The State of Tennessee today rejected the Certificate of Need (CON) for a new Wellmont-owned emergency care center in Boone’s Creek.
This means that those of us living in Washington County will still be faced with only one option when in need of emergency care. Well, two, I suppose: go to a MSHA facility or drive to Kingsport, Bristol, or Greeneville. Or I guess we could just die instead (which is actually what my brother-in-law ordered my sister to allow, rather than take him to the Johnson City Medical Center).
While MSHA isn’t all bad – I had a wonderful experience at Sycamore Shoals in Elizabethton – their quality of care in Johnson City is unbelievably bad. That is why, I believe, they are so adamantly opposed to competition of any sort in Washington County – another hospital might just offer better care, thus costing MSHA precious dollars.
So, the Wellmont fight goes on while Washington Countians continue to spend 13 or so hours waiting for care at JCMCH’s emergency room.
March 26, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Don’t get caught off guard if Greeneville has a MSHA hospital soon. You can bet they desire Laughlin.
This is terrible news for Washington County. Besides the things I saw and heard while working for MSHA, I have some horror stories of MSHA care, especially in the ER. They had such a big mistake that it could have been fatal for my mother, but a couple of weeks ago I had to take my pregnant wife to the hospital. The Niswonger Hospital construction blocks the Women’s Center entrance (I cannot say a single bad thing about the Women’s Center). So, we had to enter at the ER. Well, even pregnancy does not get the ER in a hurry. We stood in the ER for 25+ minutes waiting on someone to transport my wife. I told them I could take her down there since no one had come. They said there was a liability issue (as if they don’t have plenty), and they said I couldn’t. Finally, a transporter showed up, had my wife walk, and ran off so fast my wife couldn’t keep up. Plus, I had to tell the transporter how to get to the Women’s Center.
March 26, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Wellmont is the symbol of mismanagement, especially in regard to finances. This sounds like good news to me, but I would welcome competition from a non-Wellmont system.
March 27, 2008 at 5:53 am
I’m not sure exactly how NOT having an ER is good for anyone………hmmmm…..”bringing loving care to health care”…..I’m now thoroughly confused. I guess the folks in Boone’s Creek area don’t have emergencies.
March 27, 2008 at 9:20 am
Mismanagement or not, there needs to be alternatives.
March 27, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I was a severe trauma patient a number of years ago. I went to Sycamore Shoals, where my husband was told I would probably would not survive. My chances were slim. My Dad and husband didn’t feel I was receiving the care that I should there, so they had me transported to Wellmont Holston Valley. When I was leaving Sycamore Shoals, the doctor at the ER told the nurse, a friend of my Mom’s, “there goes a dead girl”, yet I am alive and very well. The reason is the trauma team I had at Wellmont. I received very good treatment there and went there when I had my follow up surgery a year later. If needed, I will go back to Wellmont rather than JCMCH, where they really need to improve their quality of health care and their bedside manners.
March 27, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Did Matthew ever write a letter in support of Mountain State? Did Dale? Did Rusty? As a conservative I really appreciate competition in the market place. It’s shameful that the state is run by E. TN and we are sold out to special interest.
March 29, 2008 at 6:25 pm
‘Or I guess we could just die instead (which is actually what my brother-in-law ordered my sister to allow, rather than take him to the Johnson City Medical Center).’
Isn’t that a little too much?
March 31, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Please get a grip on the healthcare business. Wellmont has as much a monopoly in Bristolas your Mtn States has in Jc. Amazing how so many people will travel to shop, dine, go to events across the Tri-Cities region, from exit 7 in Bristol to Greeneville but ask them to travel 20 minutes for their healthcare? Both Wellmont and Mtn States have opportunities to improve. I know. I have worked at both but they have come a long way. II was somewhat upset when I realizd this ED Wellmont ssaid was needed, was never about need but Wellmont getting into Wash county. Are those of you in Boones Creek that simple minded?
It took me a while but I finally learned that competition in healthcare does not work like in retail or other industries. It actually increases costs, you can check that out on line in any cases. What we need is for the two systems to stop the fighting. That is costing millions which is then passed onto us! C’mon people, do a little reading and you will want them to stop the fighting, improve their healthcare. You think JCMC is a mess? Holston Valley has their issues too beyond the ED as does Bristol. No hospital is great so let’s push for the healthcare systems to fix their uniqe problems so we all get better healthcare. My system and Mtn States are both not-for-profits so the people running them, the boards running the leadership, they all mean well but this fighting is bad. For my part, I must say Wellmont seems to be the aggressor. I would bet Wellmont would be just as defensive if Mtn States were t try the same thing in Bristol. Like I said, I am in the trenches every day and we do mean well but until we stop wasting so much to fight and compete! We do compete which costs us all millions! You do have a choice. I can be in JC in 20 minutes to see a doctor, you can be in Bristol or Kingsport easily too. We cannot afford healthcare on every corner people so please, let’s work to stop the fighting and push for improved healthcare services.
April 1, 2008 at 11:26 am
Please get a grip on the healthcare business. Wellmont has as much a monopoly in Bristolas your Mtn States has in Jc. Amazing how so many people will travel to shop, dine, go to events across the Tri-Cities region, from exit 7 in Bristol to Greeneville but ask them to travel 20 minutes for their healthcare? Both Wellmont and Mtn States have opportunities to improve. I know. I have worked at both but they have come a long way. II was somewhat upset when I realizd this ED Wellmont ssaid was needed, was never about need but Wellmont getting into Wash county. Are those of you in Boones Creek that simple minded?
It took me a while but I finally learned that competition in healthcare does not work like in retail or other industries. It actually increases costs, you can check that out on line in any cases. What we need is for the two systems to stop the fighting. That is costing millions which is then passed onto us! C’mon people, do a little reading and you will want them to stop the fighting, improve their healthcare. You think JCMC is a mess? Holston Valley has their issues too beyond the ED as does Bristol. No hospital is great so let’s push for the healthcare systems to fix their uniqe problems so we all get better healthcare. My system and Mtn States are both not-for-profits so the people running them, the boards running the leadership, they all mean well but this fighting is bad. For my part, I must say Wellmont seems to be the aggressor. I would bet Wellmont would be just as defensive if Mtn States were t try the same thing in Bristol. Like I said, I am in the trenches every day and we do mean well but until we stop wasting so much to fight and compete! We do compete which costs us all millions! You do have a choice. I can be in JC in 20 minutes to see a doctor, you can be in Bristol or Kingsport easily too. We cannot afford healthcare on every corner people so please, let’s work to stop the fighting and push for improved healthcare services.
May 18, 2008 at 8:02 pm
One more thing as I was reviewing my comments on sites, you never mentioned the outcome in Nashville, the vote. We lost 7 to 0. NOTHING! I read the analysis in the Business Journal and learned why we lost… lemme see, our CEO (Salluzzo) said this was not a high growth area? Opps, that was one of the criteria was it not? Our marketing mailer was called misleading because we said trauma bays for the critically injured and in Nashville admitted that was a mistake. Opps. Our case was weak folks and got our teeth kicked in. Now we are trying to move to Erwin or abouts. Most wasted money as we try to compete in Washington County against JCMC. When will it stop??? Be careful believing in Wellmont marketing. We spend millions of dollars and sometimes, the stuff we say upsets us (employees) because it is not a lie, but not totally true either. Both systems have opportunties to improve and neither is the savior to healthcare.
June 19, 2008 at 12:46 am
Somehow i missed the point. Probably lost in translation
Anyway … nice blog to visit.
cheers, Hecuba.