University of Chicago Medical center CEO resigns

[ChairmanAgnostic]

Source: WBBM radio

Embattled CEO who tried to remove low profit and low income patients (sending them to other medical centers) resigned today. His profit maximization program angered patients, doctors, and local lawmakers.

I will update with links and other data.

UPDATE: Here is the Chicago Business story. Pretty ok, considering the journal. It does not really reflect how angry doctors and nurses AND patients were at this SOB. (a pathologist whose practice defined his people skills)

Read more: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=35130

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This is GREAT news. Creeping MBAism was attacking one of the best critical care hospitals in he midwest, while destroying access to the general public.

For example, let's say that Heart Tx was/is profitable, so it stays open. But, in comparison lung treatments, including transplants were not nearly as profitable. He would throw the ax at the lung section and fire everybody. (This is but an example)

The doctors rebelled, especially when famous, leading MDs were being canned simply to increase profits, while lowering the level of care for patients.

[aquart]

1. A pathologist? It figures.

It took seven years to get rid of him? Ye gods.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. He took out his bloody hatchet recently,

canning 450 people, while building a $700,000,000 new building.

Some friends of mine were canned. And MDs there are going crazy, not having sufficient support staff.

I did have rather complex surgery there, and my treater was one of the best in the nation. Even he was bitching.

[undeterred]

3. U of C Hospitals used to be ranked very highly

in the US News report but they aren't even on the honor roll this year.

http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/best-hospitals/2009/07/15/americas-best-hospitals-the-2009-2010-honor-roll.html

[kas125]

10. Two years ago they still had commercials on tv saying they

were rated in the top 12, so I chose to take my son there for surgery. His surgeon was rude, they'd given away his room over the weekend and we had to wait for hours and hours in the recovery room, and he got horrible care (when he got ANY) when he was finally in a room at the beautiful new Children's hospital across the street at 11:00 pm. He was never told how to order food (and they screamed at me when I asked), when I finally made him get up and shower, I had to hunt down someone to get a clean hospital gown because they never gave us clean linens. He unhooked himself from the monitor to take the shower and the thing was beeping like crazy. It beeped for thirty five minutes and nobody ever came to find out why the kid wasn't breathing and had no pulse. They sent two doctors in training around each morning who woke us up saying we have your discharge papers and you're going home. Three days in a row I argued with them and told them I wasn't moving that kid until I heard it from his REAL doctor because I didn't believe he was ready to go home, especially with a jp tube! Each time, I was right, he wasn't supposed to be released. I could go on all day; I have nothing good to say about the entire experience except that the doctor's receptionist is very kind and friendly. I wouldn't recommend that anyone go there.

[newtothegame]

4. It's his job. You're calling him an SOB, but how was he being evaluated. Profits, right?

He has a family to feed too. He needs to perform to keep his job. He doesn't pick the performance measures that he is graded on. Ignorant Assholes.

ed for sp

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. he cut numerous departments that provided the ONLY

access to that kind of care, simply to improve profits. He left 50-75,000 people without access to that care.

This is a TEACHING university, intended to provide service to all, AND to provide a broad learning experience for med students and residents. He tried to change that to simply become a speciality service (high profit) while dumping patients and preventing walk ins and ER cases from coming in.

[aquart]

20. Let me know why this is legal.

Because it actually shouldn't be.

[KT2000]

7. just following orders

as someone so wisely put it - the destruction of our society will be built upon everyone's need to keep their job. It is those cowardly decisions that allow people (sycophants) to carry our orders of destruction. We are all accountable for our actions. This guy is an SOB.

[undeterred]

11. He was evaluated on the financial perspective

but somewhere along the line he needed to balance that with the mission and values that the institution is supposed to reflect. If good doctors leave the institution and its public reputation declines, then you can't point to the balance sheets and say "but look at all the money we made". Its the job of someone in that position to do their best to satisfy both.

[Iowa]

12. Decent and honorable people don't do evil things for money... period.

You have made it quite clear that you have no problem with people who do. Not only that, you even denigrate those who would not do evil things for money as "ignorant assholes".

Fortunately, most people posting here are the polar opposite of you in almost every respect and will view your way of thinking with utter contempt. You appear to lack any sense of honor or conscience... a sociopath.

You would be ashamed of yourself if you possessed the ability to feel shame.

[newtothegame]

14. Hugs and kisses :) n/t

[Odin2005]

17. +1 "I was just doing my job" is the Nazi excuse.

[aquart]

21. Well done and to the point.

[ShamelessHussy]

13. Profiting from the sick is consider a crime to many people

and is actually against the law in some places.

I think that those who support such profit policies are "Ignorant Assholes".

[No Elephants]

28. He had a lot more power in he situation than did the patients. This was not about food money either.

[timtom]

30. ANY organization that puts "the bottom line"

as the bottom line is cooked. Finished.

It's only a matter of time.

Their business isn't business. It's providing top quality health care and all that implies.

I'm sure their organizational mission statement doesn't read "To focus on making a profit."

[MountainLaurel]

5. UC, now there's a surprise n/t

[hatrack]

8. So, when did he transfer from the Economics Department?

:puke:

[bbgrunt]

18. careful--I think you meant to say is when did he

transfer from the Management or Finance dept. All economists are not in love with the profit motive as a means of rewarding all human behavior.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

19. and he is a doctor, not an economist. BUT,

he is/was ultraconservative, and apparently has libertarian views, ala Ayn Rand. And followed the most conservative MBA plans imaginable.

[WriteDown]

36. Maybe if he was an MBA and not a money grubbing MD...

He'd know what he was doing. I'd suggest you see No Elephants post below to see what the great MD's are doing.

[aquart]

22. But the other ones are never heard from.

[WriteDown]

9. Maybe its creeping MDism and not creeping MBAism....

since the good Dr. was not an MBA

http://www.uchospitals.edu/physicians/james-madara.html

[Odin2005]

16. It's more the mindset associated with it than the actual degree, IMO

[aquart]

23. True. But the mindset is MBAism.

[WriteDown]

33. No, its not....

An MBA is not any guarantee of riches and the degrees vary widely. Many MBA's are just accountants. An MD or a Law degree on the other hand is generally pursued with dreams of riches, fast cars and trophy wives. I've noticed that whenever someone brings up MBA's, the people they are referring to don't generally even have the degree.

[WriteDown]

34. See post 33. nt

[Odin2005]

15. Healthcare should be a right, not a commodity. Fuck the MBAs!

[aquart]

24. Healthcare must be a sacred obligation of any responsible government.

Particularly ours which has that right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness so prominently featured in our business model.

[timtom]

31. I've seen you weigh in on this topic at least three times.

And you have been dead right in every case.

[WriteDown]

35. Once again, MD's, not MBA's. nt

[phillysuse]

25. I was a student at the University of Chicago in the late

60's and early 70's. The same tension existed then between the needs of the poor and poorly insured urban community and the needs of academic medicine. Unlike Northwestern there in the Gold oast, U of C did not attract a well insured white patient population. By their stellar recommendations, they attracted patients with good insurance to their clinical trials or physician superstars.
However, unlike Northwestern, they were heavily impacted by the primary care needs of a poor andoorly insured urban inner city community - diabetes, hypertension, stroke, gunshot wounds, stabbings, pelvic inflammatory disease, pregnant teenagers, IV drug users with hepatitis and endocarditis and overdoses. All expensive, all requiring a lot of medical resources and poorly if at all reimbursed.

Plus ca change c'est le meme chose.

And they are not alone - many many medical schools reside in inner cities and as such as overwhelmed with patients for whom the care is not reimbursed. Columbia, Yale, Hopkins, Emory, Wayne State, Rush Medical College, Temple, Penn, University of Maryland, Einstein - none of these are in wealthy neighborhoods - and all of them are vulnerable to state cutbacks in Medicaid and the cost of taking care of the uninsured.

[undeterred]

32. I was there in the 80's and 90's

and I remember when the hospital president (Ralph Muller) made the decision to close the hospital to level four trauma. Each trauma case was costing the hospital lots of money and they couldn't do enough cost shifting to cover it. They still kept the burn unit and other expensive units open.

Shortly after they made the decision one of their own surgeons was critically injured in a car accident on the Midway. The ambulance took him to Michael Reese Hospital (about 6 miles away) instead of to the University of Chicago ER, which was a half mile away. Decisions like this affect the University community as well.

[hedgehog]

26. Part of health care reform (as opposed to health insurance reform)

has to take into account the difference between a teaching hospital and a free standing day surgery clinic. Maybe we decide that simple surgeries go to the day surgery clinic and expect the costs for the teaching hospital to reflect the sicker patient load.

[Vidar]

27. Good riddance!

[No Elephants]

29. Doesn't look like much will change either. And the article involves the Obamas. I had a feeling

that would be part of it.

Layoffs, while building a $700 million dollar pavilion. Great.

And Stupid Sarah and the other Repugs talk about affordable medical insurance leading to rationing of medical care. I'll retire to Bedlam.

"Everett Vokes, chairman of the Department of Medicine, will serve as interim CEO and dean while U of C conducts a national search for a permanent leader, Mr. Zimmer’s memo says. Dr. Vokes, 54, became the Department of Medicine chairman in March after former Chairman Joe “Skip” Garcia stepped down, partly over a disagreement about the medical center’s evolving strategy, including plans to curb access to its emergency room, sources have said.

Dr. Madara also implemented a $100-million budget cut earlier this year that resulted in 450 layoffs, even though the medical center’s bottom line remained healthy, and put in motion plans for a new, $700-million hospital pavilion and other projects. . The move irritated some faculty who believe Dr. Madara was putting profits ahead of the medical center’s research and clinical missions

Mr. Zimmer said he’s confident Dr. Vokes would advance the priorities set by Dr. Madara, including the controversial Urban Health Initiative, a three-year-old initiative aimed at increasing the amount of highly specialized care the hospital delivers by partnering with other South Side medical providers to take more-routine cases.

The program, which began under Michelle Obama when the first lady was an executive vice-president at the medical center, now is run by Eric Whitaker, one of President Barack Obama’s best friends. It has drawn criticism from community groups and scrutiny from elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa."