Dallas hospital epidemiologist on Ebola: "We were well prepared to deal with this crisis."

[pnwmom]

If this is "well prepared," I hate to think how other hospitals might have handled this.

http://www.610kvnu.com/health/f36eb0f793b2b9592e4a83cd708632a4

In a news conference Tuesday, Edward Goodman, the hospital's epidemiologist, said there was a plan in place for suspected Ebola cases.

"Ironically enough in the week before this patient presented, we had a meeting of all the stakeholders that might be involved in the care of such patients. And because of that, we were well prepared to deal with this crisis," he said.

But if that was the case, Besser questioned why this patient was sent home with a course of antibiotics instead of being admitted and isolated.

"A person with fever and diarrhea who has recently returned from Liberia should be considered to be a suspect Ebola patient and immediately isolated. To not do so is a breach of protocol," Besser said.

[Kelvin Mace]

1. How about meeting with your staff

instead of these "stakeholders"? Are you running a hospital or a hedge fund?

[irisblue]

3. "stakeholder" =corporate speak

I have heard that in staff meetings. The management is trying to make staff feel 'included', mostly/manyof the staff feels like corporate speak is BS.

[Kelvin Mace]

6. Agreed

Keep treating your people as "stakeholders" and the result is "negative patient care outcome".

[tammywammy]

4. The staff/hospital personnel is a stakeholder.

[Kelvin Mace]

5. I am aware

they can also be called resources, corporate assets, and other nonsense words which demeans their humanity.

If I am in the hospital, I want to be treated by doctors and nurses, not "stakeholders".

[FarPoint]

7. Well said!

Apparently the staff never got the memo either...I love the hedge fund comparison...perfect.

[Trillo]

9. I guess lots of folks are thinking similar things.

Even hospital staff is corporate and if insurance companies reps weren't included as "stakeholders", the employees that work daily with submitting claims would have a good handle on what the insurance companies would likely approve, the corporate hospital itself is probably always trying to minimize costs, as they have "competitors" in other medical centers or hospitals.

[irisblue]

2. epidemologist might be ready, but...

some more training to the issue seems to be needed for any med students/interns/residents/attending physicians, all the radiology staff (I would get coughs into my face all the time) seems needed. Things get busy, but someone in the ER, dropped the ball. They just happened to get nationally busted.

[Trillo]

8. Are insurance companies stakeholders?

$$$$$$$$$

I bet the physicians are under lots of pressure to not admit if they don't have to. Isn't that what insurance is all about, minimizing costs? So policy says one thing, but I bet if you're a physician and you admit someone to the hospital who has some sniffles, and run up some big charges, pretty soon the insurance companies are not going to be happy, unless some presumably large percentage of those cases were something more than a common cold or flu.

Okay, I just reread what he wrote, "Goodman" (hahaha) is reported to have said, "we had a meeting of all the stakeholders", okay, code words?

[LisaL]

10. Is that why hospital send him home the first time he showed up?