Does Janesville need a second hospital?
Two hospitals, one debate
SSM Health Care of Wisconsin and Dean Health System will soon start construction on a $150 million hospital and clinic on Janesville’s southeast side.
Today: Is the new hospital needed, and how will it affect local health care costs?
Monday: The new facility will soon start taking shape, but what will patients find when it opens in late 2011?
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Dean, which already operates its Riverview Clinic and Surgery Center, above, and its Northview Clinic, will have a larger say in local health care when it completes the new St. Mary’s Hospital on the cioty’s east side.
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Jeremy Bierman of Westphal & Co. Electric hooks up temporary electrical service for the job site trailer fo the new hospital/clinic at Racine Street and County J.
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An artist's rendering shows what the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital will look like upon completion. The $150 million hospital and clinic on the city’s southeast side is expected to open in 2011, but is it necessary?
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Artist's rendering of interior of the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital, scheduled for completion in 2011.
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Artist's rendering of interior of the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital, scheduled for completion in 2011.
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Artist's rendering of interior of the new St. Mary's Janesville Hospital, scheduled for completion in 2011.
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Javon R. Bea
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Craig Samitt
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Kerry Swanson
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Quint D. Studer
JANESVILLE — Janesville—the 10th most populous city in Wisconsin—will join its big-city brethren in two years when a second hospital opens here.
But whether St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital is a necessity that local residents have pined for or a duplication that will drive up local health care costs will be debated long after the $150 million hospital and clinic campus opens at Racine Street and Interstate 90/39 on the city’s southeast side.
SSM Health Care and Dean Health System will break ground later this month on the 313,000-square-foot hospital and clinic that will sit on a 50-acre parcel. The campus is expected to open in late 2011.
Dean, which operates Riverview and Northview clinics in Janesville, is the longtime physician partner for St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.
On any given day, Dean doctors are responsible for about 30 percent of the patients admitted at Mercy Hospital, which stands to lose at least $25 million a year when Dean doctors take those patients to the new hospital.
Since SSM and Dean first announced the project in April 2008, two camps have staked out their turf on the project.
There are those who don’t like Mercy Health System, which operates the only hospital in Janesville, which is the only entry on a list of 14 most populous Wisconsin cities with just one hospital.
Others say Mercy Hospital has served the community well for more than 100 years and has expanded to offer services that aren’t available even in Madison.
Is there a need?
There’s no formula that says a city should have a given number of hospitals, but an industry benchmark suggests that a population should have 2.6 hospital beds per 1,000 residents.
SSM officials said that Rock County is expected to have a population of 161,000 in 2012. That would require about 420 beds.
The county has three hospitals: Mercy Hospital in Janesville, Beloit Memorial Hospital and Edgerton Hospital and Health Services.
Together, the three currently staff 316 beds, which supports the contention of SSM and Dean officials that the area will need 100 more hospital beds.
But there’s a rub: The three hospitals are licensed for 521 beds, 100 more than the number SSM and Dean officials say the area will need.
Javon Bea, Mercy’s president and CEO, said industry trends have shifted care from an inpatient to outpatient basis. Censuses at hospitals in Rock County and the state have been declining since 1991, he said.
Given those trends, which he expects will continue to be driven by technological advances, Bea doesn’t believe the county will need 420 beds. But if it did, the three hospitals here are positioned to meet the need.
“We have over 500 beds already, and we’re only using 300 of them,” he said.
Mercy Hospital has remodeled its patient rooms to mirror an industry shift from two beds per room to one. The remodeling left the infrastructure in place to accommodate two beds if warranted.
“The bottom line is that we can bring another bed in very easily if we need it,” Bea said. “There are tons of beds in the area.”
That may be, but SSM and Dean officials said their surveys indicate that a large percentage of local residents don’t want beds at Mercy. They also believe the demand for hospital beds will grow as baby boomers age.
In announcing the project in 2008, Dean President and CEO Craig Samitt said studies show that 40 percent of patients leave the Janesville area for hospital care.
SSM and Dean have carefully carved out a primary service area for the new hospital that includes all of Janesville’s zip codes, as well as those in Milton, Orfordville and Evansville. A secondary service area reaches out to include communities in Walworth, Green and Jefferson counties.
SSM didn’t include Beloit and Edgerton in the new hospital’s service area, said Mary Starmann-Harrison, president and CEO of SSM Health Care of Wisconsin.
“The Beloit community wants to stay local for their health care, and the same with Edgerton,” she said. “It’s the Janesville community that I think will stay home for care to a greater extent as they have choice.”
Based on patient discharge data from the Wisconsin Hospital Association, 68 percent of the residents in the primary service area—Janesville, Milton, Orfordville and Evansville—who were admitted at a Wisconsin hospital in 2008 were admitted at Mercy Hospital.
Thirty-two percent were not.
Of the 32 percent who weren’t admitted at Mercy, the majority went to St. Mary’s, UW Hospital & Clinics or Meriter in Madison.
Kerry Swanson, president of St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital, said about 12 percent of the people not admitted at Mercy went elsewhere for tertiary care that isn’t provided in Janesville.
“The majority of the patients who are leaving could come to Janesville and receive care,” she said.
Added Samitt: “We heard loud and clear that patients wanted choice.”
Bea and Mercy officials interpret the numbers differently. He said the majority of those leaving have no choice. They’re leaving Rock County for tertiary care not available in Janesville, such as transplants, burn treatment or neo-natal care. Or, he said, they’re being hospitalized elsewhere for emergency care.
“These aren’t people who are choosing to leave,” he said.
Mercy averages about 100 inpatients a day at its hospital. History in other markets suggests that St. Mary’s immediately will fill 30 of the 50 beds.
That will tap the pocketbook of Mercy, which in 2007 reported net revenue of $9,912 per patient discharged.
Mercy had about 8,500 discharges in 2007, meaning that the loss of 30 patients to the new hospital could amount to more than $25 million a year.
“It will be a significant hit,” Bea said.
Mercy has already started to plan for it by cutting nontraditional health care services, such as the Mercy in Motion transportation service, he said.
Quint Studer, a national health care leadership consultant and former Mercy executive, said the new hospital/clinic project is a business decision that in large part is based on money.
Studer said the Dean system is well established in Rock County, both with its clinics and insurance plan. Integrating with a St. Mary’s hospital in Janesville, he said, will keep money in the Dean/SSM family instead of channeling millions each year to a competitor.
“Right off the bat, they’re guaranteeing themselves 30 percent of the market,” Studer said
The new hospital then can compete to fill its remaining beds, and aiding that effort will be patients’ perception of Mercy Hospital, he said.
“Because Mercy is the only hospital in town, you tend to get two camps: those who feel it’s the best and those who feel like it’s the worst,” Studer said.
Studer said Mercy has struggled at times with patient perceptions.
That’s borne out in hospital survey statistics provided by the federal government. Only 44 percent of the patients discharged from Mercy Hospital in 2008 said they would definitely recommend the hospital to others.
Across Wisconsin, the average was 71 percent.
Bea said patient perception data is one of seven measures of service and that almost all of the system’s other measures are better than state and national benchmarks.
“We know that our HCAHPS scores, which measure patient’s perception of service, have been significantly affected by our major remodeling project that we have been undergoing over the past two years in our effort to upgrade our entire hospital and convert to private patient rooms,” Bea said. “We are excited about our facility improvements and are confident that our published results will be excellent in the future.”
Starmann-Harrison said SSM and Dean are replicating a model that’s been successful with Dean physicians and St. Mary’s in Madison.
“We’re really able to do extraordinary things in improving patient care because we work so closely together,” she said. “We’re trying to replicate that model so we have that hospital-physician partnership in Janesville.”
A duplication of services
SSM and Dean officials said the new hospital will not offer any services that aren’t already available at Mercy.
Mercy officials agreed and added that Mercy will continue to offer services not available at the new hospital. They include heart surgery, neurosurgery and Mercy’s upcoming certification as a Level II trauma center, a designation none of the Madison hospitals has achieved.
Where the two camps part ways is on the question of whether duplication of services will drive up local health care costs.
“The real value of the new campus is the power of integration in the various parts of the system,” Samitt said. “The focus is about improving the value of health care. We already do that very well. We’re a leader in Wisconsin, and we want to bring that to Janesville.
“The notion that costs will rise, which I understand is people’s concern, I would argue is unwarranted.”
Samitt said competition will force quality and efficiency improvements that benefit consumers.
Mercy welcomes competition, but this competition doesn’t make sense, Bea said.
Mercy, he said, was silent when Riverview built an outpatient surgery center in 1993 at a time when Mercy was also expanding its outpatient services.
“They did that in a growing market, and we both were going to be competing in a growing market and could keep costs competitive,” Bea said.
“But when you’re building in a declining market—patient beds—then basically we have to continue to spread our fixed costs over an average of 70 patients instead of 100. They’re going to have to spread their $200 million over whatever they figure they’re going to average.”
Mercy and St. Mary’s officials agree that patients at the new hospital won’t see a bill that includes a line item charge for the new facility. Both systems say they’ll be competitive on cost.
“There’s no way to replace that loss of 30 beds immediately,” said Joe Nemeth, a Mercy vice president. “We’ve been at this issue of trying to build market share for a long time, and it’s been a slow go. We started in 1996, and the doctors of Janesville at that time were the stars of the area, and we attracted patients from a long way out. As we developed new services in Illinois, we’ve been able to pick up more and more.
“We hope as our outreach continues that we will be able to keep our costs in a steady stream, although I wouldn’t be predicting them to go down.”
Bea said Mercy can spread costs among a system that includes 64 facilities in 24 communities in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
“If we were just in Janesville, the answer would be a definite ‘yes, hospital costs will go up,’” he said.
Bea and Nemeth said they expect St. Mary’s will spread any fixed cost increases in Janesville to Madison and perhaps to other SSM facilities in Wisconsin and other states. But SSM and St. Mary’s have to remain competitive in their other markets, particularly in Madison, Bea said.
Choices?
Whether a patient is hospitalized at Mercy or St. Mary’s Janesville could depend in large part on the patient’s health insurance.
Dean Health Plan covers about 19,000 lives in Rock County. MercyCare covers about 21,000.
“Even in an open plan where you don’t have a limited network, you pick a doctor, and that doctor’s going to practice someplace,” Bea said. “When a patient picks a Dean doctor, they’re picking St. Mary’s whether they want it or not, and the same is true with Mercy doctors.
“By choosing the doctor, they’re choosing the hospital.”
For consumers, choice usually presents itself in the form of “Plan A” or “Plan B.” Costs, quality and service often factor into the decision, but once a plan is selected, it typically funnels the consumer to one network or another.
“There are a couple of insurance products sold in this area that have both of us, but there’s more that just have Mercy,” Nemeth said.
Nemeth said that about 35 to 40 percent of Rock County residents have a choice of either MercyCare or the Dean plan. But once they pick a plan, they’re in that network.
Another 42 percent have insurance plans that will allow them to go to either provider, he said.
“A lot of this is driven by the Dean Health Plan,” said Studer, the industry consultant. “They want to manage the cash as much as they can and integrate clinical quality throughout the system.”
What SSM/Dean is doing is reflective of what Studer sees in other U.S. cities. The advantage in Janesville, he said, is that Dean already has a market base that decreases the risk of the project.
“When the dust settles, I think the consumer will probably benefit,” he said.
Oct 15, 2009 at 2:50 p.m.
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WE NEED A NEW HOSPITAL SO MY HUBBY CAN GET SOME WORK!
Oct 14, 2009 at 9:21 p.m.
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melstew47~I am sure the new hospital will have services that you can use....
Oct 14, 2009 at 9:01 p.m.
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Health care is a never ending, thank less job. 99% of us strive to take care of and advocate for our patients. Instead of complaining about it do something about it. Start by taking care of yourselves, following your health care providers recomendations or become a member of your hometown healthcare team.
Oct 14, 2009 at 8:02 p.m.
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Hannah - What?
Oct 14, 2009 at 5:33 p.m.
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what dont you understand this time justintr? Why my husband is missing ribs dont know ask GOd!!
Oct 14, 2009 at 3:39 p.m.
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IAM CARING IAM MERCY; Well maybe you better pass that slogan onto the maternity ward nurses,and,the second floor nurses,and maybe everyone that works there should remember that we pay them,they dont pay us to come there,and before you even say it not everyone is on badgercare,we pay for insurance,because i found that if youre on badgercare they do treat you some what different, and dont say they dont because they do,and yes we do need another hospital,and for crying out loud dont hire any of those nurse kevorkians from mercy hospital,these doctors an nurses need to learn who there working for.waiting six hours in the ER what a bunch of crap,thats why i dont go there.
Oct 14, 2009 at 3:37 p.m.
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hannah - Next time can you please try to type your whole post in english. Thanks.
Oct 14, 2009 at 3:16 p.m.
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nurse4u- "narrowing of the spinal cord"
my husband has finally be diagnosed with this after MANY MANY MANY trips to urgent care and just take these drugs . they FINALLY took an exray and said this problem is at a certain disc- WELL if they took a WHOLE xray they would have know he is missing the last bottom set of ribs and would have the correct disc correct. His chrio has a CORRECT xray and told him the correct disc. They say "no cure "just call for drugs if needed.
Can you tell me if "no cure" if correct.
He has adjustments often to alleviate pain.
another time went ot er with(adverse reaction to compazine) they didnt ask my name or care about ins. no gown, just pump in the benadryl directly and okay in 15 minutes total. Said I could go but I couldnt walk ;). That was good service. My jaw was moving uncontrollably.
Another time different reaction to something outside? face swelled up. Couldnt go to urgent care cause nothing open. they FORGOT about me int the room. how do I know this. THEY TOLD ME. how do you forget somebody in a room??? Said not sure what it is get some lotion and benadryl stuff. How are you "not sure?"
other one dad in law died there from heart attach- never know if some other place could have saved him. 4 things almost all fully blocked so I would think nobody could have saved him.
Oct 13, 2009 at 4:17 p.m.
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I cann't wait for a little medical competition. I have neurological concerns and there is no one in Janesville close to competent. I have been going to UW for years to get the services I need. It is time for Mercy to get with it or get out!
Oct 13, 2009 at 10 a.m.
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Sometimes, it is difficult to pinpoint an actual diagnosis, especially if you yourself was unaware of the PFO. If the doctors at Mercy had been aware of it they may have been able to determine what was going on. I don't know. All I do know is doctors are not God and sometimes medicine is an educated guess. It is very difficult, especially when you yourself knew something was "just not right." Its called instinct and sometimes it is more accurate then the best doctors.
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:56 a.m.
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Yes that is what a PFO is...and I am so glad your daughter hasn't had any more migraines. Knock on Wood since my closure device was put in place this past Dec. I have not had any migraines either.
Best wishes to your daughter.
I guess this is why they call it "practicing" medicine. However, in the moment of everything happen we are not always as forgiving.
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:51 a.m.
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A patent foramen ovale can lead to increase incidences of stroke. It is the failure of the vessel in the heart to close off after birth. In utero, this vessel is used for circulation of the blood. If it fails to close after birth, it can cause blood to pool and throw clots if I am not mistaken. When my daughter was born without her pulmonary artery, they had to keep this open until her surgery. I am somewhat familiar with it. Last year, my daughter was diagnosed with migraines at Children's. However, we had been attempting the growth Hormone. She developed symptoms that could have been a stroke or TIA, or increased pressure in her brain. She had double vision, pounding headache, difficulty with coordination. Mercy thought it could be ICP but wasn't taking chances. She went to Children's. They did all kinds of tests. The ophthalmologists stated her eyes were normal (at this time we did not know she had bilateral cataracts, we found that out two months later, how they missed it, I do not know). I insisted on a spinal tap. Her opening pressure was 30mmHg, which is high. So was it intracranial pressure from the Growth Hormone? Or a simple migraine? All I know is, her symptoms resolved and she has not had a "migraine" again.
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:39 a.m.
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Thanks nurse4u. I don't fully understand why I was miss-diagnosed other than my age. What happened after lots of extra testing and many neuroloists consulting at wee hours in the morning, they determined that I had a PFO. Which luckly has been closed with an ASD device. I am forever greatful to all of my UW drs. and hope that Dean and Mercy neurologists are able to collaberate and get more training. So that they don't assume a 27 year old female can't have a Stroke.
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.
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jvl- I was not specifically talking to you, just the posters in general. I am grateful that your condition was able to be treated and that you have made a full recovery. I am 32 today, so yes, I fully understand that you have a lot to live for yet. You are a determined fighter and an advocate for your own health care. That is commendable. I do not know what happened and why you were misdiagnosed. All I can do is apologize that it was not caught in a timely manner and that you had to go elsewhere to receive the care you needed. Best Wishes!
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:23 a.m.
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One year ago today, (yes, my birthday!) I fell down some fifteen stairs. I went to the Urgent Care at the Mercy Health Mall on October 29. I had been experiencing symptoms and was finally concerned with the pain I was experiencing. It had gotten worse and my fingers were going numb. The PA there was able to determine I dislocated C4. I was placed in a cervical collar and a CT was done, then a MRI. I learned I had also herniated three of the disks in my neck. I also had congenital narrowing of the spinal cord. This all combined to compress my spinal cord. I needed surgery. I had a fusion and plate inserted in my neck and had to wear a cervical collar for four months. IF I had fallen or gotten into a car accident I could have been a quad, or dead. As far as I am concerned, Mercy saved my life. They helped me to regain my activities of daily living. I still have pain but I treat it with over the counter medication. Also, it was easier on my family that I could have the surgery here at home. We have had to go to Milwaukee for weeks at a time with my daughter and it is stressful staying at a hotel or Ronald McDonald's House while my husband or I took turns at the hospital with my daughter. Not to mention the cost of staying in a city where you do not reside. THANK YOU MERCY!
Oct 13, 2009 at 9:14 a.m.
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nurse4u...I don't know if you were talking to me, but in response I do know that both Mercy and Dean drs. practice at Mercy Hospital.
I am sure that Mercy and Dean both have some wonderful doctors and nurses.
However, after my incident I will only be going back to UW for any type of medical treatment other than my OBGYN. I could have died, and yes I know that due to my age a Stroke would not have been the first diagnosis. For me personally is the fact that I was knocking on death's door, and I have way to much to live for yet.
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:59 a.m.
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Not to stir the pot, but do you forget that Mercy Hospital RIGHT NOW has BOTH Dean AND Mercy doctors??
Also, I am a Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital. I love my job, my patients, my hours, my floor, and my co-workers. Some days are killer and some days relaxed. I know we try to do everything we can to help patients and their families during their difficult time.
I have been a neurosurgery patient as well. I received excellent care. My daughter has complex medical problems and Mercy has been there to stabilize, treat, and if need be, transfer her to Children's. I have made the same mistakes, bringing my son to the ER for a broken finger..had to wait. But, at the same time, the trauma team was dealing with a multi-car accident. The nurse brought my son pain medication until they could treat and made sure it was effective before starting any procedures.
The Emergency Room Team sees things on a daily basis that we could not begin to comprehend. TV shows may show part of what they deal with, but its not a true reality. Twelve hour shifts of life and death, witnessing man's inhumanity to man, car accidents that take the lives of innocent children, these health care team members are TRUE HEROES!
I AM CARING, I AM MERCY!
Oct 13, 2009 at 8:45 a.m.
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On September 9, 2009 I was a 27 year old who had just suffered all the symptoms of a stroke. My family called 911 and was rushed to the hospital for treatment. After arriving I was diagnosed with a Complex Migraine due to my history of Migraines. I was then moved to an observation room where I spent several hours. It wasn't until I had Seizure that the doctor treating me finally decided to do an MRI. After reading the results they decided my brain had swollen so bad that they didn't understand how I was able to function; and that I actually had massive stroke. I was then Med-flighted to UW Hospital. After being there I learned that due to being miss-diagnosed I was unable to receive the "clot buster" drug to reverse the affects of my stroke. 2 years and 4 brain surgeries later I have made a full recovery (no thanks to my drs at Mercy), and have been able to return to teaching high school math.
I can also say that the only doctor I am willing to see at Mercy is my OBGYN. Therefore I will continue to drive to Madison to see a dr.
I truly believe Janesville needs more options for healthcare.
Oct 13, 2009 at 7:29 a.m.
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HEY it was Dean docs that nearly killed an acquaintance of mine a couple weeks ago, so Mercy haters can just chill out a minute. Both Dean & Mercy and every other facility make mistakes...a lot of times the screw-ups are brought on b/c of bad management, not bad employees.
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:50 p.m.
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Had Mercy taken the attitude to collaborate with Dean doctors instead of trying protectionist activities to keep them out of the hospital, Janesville could have really had a great system. Instead Dean has gone out and provided competition, competition which Mercy created the need for.
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:53 p.m.
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If you truly have a medical emergency, you do not have to wait in the ER waiting room. I went to the ER last November with a collapsed lung. I was immediately put in a room, I didn't even have to wait one minute. The nurses and doctors were fantastic. I had to visit the ER a couple more times after that with other lung issues, I had to wait this time, but that is because it wasn't a medical emergency. I am not an "easy case" either for doctors, I have underlying medical issues and usually go to UW Madison for my appointments, but the times I have been at Mercy, I have no complaints at all. I have heard "horror" stories about the long waits, and supposed incompetence of doctors at Mercy, but I have never had any issues. Unfortunately I think many people like to complain if things don't go exactly their way. (I know some people have legitimate complaints, but I have dealt with family members and other people I know who seem to complain about every little thing that doesn't go their way haha)
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:06 p.m.
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Just like JVLhomeowner that wasnt cardioverted because they only do it 9-5 at mercy...only half the story given to make Mercy look like a bunch of morons. A story is not worth sharing If you have to leave out part of it, or exaggerate it to make your point. Keep the gossip to yourself.
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:59 p.m.
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I would like to see a second newspaper.
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:49 p.m.
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Quote - "Her son was diagnosed with Mono and because she knew better than to trust Mercy, she went to the UW and he has brain cancer. Imagine if she hadn't trusted her gut and went with what they had told her. She may have lost one of her children. How does something like that happen?!?"
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It happens because they transferred elsewhere and completed the testing. I can 100% guarantee you that Mercy, along with any other health care organization would have diagnosed brain cancer had the battery of tests been completed before he/she was transferred.
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:52 p.m.
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It is understandable that the Mercy administration would be upset that there might be some healthy competition, especially when they could loose $25 million a year. Maybe somebody will have to take a pay cut and not make $15 + million a year. You know, if they rented the chairs out in the waiting rooms for $30/half hour they could make another $60 to $90 per chair per day.
Oct 12, 2009 at 3:28 p.m.
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Based on the story I just heard from a friend of mine, I think the healthcare in this area needs to change. Her son was diagnosed with Mono and because she knew better than to trust Mercy, she went to the UW and he has brain cancer. Imagine if she hadn't trusted her gut and went with what they had told her. She may have lost one of her children. How does something like that happen?!? I'm the lucky victim of the Beloit healthcare facilities and can always count on waiting at least two hours to see my neurologist because he f**ks around the whole time. My grandmother was misdiagnosed by Beloit hospital and they didn't catch the cancer until it was too late. They said she had kidney stones and it was bone cancer. YES, we need quality healthcare in this area, and no we don't have it right now. There are some good doctors who care about their patients, but too many bad examples of ones who don't. Sad that we have to drive to Madison or Rockford to ensure we get a decent chance at survival.
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:51 p.m.
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i think the main point of this area is to express opinions and not change anyones mind. but to me, this new hospital is what Janesville needs. a previous article stated that 350 people will work there. some transfers and some new, a combination of the two. my things is 12 yrs ago my dad went into mercy with heart problems. the doctors said all he needed was some medicine and sent him on his way a couple days later. a couple after that, he went to St Mary's in madison and was more or less rushed into surgery. Also, Javon Bea is talking thru both sides of his mouth. he's said his expansion of Mercy's clinics and facilities in other areas were warranted. if you look at the stats, only about half of them were. like i said previously, Mercy is only out for the almighty dollar these days. at least thats the way it seems in my opinion.
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:40 p.m.
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toohoes...if your not a GM employee & you really did need emergency care than I wasn't talking about you. I'm sorry if you took offense to my post.
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I don't think people realize what really goes on in a hospital ED. I understand everyone thinks that their hurt trumps others. But say your in the ED waiting to be seen for your ache & an unresponsive person comes in. Do you still think that you deserve care before them? Patients like that (unresponsive) take more than one nurse & most of the time more than one doctor. Sometimes what takes so long is getting people into beds on the floors when they are admitted.
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I've seen ALOT of complaints about the ED, but none about the floors themselves. When your talking bad about the ED it gives the rest of the hospital a bad name also. And honestly it's two different worlds. I believe I give my patients the best care I possibly can. I treat everyone of my patients as if they were my mother, father, grandma or grandpa. And I know my co-workers do also. I am caring. I am Mercy!
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:15 p.m.
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Yes, competition is good but it will do nothing but raise health care costs in Janesville. If Mercy loses 30 beds immediately they will likely jack up costs even higher to compensate for the lost revenue as health care is all about the almighty dollar and very little else.
We switched to Madison a couple of years ago and the difference in care was truly amazing!
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:06 p.m.
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Hey Javon, climb up on your horse and ride on back to your ranch in Minnesota. There's a new cowgirl in town and her name is the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Oct 12, 2009 at 12:35 p.m.
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I've taken the time to research other areas throughout the state, where healthcare competition, in the form of a new hospital, has moved into an area where an established hospital or hospitals already exist. Healthcare costs went up in each of those areas, as beds sit open at each of the hospitals (Wausau, Green Bay, Oconomowoc, etc...).
I understand the need consumers have for choice, and do feel there are enough choices in the immediate area - Mercy, Beloit Hospital, Fort Hospital, Edgerton Hospital, etc., for the current number of patients. This second hospital does seem to be duplication of services in this area.
As for me, I've been pleased with Mercy overall, and have voiced concerns to customer services, when I haven't been pleased with something (and received appropriate response to any concerns).
Since I've lived in many different places, and received treatment in different healthcare facilities, I know the novelty of the new hospital will wear off and that the new facility will experience ups and downs, too, when it comes to perception of the quality of care received.
My concern remains the increase in cost for healthcare for this area. Can any of us afford to pay more for healthcare, right now?
As for the ER waits, I know this has been something that Mercy has worked on and continues to work on, and patients shouldn't gauge the number of patients in the waiting room as to how busy the ER is, since the ER also handles ambulances coming in through another entrance. In larger cities, my family has experienced waits exceeding five hours for an ER visit, and this include Madison, Rochester, MN and Columbus, OH.
And yes, the epidemic of patients using ERs for simple doctor visits is increasing, leading to increased wait times.
Oct 12, 2009 at 12:28 p.m.
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As a Mercy employee, I'm saddened to hear about negative experiences at Mercy because we have so many wonderful employees who provide excellent care for our patients each & every day.
Mercy has improved specialty services to meet the needs of our community for 20 years. We’ve brought cancer care, heart and neurosurgery services, plastic and reconstructive surgery and soon, trauma services. I'm proud to say that Mercy has been a long-standing health care provider for Janesville for over 100 years & we will continue to be here for the next 100 years.
Oct 12, 2009 at 12:13 p.m.
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I have had both good and bad experiences at Mercy I think that happens anywhere. Depends on the moods of the nurses and doctors. I want St Mary’s as I could use a job with benefits.
With Mercy, it seems to be attitude at the ER as I said I have had to use the ER and some good some bad. Part of it is the way employees are treated by upper management and patients. I have been there when a patient is on the cell phone or going out to smoke then is called on and they cannot be found, so the next person is called and that original person gets mad. So it goes but a new hospital will help maybe even improve the service from Mercy.
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:52 a.m.
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Gabby...hope you are not talking to me about waiting til morning...had I waited til morning with my ache and pain as you say, I would be dead. Do not judge, you do not know...and for the record, I am not affiliated with GM at all. Get over YOURSELF.
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:52 a.m.
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My insurance won't allow me to go to Beloit, because Beloit won't deal with many insurance companies. St. Mary's is accepted, but I don't want to go to Madison.
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:36 a.m.
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I think Janesville is just a spoiled GM town & everyone thinks they have the right to piss & moan about a good hopsital because they didn't get what they wanted right away. Mercy is a GOOD hospital. Maybe the ER is slow. But when you got people going in there for things that could wait till clinic hours then yes it is going to be slow. Wait till clinic hours for your litte sniffles and pains, earaches and sore throats. Honestly unless something is broken, bleeding or chest pain you really don't need the ED at 2 am. This town just thinks they deserve instant gratification because they worked at GM....guess what you're not anymore special than the next, get over yourselves!
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:27 a.m.
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Sat in Mercy ER last year for over 2 hours with a headache that was excruciating...explained that I had migraines, but never like this. By the time they got me back (must have assumed I was just a wimp with a headache...they weren't that busy) I had a bleed in my brain. A blood clot had backed up and hemmoraghed (spelling?). Perhaps if I was seen in 16 minutes as one article says St. Mary's does, it would not have bleed out. Go St. Mary's!
Oct 12, 2009 at 11:06 a.m.
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Sorry you naysayers but Mercy is an outstanding health system. I have had many of my family members cared for at Mercy facilities. Everyone is so kind and goes out of their way to help. I don't understand what it is that people want? I believe that competition is good, but Janesville needs to extend its efforts trying to find new businesses to come to town that NEED healthcare. I certainly do not want to have to drive to Madison for services we have RIGHT HERE IN JANESVILLE. This community is so lucky to have Mercy in our hometown!
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:59 a.m.
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Lots of talk in the article about the number beds in the new hospital, but no mention of the number of jobs a new hospital would bring. Last check, Janesville had the highest unemployment rate in the state for a tax base that is increasing. Doctors, nurses and technicians bring payroll and support local taxes. Don't forget the new hospital will also draw patient's familys in town during surgeries and extended stays. I think Janesville should say thank you to St Mary's and encourage the new hospital unless the residents are satisfied with their current economic situation.
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:50 a.m.
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It's not about the beds. It's about quality health care. After being a Mercy Hospital patient for 30+ years I have recently selected another hospital. I have had excellent physicians and exceptional quality of care in the past. As Dr’s retire and care shifts to new physicians the level of care I have received has dropped. I could no longer expect a return call from my physician when medication problems occurred or physical conditions changed for the worse. For 2 years in a row I have had difficulty scheduling even a routine mammogram at Mercy Hospital. After 5 phone calls to or from hospital and clinic, enough is enough. I had 2 appointments scheduled at alternative hospitals with one call each before receiving a call from my Mercy Clinic associates telling me my Dr’s. Order had been faxed AGAIN and I should make another call to schedule the appointment. Many other hospitals do not require a Dr’s order.
I have gone in to urgent care to request Biopsy results days after the clinic received them because my Dr’s office could not deliver them in a timely manor. I have recently received similar results, delivered by my new Dr., the same day as they were received from another health care facility. As you state, some insurance providers lock their patients into a health care organization. Those patient’s who are not, will make a choice based on the level of patient care Mercy Hospital AND their Dr. associates can deliver, not bed numbers.
Oct 12, 2009 at 10:01 a.m.
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I work with both Mercy and Dean doctors. Both have good and bad employees. I also know what is expected at Mercy as far as patient satisfaction goes. Most of the emplyees strive to meet or exceed these expectations, but like everywhere you will get your few bad apples. This should not reflect on the whole system but it does because perception is reality. Mercy and Dean, like any business needs to make a profit in order to maintain there services. Someone is going to have to pay for a new multi-million dollar facility and it will be all of us. I don't believe that the competion is the problem for Mercy it is the lost revenue as it would be for any business, how is dean going to survie on the low daily patient census? I just hope that it is a good move for us as a community amd that we don't have another building sitting empty in years to come
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:45 a.m.
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I tend to agree with neweyes. I will say this the ER sucks. I brought my son in the ER with terrible pain in his stomach/ab area and high temp. It was late at night. They told my husband and I to take him to Beloit, that they were too busy. I made a scene and thank god I did. It was my son's appendix and he needed surgery right away. Wonder what would have happen if I hadn't made a scene!
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:40 a.m.
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littlemom-"They sure want their $$$$$ paid up immediately when you get out of their hospital or clinic, because they will send a bill until it is paid in FULL!!!!!"
so does every body else DUH. mortage, car loan, credit cards, utilities. you get a monthly bill UNTIL it is paid in full!
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:27 a.m.
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wont this help those who have dean ins and cannot get to madison for coverage. If they go to mercy it may not all be covered if a dean plan. now they can go to Dean hospital and be fully covered.
I wonder when we will get an option for power and light!!
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:19 a.m.
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In many ways Javon created his own problem. If he hadn't been price gouging Dean when they had to allow them to utilize Mercy Hospital, Dean wouldn't have a need to build their own facility. He gave away the opportunity to work together to create a successful community hospital.
Oct 12, 2009 at 9:01 a.m.
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Kris0785- Dean docs send patients to St Marys, and yes they are waiting for something to go on in the ER, its called being "on call" they have their own docs on a call schedule and when it is a dean patient THEY are called, of course initially they are seen by an ER physician, but decisions to treat or transfer are made by the dean doc. Trust me, im no "mercy fan", but I hate to see half informed posts put out here to add fear to patients who read this and take it all as gospel.
Oct 12, 2009 at 8:51 a.m.
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JVLhomeowner, obviously there is more to your story than you share, Mercy does cardiovert patients ALL the time, not 9-5, there had to be a medical reason they didnt cardiovert you that you left out of the story to make Mercy look bad. either that or you do not fully understand your medical condition, as so many patients do not ask questions and take responsibility for their own health care.
Oct 12, 2009 at 8:01 a.m.
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Up in Madison, St. Mary's has the same kind of crappy reputation that Mercy does down here. (Remember the teenage mom who was killed by nurse error at St. Mary's a few years ago?) People who aren't forced to choose based on their insurance go to Meriter or UW Hospital. Now Janesille will be privileged to have two second-class hospitals. Why can't we get a branch of the UW (formerly known as UW / Physicians Plus) Hospital system in Rock Co? (Probably because they are making plenty of money in Madison because people actually want to go there for their medical care.) At this point, Mercy and St. Mary's are keeping the billboard people in business buying outdoor advertising to try to convince us that we like them or want them...
Oct 12, 2009 at 7:50 a.m.
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:58 a.m.
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Why are we still discussing this? It's a done deal. Slow news day?
Secondly, if Javon Bea states this is unneeded competition", why was that not the case when he decided to build clinics and hospitals all over the place?
Oct 12, 2009 at 6:50 a.m.
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Dean Care is a business-they will raise rates to pay for their new glorified clinic. How can you call it a hospital when it only has 50 beds? When you get your bill from Dean after you get medflighted, then compare rates. They will have to medflight anything big to Madison because they are working on too small of a scale. I would rather stay in Janesville where you are close to family and friends. Mercy is a top notch hospital and Janesville should be very proud to have them.
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:57 a.m.
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competition is good, but this will bring only more part time jobs between the two hospitals does not bring more patients
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:44 a.m.
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It's about time for some competition. Besides, more jobs in the area can't hurt.
Oct 12, 2009 at 5:42 a.m.
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As the article said, there will be haters and lovers of both places. If I'm still in WI when it get completely built and opened, I'd consider being admitted after I was stabilized. Until I learn the full story, I'm sticking with Beloit as my chosen medical team.
Oct 12, 2009 at 4:51 a.m.
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how many stories about the new hospital can you publish? I hear GM is closing too.
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:53 a.m.
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Those of you pining for a St. Mary's hospital have obviously never been a 'guest' of the hospital in Madison. I have, and it left a great deal to be desired. I have also had experiences with Mercy Hospital, and I greatly preferred it to St. Mary's.
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Those of you who are comforted to know that St. Mary's is a non-profit organization run by the benevolent nuns will be surprised that these nuns and the women who run their hospitals are hard driving businesswomen. Their utilization of non-union nursing staff s an indication of this. You may also be surprised to know that the money goes back to St. Louis because that is where SSM is based.
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Another great point was made here in an earlier post. This 'hospital' will be nothing more than a glorified clinic (will replace Riverview) that will be used as an intake center to boost the slumping patient censuses in the Madison hospital. They have to pay for that palace somehow.
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:47 a.m.
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Oops! meant to write "in" the immediate area..
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:40 a.m.
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I also want to point out that Mercy is making way for a Level 2 Trauma Center. It will be the ONLY one is the immediate area.
In addition, I would like to state that some patients use the ER for medical issues that are NOT an emergency. This increases wait times. I know that whenever I have come in with my daughter with a REAL emergency, my daughter was a priority. She has a complex medical history with heart, lung and immune issues. They NEVER made her wait.
Oct 12, 2009 at 1:19 a.m.
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Just wanted to point out that Madison does have a Level I trauma center at the University of Wisconsin Hospital. The article was in error on this point.
Oct 12, 2009 at 12:54 a.m.
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As far as family doctors go, I have always gone to Mercy and have not had problems. However, I have heard many horror stories about the ER and have experienced one myself. My boyfriend had an accident last year which required stitches. We quickly went to Mercy's ER and saw no one at the check in desk, waited for a good 45 minutes and still saw not one person who worked at the hospital. We then went drove about 20 minutes to another hospital's ER where we were promptly seen by a doctor. I am so grateful that he did not have anything seriously wrong that would have needed immediate attention.
Oct 11, 2009 at 11:47 p.m.
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People need to take responsibility for their own health care. You have the right to refuse to be treated by anyone. I've only once had to wait at a Mercy ER for longer than an hour with a serious need. If some folks would stop using it as a doctor's office, then those that really do need to be seen would be in a timely manner...
I've not had any trouble with Mercy in almost 9 years of care for our entire family. We choose our docs carefully and make sure we understand what's going on. Having our own accountability and voicing our concerns with our caregivers insures we get exceptional service.
I don't expect the Dean Hospital to affect our healthcare service at all. I hope all the whiners go there! Ha!
Oct 11, 2009 at 11:22 p.m.
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Mercy needs to be kept in check. their costs are running away and all they (admins of the system) think about is the almighty dollar. I for one will use the dean system all i can despite having mercy insurance. As for the doctors, there are doctors in the mercy i WILL NOT use. to many horror stories about them.
Oct 11, 2009 at 11:16 p.m.
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I think with the crime rate going up another hospital would be a great idea. Maybe they will actually have people in the emergency room in case someone walking in has an emergency....unlike Mercy where theres no one and you have to bang on the walls and scream for someone to come out.
Oct 11, 2009 at 11:05 p.m.
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It cant just be the local work force because I refuse to go to mercy and recieve exceptional care down at the beloit hospital and clinic. And they pull from the same work pool as Mercy. Mercy just has a higher patient to nurse and doctor ratio than other hospitals.
Oct 11, 2009 at 11:01 p.m.
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You know whats really funny about Mercys not wanting the compitition is they never think twice about setting up their clinics all over the place. They must not have been able to see the Beloit Clinic or Hospital when they built a mercy clinic right in front of them. And now they have the nerve to whine when someone else is building a hospital in their backyard? It is priceless!
Oct 11, 2009 at 10:57 p.m.
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The timing for this seems a bit off considering the population in the area is declining. Moreover, once services for various Dean facilities are combined and Mercy makes cuts there will be very little, if any, net job gains. If the services offered at both facilities are very similar, most will still be forced to Madison for advanced care. Having dealt with locals in a service oriented situation before, I can say that after the novelty wears off people will be complaining about Dean as well. Mercy has a good system in place as does Dean. Considering most of the staff is hired locally, the care you get is reflective of the schooling and personality of the county. It's not as if Dean is going to magically create a different level of compassion. It's not realistic to compare Mercy with Dean facilities in Madison. My guess is that after the initial newness wears off, the care at Dean or Mercy will be nearly identical at the local level.
Oct 11, 2009 at 10:52 p.m.
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Mercy sucks!! Can't wait for the new hospital!
Oct 11, 2009 at 10:43 p.m.
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JVLhomeowner-teh definition of cardioversion-"Cardioversion: The conversion of one cardiac rhythm or electrical pattern to another, almost always from an abnormal to a normal one. This conversion can be accomplished by pharmacologic means using medications or by electrical cardioversion using a defibrillator."~MedicineNet.com
I find it VERY difficult to believe that the staff in the ER would NOT perform cardioversion. Perhaps you mean a cardiac catherization?
Oct 11, 2009 at 10:23 p.m.
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Hopefully the ER staff at the new hospital will be trained in discretion. I was at Mercy ER last week with my son and an elderly gentleman was in the room next to us. He was obviously disoriented and kept yelling help or youwhoo, I distinctly heard the staff at the desk making fun of him, what a disgrace. He was all alone no family and they were mocking him, nice. I was disgusted, they did not even shut our door as my son was being looked at. Later 2 male doctors came in to look at him and in a graphic manner described the procedure they were to do, it was not proper and was very upsetting. He deserved better and deserved to keep his dignity.
Oct 11, 2009 at 9:37 p.m.
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I can't tell you how excited I am that we are getting a Dean hospital. I have had very bad experiences at Mercy and if I had the choice I would never go there. I recently had to take my son who is 1 year old to the emergency room because it was very late and dean urgent care was closed. I sat in a room with him for and hour and a half without seeing a doctor. We were the only ones there besides some drunken idiot. I went out to ask when we would be seen and I was told that it was taking so long because I came between shift changes. I was shocked and when the doctor finally came in, it only took five minutes to tell me he had an ear infection. Ridiculous!
Oct 11, 2009 at 9:17 p.m.
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IVbald 537 Really because all dean docs hang out waiting for a problem to happen at mercy in the ER. I have seen pt's come to us as previously stated for a cardioversion. This is a simple lifesaving technique. I'm not trying to bash mercy there are good qualified employees there I just think it's about time to have a choice.
Oct 11, 2009 at 9:06 p.m.
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Another hospital will be the best thing that has happened in Janesville in decades.
Oct 11, 2009 at 8:57 p.m.
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I am soo looking forward to another hospital here in Janesville. I wish Dean had a hospital 8 years earlier then now. I was never happy with Mercy health insurance anyways. They sure want their $$$$$ paid up immediately when you get out of their hospital or clinic, because they will send a bill until it is paid in FULL!!!!!
Oct 11, 2009 at 8:38 p.m.
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What with health care reform
What with baby boomers getting old
What with the uninsured soon(?) to be insured
What with growing population and it will grow
What with the need to provide employment
What with half the people divided on Mercy Hosp
Yes another hospital would be nice.
This will be a gain for our city. It is also a positive note for people to see when they drive through our community.
Oct 11, 2009 at 8:28 p.m.
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Despite what your president and congress may have you believe, this country is still based on a free market system, which means that competition is a good thing. If Mercy doesn't like competition, that should tell you something.
Oct 11, 2009 at 8:07 p.m.
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The only thing problem I have with Mercy is when I have insurance and it is not the same rate as a hospital in my plan. My insurance is excepted by the Dean group. I think if you have insurance it should be taken by all doctors and hospitals at the same deductible and same percentage of co-pay. So I welcome the new hospital, so I don't have travel so far to get someone who excepts the plan.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:51 p.m.
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competition is great news. iam so sick of going to mercy and waiting for the employees to get done with their private chats and then waiting on you. you can bet something will be screwed up before you leave. i have yet to go there and not see 2 to 4 people standing around talking in the hall or in a exam room eating, talking and even reading the newspaper, but there you sit waiting.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:36 p.m.
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Kris 0785--Guess what! The only Mercy patients who are Medflighted to St. Mary's are those who were cared for by a Dean doc in Janesville.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:19 p.m.
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carlitosway--whether or not you had insurance wasn't the issue-I DO have insurance and have had the same scenario occur. If the treatment is the same, why waste the money on a chest x-ray? I understand that logic. Sinus infections also cause coughs--and it is not unusual this time of year!
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:08 p.m.
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Maybe those without insurance won't be refused a chest x-ray because it is costly and I was one refused an x-ray recently and was told I had a Lung infection but the doc stated he would treat me the same with or without an x-ray, but yet he wrote on my release I had bacterial sinusitus and given antibiotics for sinusitus not lungs HELLO By the way Im still coughing!!!!!! Hurry and get us a choice GO Saint Mary's/Deans health.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:02 p.m.
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I'm with wiscchick here. While I can't say I understand all the financial whiz-kids about how all this is going to affect local healthcare costs, I agree that that everyone has their opinions. I worked in a similarly-sized community where there were 2 hospitals directly competing with each other. Horror stories abounded regarding care at BOTH facilities-unfortunately, that is the nature of this beast. Those living in Madison hear the same kind of thing about St. Mary's vs. UW. I personally have had care at both Riverview and Mercy, and have no complaints.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:01 p.m.
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I have worked at both mercy and a dean facility..believe me working in madison at St. Mary's hospital and seeing all of the CRAP we get from mercy because they didn't act quick enough to save this person. They are medflighted to us to save their life. This hospital is a need for Janesville I would hope that everyone in this town would want the best care for them and their families.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7:01 p.m.
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If you don't think Dean is in for the money, you are badly mistaken.This new hospital is only 30 beds, if you have anything big you will be going to Madison. Half or more in this town no longer have insurance, we will have two hospitals in Janesville, new one in Edgerton and then down the road is Beloit, someone will go out of business but it won't be Mercy. I like to stay in Janesville for my care and they have been nothing but nice to me. Dean will raise their prices too so they can pay for a very small hospital.
Oct 11, 2009 at 7 p.m.
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Bea sweat it out Janesville people need a choice without having to drive for better care. It is a need to show that monopolizing is not going to happen anymore.
Oct 11, 2009 at 6:52 p.m.
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Mercy has taken advantage of their solo exestince long enough. They were able to pull the wool over the Gazettes eyes several years ago when the gazette sent a reporter to cover the ER. Mercy, knowing, the reporter was coming hired back several ER docs and appeared staffed for reporters. had they come back less than 24 hours later they wold have gotten the real story.
Mercy has gone on a head hunt and released all ER docs, the ER is now staffed by rent a docs who could care less since they are hourly employees who have no ties to Mercy or the community.
Oct 11, 2009 at 6:45 p.m.
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NO! But it does need one GOOD hospital that Javon R. Bea doesn't have his greedy little fingers in.
I hear horror story after horror story about Mercy's level of care, and while there likely is some very fine people working there, there is something seriously wrong with this "award-winning," self-promoting mega-hospital that has metastasized like a cancer in this region.
Oct 11, 2009 at 6:22 p.m.
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I'm also looking forward to having a choice here in Janesville, but let's all be realistic. The opening of the new hospital will not magically solve the perceived problems with Mercy or it's ER, and the Dean hospital isn't going to be without problems. There are still going to be ER waits and service issues at BOTH hospitals and people are going to have bad experiences at both places. It's the nature of health care and hospitals in all cities in all regions of the country. Let's welcome the choice for care but temper things with a healthy dose of common sense and a reality check.
Oct 11, 2009 at 6:16 p.m.
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You are Darn right we need another hospital ( I promised not to swear) Earlier this year, on a friday evening, I was taken to Mercy with chest pains, I am a heart patient with a Dean Doc, my records are "supposed to" be on file at both places ( and they are on the computer system at Dean St Mary's) I was given a quick EKG while my Doc was paged, he was in the hospital. A Mercy Doc was talking to me about keeping me until Monday to do further testing, when my Doc arrived, read my EKG, and ordered a helicopter to transport me to St Mary's where the Cath Lab was standing by to correct a blockage in my heart. My 45 minutes in the ER for an EKG and 6 aspirin was over $9,000 not including the mercy MD fee. The whole St Mary's fee for a two day in hospital stay was less than $20,000 ( not including the chopper). Mercy does not "cardiovert"( restore normal heart rhythm)in the ER, that is an only 9-5 mon - fri function. If you have atrial fib ( an abnormal heart rate where it skips and adds beats) you know the quicker a normal heart rate is restored, the less chance of blood clots or stroke. St Mary's and UW do this in the ER 24-7....
Often referred to ( and I can't find the reference at the moment) is when Mercy wanted to set up a hospital in the Crystal Lake area.
Javon made statements on how good it would be for that area...interestingly saying exactly the opposite about another hospital here.
I welcome another hospital St Mary's or otherwise, as competition should improve service.
Oct 11, 2009 at 5:43 p.m.
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I went to the ER late one Saturday night. Walked in and told them I was passing a kidney stone and needed some pain help. The nurse was very nice but did manage to mess up. I really was ok with the ordeal, until the $5,000.00 bill arived the next month. WHAT??? I told them what was wrong. I understand they still have to do tests, but 5 grand is waaaay to much for what was done for me. Maybe the price will be just as outrageous (spell cop?) at Dean but I am sure willing to give them a chance.
Oct 11, 2009 at 5:33 p.m.
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I agree that the manner of the emergency room employees leaves much to be desired. I have had only once occasion to have to use their services last year and I would never want to be that ill again and have to go there. The employees at the intake were very rude. I was so ill I could barely keep my head up and they were just plain nasty to me. My only hope is that we can switch to another health care provider in the near future.
Oct 11, 2009 at 5:31 p.m.
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I have not liked Mercy since the Sisters of Mercy gave it over to a for profit company. Back then they cared and tho i was young back then i still remember it. The current management cares nothing except to bring in that almighty dollar. Why do i tolerate Mercy? thats who my insurance is thru. i would rather be with Dean and was for a few years. a lot better treatment over there than Mercy.
Oct 11, 2009 at 5:27 p.m.
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I have had some bad experiences with Mercy, but my insurance won't cover Dean, so I might have to change insurance once the new hospital is built. Of course, I also had a bad experience with a Dean doctor once, so maybe it's a gamble no matter where you go.
Oct 11, 2009 at 5:05 p.m.
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You can sign me up for the Dean Hospital.
Oct 11, 2009 at 4:45 p.m.
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“We know that our HCAHPS scores, which measure patient’s perception of service, have been significantly affected by our major remodeling project that we have been undergoing over the past two years in our effort to upgrade our entire hospital and convert to private patient rooms,” Bea said.
*****
That's laughable at best. Mercy needs to learn how to treat their employees and that would resonate down through to the patients. They need to face reality, Bea's quote shows they haven't got a clue. Health workers in this town need a new hospital if only to have additional employment options.
Oct 11, 2009 at 4:40 p.m.
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3 weeks ago on a Sunday night, my son fell and sprained his ankle. He was unable to put any weight on it and it was swelling up pretty fast. All urgent care offices were closed and I decided to take him to Mercy to have it looked at. They did not appear to be very busy, yet we sat in the waiting room for over an hour before even getting checked in. Every 20 minutes or so a nurse would come out and say she would get to us in a few minutes. Once I realized that even after getting checked in we would probably be waiting for another hour or more, we decided to leave, me pushing him out to the car in the wheelchair he'd been sitting in. People that had already checked in and who were waiting when we got there were still waiting to be seen when we left. I bought him crutches, wrapped the ankle and put ice on it. By the next morning he could put some weight on it and I was comfortable with not getting it looked at. I understand he had a non-emergency injury, but to wait over an hour and not even get checked in yet was ridiculous. Urgent Care centers need to be open later every night if this is what is going to happen at Mercy. Before we decided to leave, another woman waiting to be seen that didn't look very good, decided to leave as well. She told the nurse that she would just wait until the next day to go to Urgent Care. The nurse didn't seem to care that she was leaving without being seen. If someone from Dean is reading this...please offer longer urgent care hours and if you can't, please don't make people wait an hour to get checked into your ED. Mercy's problem seems to be under staffing, as well. Once again, Dean...please over-staff your ED.
Oct 11, 2009 at 4:33 p.m.
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I'm not sure we do "need" another hospital but I do know that we "want" another hospital. Mercy, having been the only hospital in town for a long time, I feel, took advantage of it.
The costs are high, customer service would be more personable if it was automated and the ER waits are laughable. Have trouble paying your bill and their "affordable" payment arrangement aren't so affordable.
Like a lot of people, I look forward to the new hospital. I would change my insurance around in order to be able to use it. It will either force Mercy to be more patient friendly or it will drive Mercy out of business.
Oct 11, 2009 at 4:25 p.m.
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the design of the new hospital looks right out of the 50s-60s. Looks outdated before it is even built. Just my opinion though.
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