I am glad to see that finally a voice is trying to speak up about what Duke Lifepoint has done to this community but this isn’t new.
As a Respiratory Therapist working with incredibly professional damd good caring healthcare providers I too had enough
I quit Duke Lifepoint approximately seven years ago after I wrote a letter to The Mining Journal about what DLP had done to staffing in the ICU.
particularly DLP forcing out experienced nursing staff and expecting recent graduate nursing to replace them.
New graduates meant a reduction in payroll cost.
I watch some very talented new nurses get overwhelmed by the situation that DLP put upon them and a lot of them either got out of the profession or went elsewhere
I informed my manager of my pending Letter to the Editor and he kicked it up the ladder to where it was requested that I give them a copy of what I sent which I did not.
A mandatory meeting for my department was held the day of the printing of my letter and instead of addressing my issues we were told how we had to project a postive image to the “ customer “ .
I voiced my opinions about patients safety etc. and was told that I was out of line.
I got up and as the lyric goes “ take this job and shove it “
While I have been out of DLP for sometime now I have maintain many of my friendships and I still hear what DLP doesn’t want to admit to.
Doctors and Nursing are not the only providers that have reach they limits.
All of the Allied Health providers and ancillary staff are in the same situation as these Doctors.
Covid indeed overwhelmed the system but because the money management people saw they could work staffing beyond reason they continue that to this day to keep their bottom line on as much as a postive side as possible.
DLP's computer system is stuck in 1993. I can't count how many times I've been told that "the systems don't talk to each other." Excuse me? Isn't that, like, 20th century technology? Pretty sure it's possible now to link databases. DLP clearly figures they can save a few dollars by not upgrading their computer system. /eyeroll
The employees I've encountered in my appointments and a few small procedures, from check in to nurses to physicians, have been excellent...but clearly stressed.
Any system that deals with a vulnerable population, whether it's a hospital, elementary school, or prison, should not be for profit.
I find myself thinking of Duke Lifepoint and their Tennessee management team with utter loathing.
This is a solvable problem with the right leadership at the Marquette, the county and the state level. Will this be easy - no - but the idea that it can't be fixed is wrong. LifePoint has got to go and that may be expensive unless they can be driven out by bad press. Marquette has to be the medical center for most of the UP. Recruiting staff who want to live in the Marquette region (there are lots of advantages over other places) is doable but not without fixing the internal problems. This should be declared a crisis that affects the entire region. Start the process of creating a regional system and that might be with University of Michigan, but that has to be shown as the best choice. Fragmentation of medical and hospital services in the UP has to be corrected. Investments in distance medicine, coordinated delivery and transportation within a defined region is essential, and placement of chronic, urgent and emergent care in distributed locations -- all essential steps.
Anyone who has talked to someone connected in some way to the business, has had a personal experience since 2020, or done some reading and started to put the pieces together is not surprised by these anecdotal summaries. The deteriorating culture was evident and the clues were there to sort it out especially if you know anything about good management.
A family member needed surgery early 2021 after we had traveled south to get a second opinion. The medical staff we talked to here were excellent and made the family feel comfortable. Unfortunately the process and solutions that were offered, which we sensed they could not control, were something that would cause far more out-of-pocket expense and be applied over a much longer time.
We headed back to the 2nd opinion place and two years later are very glad we did.
A local physician who used to serve on the hospital’s board of trustees has sold his practice to Marshfield. He would be an interesting interview to follow up on this article.
Interview travel nurses as they leave. They have a great perspective and can be objective. For the record, I know one who says this is the worst place they ever worked.
I worked for MGH several years ago and ever since Duke took over that hospital has gone down hill. I have thought for years that selling to them was a big mistake! Anytime you're for profit someone is going to suffer. In this case it's employees and patients. Without good medical care your hospital is useless. This is suppose to be our go to hospital for speciality care and trauma. Well, I have heard more negativity regarding this hospital and the care there. Staff is staffed, and overworked. The "Do more with less" should NOT apply to hospitals and health care. I hope for the people in the U.P., Duke sells to Mayo, Bellin, Marshfield or another organization that cares about patient care and it's medical community. Things need to change. Profit over patients is so wrong and unethical.
The business of Duke Lifepoint is to make money, not provide health care. The CEO won’t listen to doctors and nurses because he doesn’t care. Revisit this in a year to see what changes. My bet is it will be the same or worse patient outcomes. Didn’t all hospitals just make boatloads of cash on Covid and Remdesivir? That money came from the government not insurance.
It’s time to form a community commission to discuss some of the problems there. Nobody from the health department allowed. Too untrustworthy. Just regular folks that have been hurt by that system and of course healthcare people that want to fix the problems, not the ones that kept their mouths shut when all the problems were evident. Not the healthcare workers that pushed unsound policies during the last few years because they were following orders. People are damaged or dead from what has been happening there. It’s time for a parallel healthcare system. Physicians and staff independent from insurance or World Health Organization Gestapo would be a good place to start. Otherwise is will be from the pot and into the fire with the foxes guarding the chicken coop again. :)
Thank you for researching this subject. Obviously not what we want to hear but necessary nonetheless. Now if solutions can be achieved that’s the question.
I was taken directly to the cardiac unit, by ambulance, from Saint Francis. My Bellin Cardiologist described my condition as actively life threatening. I needed a pacemaker and the UPHS cardiologist sent me home - with no plans to follow up. Just Go Home.
I got a referral to Bellin in Green Bay, had a pacemaker in a few days. My wife and I will NEVER go back to UPHS Marquette. It is better to take a chance to dying while being taken to Green Bay.
I’ve told this story to many people. Every Time, I get a horror story back. The lack of treatment, atrociously bad decisions while providing ’treatment’ are widespread. Unfortunately some people are forced by the health insurance to go to UPHS Marquette.
Love your article! Dr Gowda, our hematologist, was pushed out of MGH, and a very competent PA is handling our appointments but he is leaving in June/July. Our bills have gone up drastically also. It costs more to see a PA than it cost for Dr Gowda. We are also now charged over $100 for our PA's "rent" space when we visited him in January. Looking into a new provider. It's unfortunate that we need this because my husband drank the water when he was a marine, and the VA hasn't been much help either.
I am glad to see that finally a voice is trying to speak up about what Duke Lifepoint has done to this community but this isn’t new.
As a Respiratory Therapist working with incredibly professional damd good caring healthcare providers I too had enough
I quit Duke Lifepoint approximately seven years ago after I wrote a letter to The Mining Journal about what DLP had done to staffing in the ICU.
particularly DLP forcing out experienced nursing staff and expecting recent graduate nursing to replace them.
New graduates meant a reduction in payroll cost.
I watch some very talented new nurses get overwhelmed by the situation that DLP put upon them and a lot of them either got out of the profession or went elsewhere
I informed my manager of my pending Letter to the Editor and he kicked it up the ladder to where it was requested that I give them a copy of what I sent which I did not.
A mandatory meeting for my department was held the day of the printing of my letter and instead of addressing my issues we were told how we had to project a postive image to the “ customer “ .
I voiced my opinions about patients safety etc. and was told that I was out of line.
I got up and as the lyric goes “ take this job and shove it “
While I have been out of DLP for sometime now I have maintain many of my friendships and I still hear what DLP doesn’t want to admit to.
Doctors and Nursing are not the only providers that have reach they limits.
All of the Allied Health providers and ancillary staff are in the same situation as these Doctors.
Covid indeed overwhelmed the system but because the money management people saw they could work staffing beyond reason they continue that to this day to keep their bottom line on as much as a postive side as possible.
DLP's computer system is stuck in 1993. I can't count how many times I've been told that "the systems don't talk to each other." Excuse me? Isn't that, like, 20th century technology? Pretty sure it's possible now to link databases. DLP clearly figures they can save a few dollars by not upgrading their computer system. /eyeroll
The employees I've encountered in my appointments and a few small procedures, from check in to nurses to physicians, have been excellent...but clearly stressed.
Any system that deals with a vulnerable population, whether it's a hospital, elementary school, or prison, should not be for profit.
I find myself thinking of Duke Lifepoint and their Tennessee management team with utter loathing.
This is a solvable problem with the right leadership at the Marquette, the county and the state level. Will this be easy - no - but the idea that it can't be fixed is wrong. LifePoint has got to go and that may be expensive unless they can be driven out by bad press. Marquette has to be the medical center for most of the UP. Recruiting staff who want to live in the Marquette region (there are lots of advantages over other places) is doable but not without fixing the internal problems. This should be declared a crisis that affects the entire region. Start the process of creating a regional system and that might be with University of Michigan, but that has to be shown as the best choice. Fragmentation of medical and hospital services in the UP has to be corrected. Investments in distance medicine, coordinated delivery and transportation within a defined region is essential, and placement of chronic, urgent and emergent care in distributed locations -- all essential steps.
Anyone who has talked to someone connected in some way to the business, has had a personal experience since 2020, or done some reading and started to put the pieces together is not surprised by these anecdotal summaries. The deteriorating culture was evident and the clues were there to sort it out especially if you know anything about good management.
A family member needed surgery early 2021 after we had traveled south to get a second opinion. The medical staff we talked to here were excellent and made the family feel comfortable. Unfortunately the process and solutions that were offered, which we sensed they could not control, were something that would cause far more out-of-pocket expense and be applied over a much longer time.
We headed back to the 2nd opinion place and two years later are very glad we did.
A local physician who used to serve on the hospital’s board of trustees has sold his practice to Marshfield. He would be an interesting interview to follow up on this article.
Interview travel nurses as they leave. They have a great perspective and can be objective. For the record, I know one who says this is the worst place they ever worked.
I worked for MGH several years ago and ever since Duke took over that hospital has gone down hill. I have thought for years that selling to them was a big mistake! Anytime you're for profit someone is going to suffer. In this case it's employees and patients. Without good medical care your hospital is useless. This is suppose to be our go to hospital for speciality care and trauma. Well, I have heard more negativity regarding this hospital and the care there. Staff is staffed, and overworked. The "Do more with less" should NOT apply to hospitals and health care. I hope for the people in the U.P., Duke sells to Mayo, Bellin, Marshfield or another organization that cares about patient care and it's medical community. Things need to change. Profit over patients is so wrong and unethical.
The business of Duke Lifepoint is to make money, not provide health care. The CEO won’t listen to doctors and nurses because he doesn’t care. Revisit this in a year to see what changes. My bet is it will be the same or worse patient outcomes. Didn’t all hospitals just make boatloads of cash on Covid and Remdesivir? That money came from the government not insurance.
It’s time to form a community commission to discuss some of the problems there. Nobody from the health department allowed. Too untrustworthy. Just regular folks that have been hurt by that system and of course healthcare people that want to fix the problems, not the ones that kept their mouths shut when all the problems were evident. Not the healthcare workers that pushed unsound policies during the last few years because they were following orders. People are damaged or dead from what has been happening there. It’s time for a parallel healthcare system. Physicians and staff independent from insurance or World Health Organization Gestapo would be a good place to start. Otherwise is will be from the pot and into the fire with the foxes guarding the chicken coop again. :)
Great article
Has anyone compared Doctor and Nurse views between Marquette and Bell Hospital? Is it just a Marquette issue or industry wide.
Thank you for researching this subject. Obviously not what we want to hear but necessary nonetheless. Now if solutions can be achieved that’s the question.
It isn’t just the ED
I was taken directly to the cardiac unit, by ambulance, from Saint Francis. My Bellin Cardiologist described my condition as actively life threatening. I needed a pacemaker and the UPHS cardiologist sent me home - with no plans to follow up. Just Go Home.
I got a referral to Bellin in Green Bay, had a pacemaker in a few days. My wife and I will NEVER go back to UPHS Marquette. It is better to take a chance to dying while being taken to Green Bay.
I’ve told this story to many people. Every Time, I get a horror story back. The lack of treatment, atrociously bad decisions while providing ’treatment’ are widespread. Unfortunately some people are forced by the health insurance to go to UPHS Marquette.
Your article has no creditability without identifying your source
Love your article! Dr Gowda, our hematologist, was pushed out of MGH, and a very competent PA is handling our appointments but he is leaving in June/July. Our bills have gone up drastically also. It costs more to see a PA than it cost for Dr Gowda. We are also now charged over $100 for our PA's "rent" space when we visited him in January. Looking into a new provider. It's unfortunate that we need this because my husband drank the water when he was a marine, and the VA hasn't been much help either.
Love the speculation...it continues in latest version. Write something meaningful.