It seems to me that PRMC has robbed the healthcare system from years. According to Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, PRMC has had a decrease in inpatient funds while their outpatient funds have steadily increased.
It seems to me that they were habitually admitting patients that didn't need inpatient hospital care. Those patients who were billed for inpatient care could have most certainly received outpatient care.
The new healthcare laws prohibits hospitals like PRMC from gouging the healthcare system's seeming never ending source of American taxpayer money. Up until now PRMC was able to admit patients for unwarranted reasons and rake in the money to essentially line the pockets of their executive staff.
Rest assured, if you have a "worthy" reason for hospital admission, you will be admitted, but now, if you were admitted previously for an inessential reason, you will be sent home to tend to your needs while receiving outpatient care (as it should have always been).
It's taken the burden off of the American taxpayer. I am thankful of the new healthcare laws. I am thankful that greedy hospital CEO's, like Peggy, can no longer rob my paycheck to line her pockets and pad her off shore bank accounts by providing fraudulent "health care". Respectfully,
PROUD Democrat
OBAMAcares
The new healthcare laws are a joke... I guess you were not one of the employees who were let go so you do not see it from that point of view.. Get real!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't have said it better myself!
ReplyDeleteHospital's (like PRMC) would fudge the books so they could admit patients who should have been sent home.
Who got stuck with the bill?? WE DID!!!!
Did you know that if a patient acquired an infection while in the hospital that the hospital would bill insurance companies to treat that infection. NOW, under the new law, if YOU are a PATIENT and the HOSPITAL's care and so FILTHY that you acquire an infection (i.e.: MRSA, VRE, C-Diff, or a catheter related UTI) the hospital MUST EAT THAT COST!
Do you know what PRMC is doing now? They are going all out to make sure they don't infect their patients.
It's smart.
Make hospitals responsible for the care they provide. When they mess up, make them EAT IT!
Obama don't care
ReplyDeletePerfectly stated.
ReplyDeleteWhen you stop duplicating services you'll eliminate a number of jobs. PRMC is running out of loopholes that allowed them to steal from Medicare.
Fire Peggy! NOW!!
ReplyDeleteYou know my favorite part of the new law?
ReplyDeleteHospitals will get reimbursed based on their customer satisfaction numbers.
A hospital must achieve and maintain patient satisfaction for them to receive a higher percentage of reimbursement.
If you are admitted to the hospital and the care you receive is really bad, you can rest assured that the patient satisfaction survey you fill out will determine the amount the hospital will reimburse.
It's great for patient care. Hospitals will now strive to satisfy their patients instead of warehousing them until their insurance runs out.
I have a couple of bridges I'd like to sell to this guy.
ReplyDeleteI AM A PRMC RN, I HAD TO ADMIT SO MANY PATIENTS THAT NEVER REQUIRED BEING ADMITTED. I ASKED MARY BETH, WHY!? SHE SAID, WITH A SMILE: "MUST HAVE GOOD INSURANCE!"
ReplyDeleteFRAUD!!
I agree with this person!
ReplyDeletePRMC is out of ways to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance companies.
Now that they can't bill for unessential/not medically indicated services, they are cutting staff.
An excellent concept, but impossible to implement. Just "sound good" sugar coating to hide the biggest tax bill in the history of any country.
ReplyDeleteIf you worked at PRMC and you have lost your job... blame Peggy and her guidelines and policies.
ReplyDeleteTreat and bill everything and see what sticks to the wall. You can't do that anymore, Peggy.
I see all the MBA's and health care professionals are chipping in on this issue.
ReplyDeleteof course the employees benefited from the fraud too
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something here? Wouldn't you think after sending 130 early retirement packages out, that they would see how many of those are going to take it and THEN place those that are on the "LAY OFF" list in those positions first and then figure how many more they needed to lay off? Just seems ass backwards to me! But who am I to try to make sense out of a mess that a so called "Dr" decided. It really seems her education didn't help her much.
ReplyDeleteGreat letter. I can see clearly now. Stop the waste,fraud and abuse. The Affordable Health Care Act does just that.
ReplyDeleteIt truly amazes me that all the articles and comments that have been on these blogs that I am quite sure the Board as well as administration has seen, and they still have not gotten rid of her yet! Sorry but if I were any one of them on the board or Peggy, I could not hold my head up and look at anyone knowing what the staff and the community thinks of you! You are all a disgrace and everyone of you should quit immediately! You are all greedy and heartless. Those dedicated employees deserved better than you are giving them. If there had to be layoff's so be it but you could have given them a little notice to find another job. Shame on you all!!!
ReplyDeleteWell said!!!!!
Delete@9:28...yep and it also limits YOUR care and lets you pay for the health care of those that refuse to work. I prefer to work, pay for my health care and not support the freeloaders myself!!!
ReplyDeleteJoe can you post a list of all the different jobs and titles that have been laid off
ReplyDelete8:53 A.M. I just received a satisfaction questionnaire on PRMC from the National Research Corporation. Is this the agency you are talking about? The address is Lincoln NE. ?????
ReplyDeleteREALLY would like to know!!!!
That is really the corporation that processes the satisfaction surveys.....
DeleteAs of this morning there are 5 positions for hire @ PRMC posted online - Can anyone explain?
ReplyDeleteObviously too many people can not see the forest because the trees are in the way.
ReplyDeleteGovernment subsidy has caused the problem to start with. It has ushered in the ability for fraud in medicare and medicaid.
Get Government out of healthcare and out of our private lives.
I'm all for eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in government but Obamacare if full of it. If you don't think you will be paying more and getting less care, just wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there was such a thing as a PROUD Democrat
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way...a PROUD Democrat, proud of what?
DeleteWhat an utter fool!
ReplyDeleteIt's obamacare plain and simple. No if's and's or but's about it and the across the board cuts to Medicare.
Hospitals across the nation are laying off and closing units as are nursing homes, rehab centers and hospice.
Explain that?
You people are so naïve! Demcratic policies never ever work.
If they did the inner cities who have been governed by democrats for generations would be highly desirable communities.
I take it back. You all aren't naïve-you are stupid! Incapable of seeing the forest through the trees!
This is a crock. Insurance/Medicare auditors are all over hospitals going over patient files looking for abuse, waste and fraud.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that democrats such as this one are pathological liars?
Either pathological liars or grossly uninformed.
Ha Respectfully, "Proud Democrat" when did you have successful lobotomy performed?
ReplyDeleteAnyone who believes this lives under a rock and needs to get out and see how it works in the real world. Medicare abuses are not common in hospitals. It's individual providers and medical suppliers that are the culprits. Or a recent high profile case where Armenians set up fake clinics and billed Medicare over 35 million.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has ever been or has had someone in a specialized critical care unit could see the insurance/Medicare auditors set up at folding tables going over files to make sure no abuse was occurring.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it-Democrats aren't exactly rocket scientists. They have to pass bills before they read them (Pelosi), you got one who as the top state dept officials doesn't see the necessity to read the cables of the top official in the most volatile country in the world at the time (Clinton.) You got the crude vulgar family in the white house concerned more about "shaking their grooved thing' than offering condolences to those murdered at the shipyard and surround themselves with so called musicians who sell kids crap in the form of glorifying gangster and violent lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteC'mon guys. This letter was a set-up to get the discussion going.
ReplyDeleteThere are no proud democrats anymore.
I know. I use to be one.
8:53. Great for patient care? Really???? Morale is at an all time low around this place. I don't give a crap about their reimbursement at this point.
ReplyDeleteAs long as we as a country have a "for profit" healthcare system we will all suffer. No other country has it but us!
ReplyDeleteFIRE PEGGY AND THE OTHER EXECS THAT CARE NOT FOR OUT PATIENTS
ReplyDeleteEXPENSIVE LUNCHES AND TRIPS ARE NOT IN THE ORDER OF DOING BUSINESS
YOU ALL KNOW WHO YOU ARE
A STRATEGIC PLAN WOULD HAVE PREDICTED THAT THIS WAS COMING, AND THE 'SEPARATION OF ITS EMPLOYEES' SPEAKS VOLUMES TO MISMANAGED RESOURCES, JUST SO THE EXEC STAFF CAN GO ON EXPENISVE TRIPS AND HOTEL STAYS WITH LUXURIOUS DINNERS AND ENTERTAINMENT BILLS
I want someone to tell me one damn thing that the Federal Govt. got it's hands on and is a success. Social Security, (broke) Amtrack, (broke) United States Postal Service, (broke) Medicare, (unfunded)Solandra, Govt. Motors, and on and on and on. They have no clue as to how to run anything successfully including all the fruad in the welfare system. Even this idiot of a so called President never even had a job so how the hell does he know anything about a bottom line. The Afforable Care act is a total disaster and even the Unions are now asking to walk it back and the members are getting out. You really need to know what is truly going on with the economy and if it keeps up we will wind up like the Roman Empire. We simply cannot keep giving every thing away as it is destroying our culture as the work ethnic disappears. Enough said, wake up and be objective and forget about party affiliation.
ReplyDelete1:32.....can you be more specific? That's some pretty broad accusations! I believe you but maybe the community needs to know specifics.
ReplyDeleteI use to be a democrat but let me tell you I am not any longer. I can't stand anything those idiots do or say. They are following party lines instead o f using their heads! He is ruining our great country and what it stands for. And Naleppa is doing the same thing to this hospital. Pray that she and her shadow Cindy will be so shamed by thier incompetent actions that she disappears.... and hope this hospital can survive and make a come back. This community does not want you here CAN YOU HEAR US NOW?????
ReplyDelete1:32. Don't forget to mention they are the only staff in the organization that is allowed to have Splenda ;). The rest of us are not worthy!!!!
ReplyDeleteAm I confused?? A "decrease in inpatient funds, an increase in outpatient funds" does not lead to the writer's "It seems to me..." conclusion. Somebody's thought processes are short-circuited.
ReplyDeleteSo proud a Democrat... they don't sign the letter!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly!
DeleteYes, this "proud democrat" is either intentionally lying or is grossly uninformed and blindly falling for the propaganda.
ReplyDeleteHospitals and other healthcare agencies are laying off across the country due to the loss of revenue projected because of Medicare cuts due to obamacare.
The fact is Proud Democrat, obamacare stipulates a gradual reduction in the rate of growth of payments (reimbursements) to providers, hospitals, etc.
Now go and educate yourself, though I have a feeling that you are intentionally lying otherwise you would have signed your name.
It's a huge problem with you democrats-lies roll off your tongues so easily.
Wow talk about a conspiracy theorist. If anything the Proud Democrat were even remotely true, it would have to involved many people and would then be called a conspiracy. Included would be the CMS, the fed government agency that does audits for Medicare and Medicaid and the auditors from private insurance companies.
ReplyDeleteIt's just not possible and defies common sense to believe a word of what they claim.
Most of these posts are completely full of crap.. Peggy probably not a great manager but she is in an impossible situation. Everyone remember back during the election, Romney said Obamacare cuts medicare by 700 billion. Well here we are. Hospitals all over the nation are doing the same downsizing. As for Peggy's salary, I think it is way to high but there are two considerations. She is the lowest paid among hospitals serving like sized communities. Additionally, if we don't pay a decent salary, we not have talented managers be interested in job. Now with that being said, she may not be the right person for the job but that is for the board of directors to decide. I was told yesterday that if these cuts aren't made, after January 1 the hospital will lose 4 million dollars a month. How long do you think the hospital can stay open with that level of loss? Finally all you proud democrats will regret your support of this president soon. You think that this cuts out fraud and waste..Hey you should take that act on the road. Eventually it will affect you directly and you will be crying foul. Most Obama supporters need a cranial rectal extraction.
ReplyDeleteYou may be a Proud Democrat but you are also a totally uniformed one. Maryland was the ONLY STATE IN THE COUNTRY that locked in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates by the Federal Government, it was a bill passed in 1971 by another Proud democrat, Marvin Mandel. Rates were set for hospital reimbursement and were generally higher than states that negotiated for reimbursement. Mayland has been the SOLE STATE in the country to have set rates for Hospital reimbursement UNTIL OBAMACARE. Get it proud Democrat? It is 100% completely BECAUSE of Obamacare that the Maryland Hospital system of reimbursement is changing. So toyou and your other delusional Democrats--you will NOT have access to doctors and treatment like you have now. PERIOD. No matter what you like to believe, SOMEONE has to provide you with treatment and those someones (doctors nurses) are getting very scarce--especially quality ones. If there is NO financial incentive to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and 13 years in Med school who the heck do you think is going to do it?
ReplyDeleteObamacare clearly stipulates $716 billion in Medicare cuts. Romney was just repeating what's in the bill. The bill also stipulates that these Medicare cuts will be the source for 1/3 of the bill's funding. It goes on to breakdown where the cuts will be.
ReplyDelete34.8% will be from a cut in hospital reimbursement rates. Note--- "rates" and not this so called abuse, fraud and waste crap.
30.2% will come from cuts in Medicare Advangage payments
and
35% will come from "everything else" which includes Medicare cuts to home health agencies, hospices, etc.
People wake up the individual that started this thread was correct. "Obamacare" as you call it has not been implemented as of yet. Please read and verify in stead of jumping on the bandwagon and blaming this on Obama. And remember that congress and the senate voted for these proposed changes. Therefore blame them also. I don't believe in "party lines" I vote for the individual(s).
ReplyDeleteTo 4:48 PM
ReplyDeleteObamacare was passed solely by the Democrats in the House and Senate; they own it lock, stock & barrel.
It will tax the healthy young long before they have needs (on average) for coverage.
It will gut a good chunk of Medicare and ensure more elderly folks can't get care, and consequently die sooner so their Social Security checks can stop and they can stop costing Medicare.
It's not an accident; it's a silent feature of the plan. Bear in mind this was passed by a party that moves in zombie-like lockstep to approve, endorse and encourage killing unborn children who are not costing the system (except for the cost of the procedure that kills them).
What makes you think old codgers who are actually costing money via Social Security and Medicare would be exempt from their approach to culling the herd?
First they came for.....
Joe this is a story you may want to do as a post or follow up on. This week the gentleman in charge of grounds keeping lost his job at PRMC, today when I was leaving work there were two spanish speaking guys working on the grass. The reason i know this is they were speaking spanish to each other. It is bad enough that hard working americans are losing their jobs but to be replaced by people that don't even speak our langage is disheartning much less who may even not be in our country legal
ReplyDeletebottom line. NO Republican voted for obamacare. it was shoved down our throats by the democrats and NO one read the bill before it was passed. the bill sucks. it taxes the hello out of ALL citizens and sticks it especially to the middle class.
ReplyDeleteit takes our freedoms away as never before and there is so much more in this bill that will regulate, tax and continue to take more freedoms from ALL citizens.
illegals will benefit and the taxpayers will pay through the nose.
I highly suggest you read this bill from hello and then you can vomit and comment all you want with some intelligence.
Retired Dr. Cowell had an editorial in the Daily Pravda today and he says it's a good bill. Well Dr. Cowell there are 2 aspects that are good but I say you couldn't possibly have read this bill or your comments wouldn't be so very wrong.
truth - what a concept
4:48-Of course obamacare hasn't been implemented. The nationwide layoffs affecting hospitals is due to the projected loss of revenue due to cuts.
ReplyDeleteYou don't wait until you are in the process of losing the money to act.
As far as the writer's opinion (though I think they mixed it up) about inpatient outpatient billing, the reason outpatient billing has dropped has something to do with the numerous outpatient surgical centers that have opened in Salisbury.
Yes, 5:29, believe you're correct Plus people are going to Atlantic General, Baltimore , Christiana, Easton & other hospital because PRMC does not have good care.
ReplyDeleteGod help what it will be with the cut offs now. I am going to Easton,who's now incorporated with The University Of MD, not ever again to PRMC!
Speaking of U of MD Medical they started laying off employees earlier in the summer. I read the Baltimore Sun and every hospital in the state's been laying off and across the country so the problem is no way exclusive to PRMC.
ReplyDeleteI cannot express how happy I am to get laid of from that place... it's a welcomed relief. I will gladly drive to agh or to the other side of the bridge to avoid this horrid establishment
ReplyDeleteThe comedy of errors just wont quit!!(read pegs email below)
ReplyDeleteAccording to Positive Peg "Okay Everyone! We are back on board & energized!!"
We just had the rug pulled out under our feet -
We just watched our mentors exit the building
We just absorbed other people's jobs with no increase in pay
Our spouse just lost his/her job
We just lost our health insurance
Someone just displaced another displaced worker.
I didn't get any extra help because I worked 9 years and not 10 years
I got to work a stressful 12 hour shift to be told "sorry bout your luck ... No further shifts""
Ooh - so exited - energized- gonna be stronger than 5 days ago!
You are one classy broad- peg!!
Dear PRMC team member-
This was released today and speaks to the major decline of Maryland hospitals. I know this has been a challenging time for all of us, I thank you for your support and for speaking up to clarify concerns you may have. We are STRONG as a health care system and will continue to provide exceptional care- because YOU are exceptional, caring and do stand proud as a member of the PRMC team.
Our journey took a right hand turn down a very bumpy lane recently but we are back on board, energized and believe in you. Best, peg
Maryland hospitals post 71% profit decline, operating at record low margins
Sarah Gantz
Hospitals in Maryland are operating with record low margins, according to a new report by the state Health Services Cost Review Commission.
Operating profits at Maryland hospitals dropped 71 percent in fiscal 2013, which ended June 30. The 46 hospitals reported a total operating profit of $99.8 million, down from $344.2 million a year before. The total profit margin among the hospitals was 3.39 percent.
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen margins this low, ever,” said Steve Ports, deputy director of policy and operations for the HSCRC, which sets hospital rates.
So what’s the deal?
Ports said a few factors are driving down operating profits at hospitals. One, the HSCRC approved a very small increase to rates in fiscal 2013 of just 0.3 percent. The HSCRC determines how much hospitals can charge for services and updates rates for every fiscal year, which begins July 1. This year, the commission was concerned that heavily increasing rates could push the state closer to breaking the terms of the Medicare waiver, which allows the state to set its own hospital rates so long as costs grow more slowly here than nationally.
At the same time, hospital volume is down, meaning there are fewer patients to charge. The total number of cases (hospital admissions and births) declined 3.58 percent last year, from 704,323 in fiscal 2012 to 679,078 in fiscal 2013. Inpatient revenue (revenue for critical and emergency services provided within the physical hospital) dropped 1.61 percent, to $9.17 billion in fiscal 2013.
Meanwhile outpatient services (non emergency services) increased by just over 9 percent, to a total of $6.04 billion in fiscal 2013.
Alright, so hospitals aren’t making money like they used to. Should we be concerned? After all, a nearly $100 million profit isn’t too shabby.
Ports’ simple answer is yes.
“Hospitals need enough revenue to operate,” he said.
That includes improving facilities, updating equipment and paying the thousands of Maryland residents who work for them.
Ports said the fact that operating profits are troublingly low will factor in to the commission’s discussion about updating rates at the end of the year. In June, the commission agreed torevisit hospital rates in December, in anticipation of having a new Medicare waiver to put in place for 2014.
But the answer won’t be as simple as just raising rates for hospitals, Ports said. The commission makes its decision on rates based on how efficient and effective hospitals should be able to operate — not their operating margins.
Ricky Sanders one of first leaders "seperated" AKA LAYED off. CLEARLY THE SCAPEGOAT position(week 1)
ReplyDeleteNo further leadership positions eliminated (week2) but > 75 geneic professionals layed off
Hmmm - all 75 positions are not equivalent to APPROX 2 VP salary POSITIONS.
Same ole sh($ JUST different day!
Shame on PRMC.
there are a handful of die-hard liberal democrat doctors at PRMC.. Nagel, Cowell, they let their politics get the best of them. They would be happy if we had full blown socialism if not communism.
ReplyDeleteRicky Sanders wasn't laid off, he was fired and maybe soon prosecuted for taking kickbacks on bids. You can get away with it when times are good, but when your company starts lossing money and they check contracts. .. oh no
ReplyDeleteI wish someone could give me a handful of agencies that aren't corrupt. There is no Itegrity. Scandal after scandal form the Boy Souts to the United Way. Corruption in our Military. Corruption in our Federal Goverment local and state agencies. What has this country come to?
ReplyDelete