Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Comments keep coming:
Asheville has such a fantastic healthcare community with top notch physicians and a hospital rated one of the best in the country. It is very disappointing that a few vocal physicians and a few unhappy employees are getting so much attention.
Truth is they are concerned that the groups who are being proactive and joining with the hospital to provide more coordinated and cost effective care will be at an advantage. And they are absolutely right………
Hats off to ACA and others who are negotiating with Mission. They are joining hundreds of other large and small practices across the county who are planning ahead to help protect and stabilize a practice they have worked so hard to build.
Mission has worked hard to provide the newest technology for the physicians to use in order to provide state of the art care. They have maintained excellent RN staffing. Patient outcomes at Misison are excellent due to top notch physicians, nurses and other members of the healthcare team.
There has to be a symbiotic relationship. Physicians and Mission are dependent on each other. We all need to keep focused on what’s best for the patients vs our individual wants and needs. Many of the comments have focused around Joe’s need to control but personally I think some of the dissatisfied physicians are worried they are losing control of their practices/market share because other groups are chosing to work with the hospital.
With the economy and changes in reimbursement it makes much more sense to work together. Mission is not the problem. Reimbursement tightening and uncertainty is. Kudos to the groups who recognize this and are willing to work proactively for a solution to benefit their practice, employees, the hospital and most importantly the patients.
Just to update this blog, Dr Mike Buechler returned after Joe Dumass was fired, Oh excuse me, I mean resigned! Horay
Dear All,
I would like to address the individual who posted the following comment: "It is very disappointing that a few vocal physicians and a few unhappy employees are getting so much attention". Let’s clarify this statement….
As a Mission employee for over 10 years I can tell you that it is far more than a "few" vocal physicans and a "few" unhappy employees who are upset about what has transpired in recent weeks with the resignation of Dr. Michael Buechler.
We are devastated and sorrowful at the loss of such a great asset to our hospital and to this community. I firmly believe (as does everyone that I have spoken to) that he is one of the best trauma surgeons not only in our state but in our country. Outcomes of trauma patients in our region have improved dramatically under his leadership (do some research for yourself and you will see…). He is not only extremely intelligent, but he is a good leader and compassionate and kind to his patients and the staff that he works with. He is an extremely hard worker and stands up for the underdog – qualities that we all love and appreciate about him.
I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Buechler, nor can I convey the tremendous sadness that we all feel with his resignation.
If you truly believe that only "few" people care about Mike Buechler – you are sorely mistaken. We love him dearly and it is a tragedy that he is gone.
Supporter of Mike and Mission Trauma
Have we heard what the outcome of Mission’s board inquiry (deadline Sept 15th) is? Many of us, not just hospital employees, would really like to know!
I would post this on Dr. Sig, but it would not be posted:
Many of the departments at St. Joseph/Mission, seem to have "caught the administrative virus", of undermining staff, backstabbling, wearing masks of greed and self-centeredness. Supervisors have no authority anymore, only to be run around the block by a group of nurses, etc. who will talk their way into taking control of an issue or other staff, by backstabbing their own. "They have decided" to take matters into their own hands and belittle and degrade other nurses, hoping they will retire or be asked to leave. I have seen this happen! Lies are told and stories are stretched, when they decide to take staff issues directly to middle and upper management. Supervisors just hang their heads, knowing what they say will not make a difference anymore. I have personally heard the gossiping and belittling of other nurses/staff, in their attempt to degrade another staff member. It is contagious and is a "trickling down effect" of the lack of respect from administration for quality nurses, compassionate supervisors and a lack of dedicated concern for patient rights. I am not sure why the directors of these units, do not see that the people that really need to be asked to leave/replaced, are the "nurse cliques"/troublemakers that think the best way to run a unit is their way, ignoring their supervisor and forgetting why they are really at St. JosephMission, to care for the patients and their individualized needs. They spend more time worrying about if another nurse is doing their job, than doing their own job and putting the patient first. If nurses are selfish and greedy with other nurses, you can bet they are delivering the same quality of care to their patients. I have heard these gossiping nurses talk to patients about another patient, talk about patients in front of visitors, yet they put on their "professional faces" and are considered the leaders on their units. What happened to quality, caring, self-sacrificing nurses…..the environment at St.Joesph/Mission is very negative and competitive among nurses and I am not sure why. Why?…because they can. Administration doesn’t care, so why does anyone else have to? We are going to continue to lose more good staff because of this contagious attitude. Don’t get me wrong! YES, there are very many good, caring, dedicated, kind nurses at St. Joseph/Mission, but it won’t be long until they have had enough of the negative hospital/negative staff behavior before they leave also. I myself have just about had enough. HR seems to be on robot mode these days and are not effective in working with employee concerns, probably due to being told what to do, say, etc. by Maria. Where have the days of compassion gone? The strategic dollar wins out every time. Good for you JD, you have succeeded in building your newest endeavor and defeating the morale of the people St. Joseph/Mission employs.
Genuinely good people are getting harder and harder to find these days. And you are asking some of the best to leave.
Guess what a great nurse friend of mine got? She got the Royal Golden Shaft from the THE GREAT ROYAL FIVE. G. Vella
Whatever happened to any press coverage? Has anyone seen anything other than Cohen’s cartoon?
Let’s just say if anyone every cleans out from under that rug some interesting things would come to light. Maybe BA can share his story with everyone else as he did with our division about how he fired an employee at one of his former organizations because she complained to him. Great environment to work in.
I too believe the rug has been lifted and the broom taken out of the closet. However, I believe the action will be to sweep the mismanagement, failure to keep patient care as a primary objective, failure to cooperate with physicians, and general ill treatment of employees under the rug. Does anyone really believe the board had no idea about the direction Joe Damore was following or that the board ever objected? I hope I’m wrong but I expect Damore, et al will be patted on the head and told what a fine job they are doing.
More Dismayed Than Ever
,,,and speaking of Sparrow, has anyone checked out the increase in death rates at Sparrow during the last few years JD was there….after he had done to that hospital what he is in the process of doing to Missions…or why there was nothing in the paper in Lansing about his leaving the hospital to come here?
It’s all about patient care…and that starts with skilled physicians and (particularly ) nurses and good moral. We’re losing the physicians and nurses, and the moral is two points below plant life. Hello Board. Are you listening?. Deaths in hospitals bring lawsuits and lots of publicity.
What happened to the "Blue Ribbon Panel" and their report???
It appears that the rug has been lifted and the broom is on the horizon. I hope that the board responds as they promised!
It will not be long now before patient care starts to slip despite the heroic efforts of the staff and dedicated physicians.
Patient care has already slipped and has been slipping for at least the last 5 years. As a pt with a chronic illness and dozens and dozens of admissions, I can tell you care has gotten really bad and its because the morale is so bad. Get a nurse who will "talk" and they will spill their guts as to how bad the place is!
More mistakes made than you can shake a stick at. It has gotten very scary there and I for one and trying to figure out if I would be best served out at Park Ridge and how to do that seeing my doc only goes to Mission!
In response to "Another doctor"…I totally agree. Consultants and "Head Hunters" have the word that Mission is NOT the place to land if you care about patients and excellence. While the remaining staff and physicians continue to do an excellent job DESPITE JD and his team, how much longer is it going to take before they too begin to lose hope?
The Board did NOT check Joe Damore’s history at Sparrow before hiring him – WHY NOT? Because he promised them the insurance model – something else to control and line pockets with monies. Joe Damore has a very dysfunctional relationship within the Board comprised of an inner circle who support him, while the other members who should have been kept equally informed are kept in the dark. Hopefully they are now beginning to see the light.
Just the little surface scratch I was able to do by asking questions at Sparrow about JD presented a frightening picture. Some physicians and other community leaderswho had worked in that area before also checked JD’s background and advised that JD would not fit out culture had their advice ignored.
I challenge anyone out there to contact ANY physician suffering through JD’s tenure to give them a call and see what they have to say. Then ask yourself who should be held responsible for the devastation that has been done by the team brought in by Joe (Brian Aston, Frank Ford et al).
It still infuriates me that a hospital I know and love has had to suffer under this egotistical, self serving management team. Morale is destroyed; the regional facilities who once had faith in Mission (enough that we had 17 affiliations) no longer trust us and are looking to partner elsewhere; there is talk of a Union which was never needed before. It will not be long now before patient care starts to slip despite the heroic efforts of the staff and dedicated physicians. Oh, and least I forget WE HAVE LOST THE BEST TRAUMA SURGEON IN THE NATION – He built Mission’s benchmarked Trauma Program. Why was Dr. Buechler driven to resign; he LOVED Mission Hospital. Part of the reason is the harrassment and threats he received from Joe Damore and Brian Aston – I have some of those emails where Brian Aston suggested Dr. Mike and his group could take a cut in pay if they wanted to hire a 6th trauma surgeon or better yet he would replace them with general surgeons or pulmonologists – we would lose our trauma certification.
Now that Dr. Mike has resigned leading to thephyscians becoming upset they are trying to appease the docs with the promise of hiring three trauma surgeons – Dr. Mike worked for three years just asking for ONE more trauma surgeon…same numbers, same case load – could not get one, now they have been promised three.
Sorry, I got carried away, but these are the facts folks…check ithem ALL out.
Physicians and staff – thank you for working under the most despicable condiitons I can imagine. I am so sorry….. I hope the physicians hold the Board responsible for at the least poor judgement and at worst greed.
Anonn
one who puts patients first:
1. doctors are not panicking
2. Mayo clinic is an excellent example of doctors and administration working together to provide excellent care
3. doctors don’t nec. want control, they mostly don’t want to BE controlled
4. if Mission doesn’t change their present admin., I predict that this community will no longer be able to attract ‘top notch physicians’
and dear ‘nurse who cares’
to have a ‘fantastic healthcare community’ without ‘top notch physicians’
the best of the best want and are able to go to places where they can thrive and create excellence. this is not that place anymore…
If you think that the doctors are the only unhappy people at Mission try talking to some of the middle management people. Not only are they being smashed to death with work, they also get the blame for everything from unsatisfied patients, unsatisfied staff, unsatisfied doctors, unsatisfied administration. They are the champions. They know more than people give them credit for. They are nurses, pharmacists, physical therapist, social workers. They are the people who care and they are the ones that are being hurt the most. They do not make $800,000 year or even $80,000 a year. They are the most dedicated to the work. They are all about the patients. This is something that I am finding is not in these recent blogs. Please get a grip and come around to understand that the primary purpose here is to serve the very ill. When you can get this one basic thing, you will stop this damaging, painful process you are in. Dr. MB is not coming back. Doctors are panicking because overall and in all of the country they will not be in control. Whether we like it or not, our times are changing. There is a shift taking place. When the MDs are put in charge of the fiscal responsibilities of the hospital then they can have more control.
And there in lies the truth, control…who is in control…is it the MDs, the admins. the patients, or on a broader stage: is it the insurance company, the government, the doctor, the pharmaceutical companies, the supply companies or is it you?
I wonder if it will take months and months to let employees know the results of the board inquiry, which is due Sept 15. If you compare this investigation to how long it’s taken our useless HR department to "roll out" the results of the employee satisfaction survey.. don’t hold your breath. That had to hire an outside firm to interpret it and put a good spin on it. What a joke! HR is a joke! Admin lacks every bit of what Mission’s core measures say we stand for.. MERIT.. as long as Brian Aston is sitting in his office, along with a few others that he hired in sitting not too far from him – not to mention Maria Roloff….our staff morale will continue to dive.. physicians will be unhappy … nurses will continue to look into unions… and on and on..
The reason we have great doctors and RN’s and on down,is because we haven’t had someone or people pushing us around.I know that Dr.MB has taken from alot from administration.NTICU has lost last count 30 experinced RN in the past 2to 3 years.We had travlers for the first time in 12 years.This is unheard of,so we COMMEND Dr.MB for standing up for what he believes in.If you wont to be that great 100 Hospital hire enough Dr.’s to pass around the wheel and give your staff more money.Joe can take a CUT!!! These things are what make a top 100 Hospital not our LOOKS!!!
here we go again:
I believe the original post is just more subterfuge from the hospital administration. if it is just a ‘few’ doctors that are unhappy, why don’t you survey the physicians in the community that work with the administration? Or would you supress that information just like you have not released the results of the employee survey? I believe I read that over 100 physicians signed a letter of ‘no confidence’ in Joe Damore to the board. Last I looked, 100 is more than a ‘few.’
I’m not sure if Ashvegas readers know that this website is blocked at MH. They’re trying to say all blogs are blocked but I know for a fact that is not true.
speaking of subterfuge, how much of a coincidence is it that there is talk of raises is all of a sudden for MH hospital employees? I can’t help but think that this is just a distraction to quiet the masses so that JD can make it through this time of turmoil. once this is over, I wonder how many raises will happen? or will they continue to find ways to force out those with experience that cost too much and hire those without experience for less?
btw, I heard a rumor that while the employees were being asked to accept no raises at the beginning of 2009, JD got a raise for saving the hospital money. I don’t know if this is true but if anyone knows, I"d be interested.
bottom line: the employees at MH don’t trust JD and neither do the administrators at the surrounding hospitals. Haywood is just the beginning of Mission hospital becoming isolated because of Joe Damore’s leadership. Wait and see where Transylvania hospital affiliates.
Mission board members, are you paying attention or just going through the motions?
Do you feel a sense of obligation to keep Mission as a center of excellence? Do you think you can continue to attract the best and the brightest nurses and doctors with Joe Damore as CEO?
The fact that a major,respected practice has "sold out" to JD and Associates is very disturbing.Who is next to fall in this scheme?Asheville GI,Mountain Spine & Neurosurgery,Blue Ridge Bone and Joint,or many of the small successful practices?The "Board" continues to say they are not interested in snapping up practices but until recently when the community found out what is really going on the "Board" has been a "Grin and nod" board given information the administration wants it to hear.The "Blue Ribbon Panel" led by a nice guy who is bright is probably going to come up with a finding that things could be better and we will make it so but we cant change administrators in the middle of all these health care issues.When a large health care system is cut off from surrounding counties referrals maybe we can get away with a smaller Board and a less than $800,000/yr administrator.Maybe changing in the middle of the stream isnt a good idea but what if the stream dries up,then what?
Successful health care providers have long figured out how to survive the constantly changing reimbursement changes without compromising their "mission statement". Remember when DRG’S and The Balanced Budget came into being. Effective administraitions were proactive in determining a business plan to maintain their quality standards without compromising the well being of their employees and their patients and yet continue to survive as a business. We have not seen this from JD’s administration. We have seen an administration that is compromising it’s values to profit without regard to "the little people", the employees and patient’s that we are committed to serve. Please do not listen to the hype and spin of JD’s people. Do not be manipulated by the misinformation you are being given. There is a way to survive the "Managed Care Environment" without giving in to the manipulative administration we currently have at Mission. JD is capitalizing on the fear in the community that we will suffer the same woes as poorly run health care organizations elsewhere in the country who had difficulty surviving DRG’S. Mission has not historically been a "knee jerk organization" in response to reimbursement changes. This is not the time to begin nor is it a time to give into "mob mentality management"
To Asheville Cardiology, you do not have to give into JD’s intimidation and carefully worded manipulation. You have been a well respected practice in this area for years, you have no competition. You Will loose all control in decision making, your quality of care Will be compromised and your patients and ethical standards will suffer. Financially you will not be better off. Managed care does not have to prevail in this situation. Your administration must listen to those of you who have valid concerns and at least delay the final decision until a thorough investigation into this situation has been conducted. Consider his from a moral and ethical standpoint, your practice can and will survive without JD.
A nurse who cares.
Soundds like it was writtem by the MissionPR department !
A well thought out piece of work,sounds good on the surface and has many good points until it is dissected.Agreed MMH and the medical community need to work together as the have over the decades to create a great health care system.However the behind the scenes backstabbing,firing experienced nurses for cheaper models,awful morale,losing "market share" to Carolinas because of other systems not being able to trust JD and the administration.Forcing out the head of the excellent trauma surgery division,treating a well trained replacement so badly that he wrote a letter to the chair of the "Board" which was not until recently distributed are all symptoms of a disturbing trend that is unique to this administration.There are changing "pains" in medical care all over the country and that is normal–this mess is different.