Possible buyer for struggling Monroe Hospital a controversial firm
By Dann Denny, Herald-Times, Bloomington, Ind. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Last week, hospital workers, union representatives and elected officials protested against
Protesters are saying the for-profit company, which owns or operates 28 hospitals in eight states, including 14 in
A
"
She cited the
In
But a block of the sale by
"The legal jurisdiction of state AG offices varies a great deal from state to state," she said. "Under
A 2007 LA Times story asserted that the policies of
"
"The union's leadership has demanded that
"
Prime sued the
Barrera said that rather than decreasing or eliminating services, Prime often expands service lines and improves services through more efficient staffing models and the purchase of cutting-edge equipment. He said three Prime hospitals have acquired
Barrera said
"The key thing to look for is whether there have been any fines from the federal government," he said. "While there have been a lot of accusations about
Turning hospitals around
"A majority of the hospitals
According to numerous media reports, when Prime acquires a hospital, it typically installs medical directors to focus on quality of care, implements staff-training programs and tries to raise the hospital's standards to a level that's on par with its other hospitals. As a result, Prime has earned a number of quality awards from various organizations.
"Prime has developed an effective business model that emphasizes a physician-led flat management structure, significant capital investments to acquire cutting-edge medical technology and the use of evidence-based clinical protocols to improve patient care and clinical outcomes," Barrera said in his email. "Through these strategies, Prime has become an award-winning healthcare system."
In the past six years, including 2013,
But in February,
Billing issues
For several years,
More recently, a
"We've seen what happens when
A
The Union-Tribune article says
Criscitiello said
"It wasn't just kwashiorkor," she said. "If you add up all the disorders
In 2011, California Watch said at least nine former Prime employees said the company's owner, Dr.
Barrera said there are many patients in
"Many of our patients may have serious conditions or multiple conditions because our hospitals are all acute-care facilities, and many are in locations where primary doctors are in short supply and/or are in rural areas," Barrera said. "Given the characteristics of our patient population, our medical staffs have tried to stay in the forefront of effective and efficient treatment. We have adopted clinical protocols for the early detection and treatment of diseases that are more often found in our patient population -- such as septicemia and malnutrition rates. And there has been increasing focus on the need to increase the diagnoses of these conditions to ensure prompt and effective treatment, and therefore improve outcomes and care."
Barrera said
"All have concluded that we routinely follow state and federal guidelines, and found no substantive evidence supporting the allegations," he said. "We are confident any review will arrive at the same result and that we will continue to follow our mission -- 'Saving Hospitals, Saving Jobs, Saving Lives.'"
Patient confidentiality
A
The LA Times also reported that the
"In reaching the agreement,
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