It was indeed an excellent article.

Bob,

Interesting ideas and valid strategies but where have all of these results been  published and are they reproducible? It is also a great plug for computerization, but with blogosphere reports and the recent questions about the HIT industry's practices asked by Senator Grassley, including a letter to 3M, are the results reliable?

On the skeptical side, I regret to point out that my enthusiasm for IHC’s mission, its integrity, and its medical care “results” has been tempered  upon seeing the video of Harvard Law Professor and Obama appointee TARP Overseer reporting: in 2003, 3,000 families with catastrophic health events were forced into bankruptcy by the aggressive debt collection by this  same “not for profit” medical care trendsetter and health policy lobbyist:

http://www.sybervision.com/sadbully/sadprivate/ewarren.htm

And in the NY Times report:

“Intermountain previously had negotiated a price reduction from the manufacturer that saved thousands of dollars on each device. But the hospital was still charging patients the old price, and the insurers, including Medicare, were still paying…. The finance executive replied, apologetically, that changing the reimbursement rate would cost Intermountain millions of dollars and that there did not seem to be any way to make up for the loss. The meeting then moved on to another topic.”

Best regards,

Menoalittle

Not to take anything away from his results:

He may get better results but doesn't this feel like more and more marginalization. yes, the results are good, and more patients are safer, healthier, less morbidity, less mortality blah blah blah...in the end...more paperwrok (I'm sure).

Am I the only one thinking this is making my job so much more BORING than I ever wanted it to be.

sorry to bitch

Josef Chemtob

Menoalittle,

I am so happy to read that not every national media organization is buying the IHC model of greatness. Were they on the leading edge of the patient safety movement and standardization before most even considered it? Absolutely. Do they have great processes that my organization should emulate? Definitely. But, their quality staff is expressly forbidden to share with those outside of their organization. All of their policies are copywritten. My organization willingly shares policies and processes with anyone who asks.

I would send anyone I know to their flagship hospital and would feel safe if I had to receive care there myself. However, I could never work for them because of their business practices. They almost lost their non-profit status because of their billing and collection practices. And I know from experience that if they can get away with sending patients who "flunk the wallet biopsy" to another organization, they will do so.