and the laws that we have in healthcare to protect our patients, its not really something that you can be prepared for you have to be that person. I am very proud of mercy for their achievments, maybe not everyone agrees, but enough people did you give us the award.

Speaking of Mercy, I recieved a very nice letter at work when I got the mail that started "Dear community and business leader" and it went on to continue to give plenty of reasons not to have the new hospital. Nice try Javon- I have competition, you have competition. Thats the way the country works and I thought it was very tacky for you to send that letter out. Provide better care, better facilities, at the most reasonable price and you will have nothing to worry about. Fall back on any of that, and well- you did it to yourself. Healthcare is already way too expensive, I can't believe how much I have to pay for my employees now. I truly welcome a little competition and you can bet I will be getting quotes!

I work in healthcare and I've personally never heard of this award until it was announced in the Gazette that Mercy had won it several months ago. This award isn't something that is exclusive to health care, so I don't really think it speaks of the quality of care at Mercy, but rather recognizes "quality and business achievements." This isn't an award that all hospitals are up for, it is one that, if a organization thinks they are worthy of, that organization can apply for, which includes a costly application fee and obviously a great deal of time and effort by all involved in the organization. So Mercy failed to win twice but kept at it and, try try again, they won it this time. Was it worth the time and money when a great deal of your community members continue to dislike the care they are getting at Mercy hospital and clinics? I'm not so sure.
I'd be interested to know how many other hospitals in the area regularily apply for this award.

Hopefully Javon is happy now. He's been pushing for this award for years. All Mercy staff have even been prepped on what to say by team leaders and managers prior to the Baldridge Award judges "inspection." Mercy is now ineligible to receive this award for 7 years.

If you look the the financials of Mercy. You can see that they do $336,000,000 in revenue. You need to compensate that person to keep them. Like him or not he has grown that company to benefit our community. He received about 2 million in 2005 and I feel was worth it. http://204.203.220.33/EINS/390816848/390...

JSM if you are sick of the puff pieces, write an editorial to the Gazette. Perhaps Bliss will publish your "balanced" view of Javon Bea.

JSM:

Not one of us-not a local guy? What does this have to do with anything? So someone has to be from Janesville to run a local company? Give me a break. Javon Bea might be an absolute jerk-I dont know; Maybe he is a great guy-his deferred compensation package has ZERO affect on my life-or yours.

His salary is market based. This is not a secret-the BOD determined his relative worth-believe it or not, this is how it works in corporate america.

JSM:

His salary is not 14million-that was a deferred income payment-not salary. His base salary is somewhere near 700-800K + bonus. Annual income averages over a million per year. A lot of scratch in Janesville-but that is what his salary is-not 14 million. You are jealous-nothing more.

I will ask you again, whatshould his salary be? 200K? 1.8 million, what should it be? Salary not deferred compensation-it ws a one time windfall. When will you people get over it?

Newsreader, if it seems like I have an "axe to grind" it is because I am sick of these puff pieces about Javon Bea. He is not a local guy. He is not one of us. It is like turning your TV on and seeing the same infomercial on all the time.

TCB: Javon Bea's salary should not be $14 million. Mercy is nominally a nonprofit, correct? Therefore, they have to divvy up the goodies to hit zero. Instead of putting it in Javon's pocket, give it to the staff or lower costs to the patients. By increasing the salary of the nurses, MA's and physicians, Mercy would be able to retain talent. It is well known that Mercy pays its physicians a high salary the first two years, and then their salaries decline. That is why they have such a high turnover rate. Javon Bea's salary should be tied to patient satisfaction. Take another look at beachsexton's post. Mercy refused to post the public's comments about Mercy hospital. Must be pretty bad if they won't post the comments.

Congratulations to Mercy! My experiences with the health system have been quite positive. As I read some of these comments (many of which seem to come from people with a personal axe or two to grind), I wonder if this is another instance of Janesville eating its own young? Too often we seem to want to put down our local businesses and not celebrate their successes. Janesville has a lot of good things going for it and Mercy Health System is one of them.

JSM:

What should bea's salary be? What number and how does marginally lowering his salary improve every other Mercy employee?

Mercy clearly has a PR staff if they are running full-page ads in the Gazette. It just goes to show how meaningless these awards are if your patient base is dissatisfied.

DJ, you've made a key point. I think they do deserve the national awards (some of which are rather rigorous), but they are apparently failing to communicate with their patient base. I don't know why that is. But they should probably give it some thought.

Thank you, beachsexton. You're right in that the Mercy employees who make a difference should be recognized. I have had good experiences with several Mercy nurses, MA's and some of the physicians. I'd like for Bea's salary to go down, and the proceeds be reallocated to the abovementioned Mercy employees. Now, they deserve it!

Well said, JSM!

Congrats to the majority of Mercy workers that really go out of their way to make a difference regardless of the rest of your co-workers, administrators, and Bea. Ride this out Bea; you need it. Reminder, we are still waiting on your submission:
http://www.gazettextra.com/news/2008/apr...
Just a reminder that the overlooked article from Saturday's paper will not "just be forgotten about". Arrogance is getting in the way of any true reformation of Mercy's image.
With Dean/Saint Mary's and Edgerton/(unnamed & in the works partner) planning new facilities within 8 miles of Mercy, they better be as good as they claim or it will mean big changes in the near future!

It seems appropriate that Javon Bea has been recognized by George W. Bush. They both are completely out of touch with reality. As for Mercy's quality, I seriously suggest they address the following: 1. A 2-3 month wait time for new patients to establish with primary care physicians (welcome, GM employees!); 2. A largely incompetent ER staff; 3. A high turnover rate of physicians in general; 4. Focusing on areas of interest that they want to push (neurosurgery? trauma center?) rather than what the community actually needs; but most importantly 5. paying too high a salary to a self-important CEO who is not part of the local community and who, in all likelihood, does not even see a Mercy physician. Wake up, Javon Bea. People don't care about obscure awards. They want quality, timely health care at an affordable price.

Mercy wins a lot of national awards, but has an image problem within the Janesville community.
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Maybe Mercy should consider hiring a Public Relations Specialist and Marketing staff to highlight its strengths, and help expunge the negativity expressed by so many of the people living here.