Palmyra finally won it’s Certificate of Need to provide obstetrics here in the Albany area. It was a long, long fight and one that I’m glad to see finally won. But the problem is, it doesn’t appear to be over.
On the front page of the Albany Herald is an article about how the Hospital Authority of Albany-Dougherty County is looking at trying to appeal the decision. Joel Wernick did his typical job of whining about how patient safety will be affected if Palmyra is allowed to deliver babies.
It’s complete hogwash, but he did it anyways.
Wernick has been trotting out that tired line for a while now, and I can’t see how anyone with an IQ greater than the square root of their shoe size could possibly buy that crap. You see, yes, Phoebe is fully capable of providing quality care. In fact, Phoebe’s skill in providing treatment has never really been the issue. So we can agree that Phoebe can provide good treatment.
But Palmyra has always provided top notch treatment as well. To say that no one would be able to provide top notch care because one more option to consumers is available is a special kind of stupid. Instead, this is about greed. Any protestations to the contrary are ridiculous at best and idiotic at worst. How on God’s green Earth are we expected to buy this?
And yet, the Hospital Authority did. They’re going to try and look into appealing the decision that increases competition here in Albany and actually gives people a choice. Now, I haven’t heard anyone outside of Phoebe be the least bit upset by the idea of Palmyra offering labor and delivery services. Frankly, a lot of Phoebe employees think it’s a great thing too…though they speak off the record.
So why would the Authority side with Phoebe over the citizens of Albany and Dougherty County? Did they forget that they don’t serve Phoebe, but us? If so, what made them forget? Is this the kind of thing that would make Buie-gate look like the Christmas Parade? Inquiring minds want to know!
Frankly, I don’t know what their reason is and while I have my own ideas, they’re only theories. But no matter the cause, the result is disgusting. An attempt by the Authority to circumvent free enterprise (remember that Palmyra is a for-profit hospital) and show preference for an entity known to be corrupt by many in the community shows an intense lack of judgement on the Authority’s part.
They need to remember that they work for us, not Joel Wernick and his cabal.
The Authority has absolutely zero independence and its only reason for existing is to meet legal requirements. Never, never, never expect it to take the interest of the citizens over the interest of Phoebe.
Phoebe doesn’t like to lose even when there isn’t much to lose. It’s all a game with “us” being the losers.
A major part of our runaway healthcare costs is attributable to the shameless and relentless billing of hospitals. While your life may be saved in a hospital, what remains after a visit is likely going to be a living hell financially.
Surely, the Authority watched “Do No Harm”–while smoking a few expensive cigars of course. And quite likely, its reaction was that it should have been titled “Do No Wrong” since it is Phoebe’s biggest cheerleader.