Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) called Er-Mac by locals has been the dominant Idaho Falls hospital since 1986. It has also dominated local angst possibly more than anything else in southeast Idaho.
I was a little boy in Idaho Falls when EIRMC went up and I recall some controversy from the start. There were some rumors about EIRMC pulling some shenanigans to get the two existing hospitals put out of business. However. I recall that either or both Parkview and Riverview hospitals’ buildings were old and crumbling. Does anyone remember that episode or am I manufacturing memories?
Last week a Bonneville County jury awarded Brock Higham $7.5 million for alleged mis-medication when he was an EIRMC patient in 2002. He apparently went in for wrist surgery and sometime in the night his condition soured. EIRMC fought the case saying there was no proof of wrong medication in Higham but the jury awarded Higham anyways. I didn’t care for Higham’s remark. “I’m rich” immediately following the verdict but I wonder how much of this finding was balanced decision and how much was the effects of long-held angst against EIRMC? Did EIRMC lawyers question potential jurors if they or family members had stayed at EIRMC and what their lingering impressions of the experience were?
Ask anyone in your social circle or workplace if they have one of those infamous “horrible EIRMC” experiences and you’ll be surprised how many do. If it is not the person directly it is one of their immediate family members and/or close friends. My wife and my best friend’s wife have horrible EIRMC stories. My old boss swore he would never go to EIRMC again claiming that even if his legs were cut off he would crawl away to find somewhere else to go.
Decades ago if you needed major care you had to go to Salt Lake. Now most of that traffic stays in IF. Also many of the outlying towns stop in IF for health care (As far away as Jackson and West Yellowstone).
Is EIRMC perfect? Of course not. Even the Mayo Clinic gets their share of lawsuits. It goes with the territory. Doctors and nurses after all are not gods. They’re human just like the rest of us.
My biggest source of disgust with CEIRMC is their billing procedures. There were outrageous fees tacked onto the bill for trivial things like being charged ten dollars for the use of a towel after whirpool therapy.
As to the medical care it has much more do with the medical personnel you get than anything else. Like in any profession there are good ones and bad ones. All the other negative experiences I’ve seen at CEIRMC have to do with a bad employee or bad doctor not the facility itself. And I’ve seen many examples of good employees as well.
Insurance companies don’t always see it that way and sometimes won’t pay the extra $5-8,000 to fly someone to Salt Lake City. Pocatello isn’t an option for many injuries or complex medical situations.
I can’t wait for Joe to start the thread about Mountain View Hospital. My first question will be: How many of the physicians who opened Mtn. View Hospital were recruited by EIRMC and paid their guaranted salaries by EIRMC for how many years.
Somedays one just wants to do something destructive to see for example how hard EIRMC has worked to get the High Risk OBs now called MFMs in Idaho Falls weekly. This started in 2004. That means that mom’s with high risk babies no longer have to travel to Salt Lake City (Boise didn’t get there first MFM until after then) to stay in a travel motel or with relatives the last 3 months before their high risk babies are born). Rather they stay at home.
That means patients from Malad north to potentially Bozeman can use EIRMC as a much closer resource. And the doctors HCA brought in to start this dynamic program - there’s no need for me to write more. Those who need and want to know already do or know where to look.
Then there is the fact that EIRMC has a full-time Neonatologist already working with the MFM’s ont he high risk delivery. Good poll question: What’s the weight of the smallest baby kept at EIRMC? Under 4 lbs. under 3 lbs. Under 2.5 lbs under. 2 lbs under 1.5 lbs.? More neonatologists are coming.
Ask the families who have worked with these services or the GYN Oncologist- the ONLY one to serve the state of ID- who comes monthly from the U of Utah School of Medicine so women who need GYN cancer surgery can have it at home.
I’ll be the first to admit people who didn’t want to see the Consolidated Hospitals of Idaho Falls merge into one building had bitter feelings. I’m not sure they were fact based thought. I remember the article the local physicians put in the paper repeatedly stating why a new hospital was needed.
Ace said he was born in the hospital that was Sacred Heart. Community and Parkview at various times in the years it stood. I was born by the river at what was LDS or River Hospital. Both hospitals were somewhat landlocked in neighborhoods where they couldn’t build stories more of hospital. Both needed new physical plants.
But don’t take my word for it. I believe besides EIRMC which has the accurate history of consolidation on bulletin boards the Museum of Idaho or the Public Library do as well. Besides for those with online access to the Post Register most every article retraces the history briefly.
When consolidation occured neurosurgeon from complex head injuries had to have surgeries at Riverview yet the MRI scanner had to be placed at Parkview due to physical space constraints. If you’ve ever watched “The Golden Hour,” it didn’t do too much positive to have to load a patient in an amublance to take to Parkview for a scan then back to Riverview for surgery and ICU monitoring. Valuable time was lost in transit.
What MOST people forget it the role IHC - Intermountain Health Care- based in Utah played. From my perspective having dealt with IHC for many many years the events that next unfolded for IHC to leave Idaho Falls were an extreme blessing. Just ask the residents of Pocatello who got stuck with two hospitals neither of which could provide all the service needed thanks to IHC.
So I ask you another question: where would you be without EIRMC? No helicopter rescues no verified trauma units no guarantee of two E. R physicians and a radiologist in house 24/7 (yes a radiologist is there at 2:00 a m reading x-rays so E. R docs aren’t giving the films their best guess which is what happens at designated trauma centers) and sooner rather than later more doctors will be in house in the “off hours.”
EIRMC is the only Designated Trauma Unit in Idaho. While being a Level III they qualified for a II. There is a lot of Spin why St. Al’s in Boise lost their accrediation. Portneuf in Pocatello is much more simple. Loss of JACHO accredition and physicians wiling to perform certain procedures.
EIRMC was a BEACON winner for nursing. Look it up so you know what it means. Let me explain it like this: LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City only made BEACON excellence in 2006 a year after EIRMC given all that is required to a BEACON winner.
There are great things on the horizon at EIRMC and the staff will take care of those who don’t like the hospital if they come their for care. It would sure be easier to say drive 200 miles to the next hospital that offers these quarternary services. But that doesn’t happen.
My guess is the view of EIRMC depends on when people last had contact whether they have ownership in Mtn. View and what they are really angry about. Some were very angry that choice was taken away. Some people are angry out of ignorance of the changes made and what facilities are available locally.
Is there room for improvement absolutely. I think constructive comments are useful to any hospital. However the angst and what feels like anger when Joe wrote his comments in the chatbox and there here makes me rethink this again.
Prior to today it seemed that those who talked the most about what was wrong with EIRMC were people who either chose not to see what changes have been made saw physicians that only practice at Mtn. View (ask if YOUR doctor recruited by EIRMC or Mtn. View if you don’t know) those who refused to learn the facts or some who enjoyed repeating rumors.
The factual information is there for those who want to learn facts. I’m always interested in those who haven’t had good experiences at EIRMC how many other hospitals in other states they’ve been hospitalized.
Should I write here how the “sins” of certain doctors at U of Utah Health Sciences Center which resulted in my father’s death? I have a copy of his original medical records. Let’s see how many of you have been lied to after an 8 hr operation your loved one is doing fine only to find out how many units of blood he/she went through during the surgery?
Should I write about all the screw ups I know about at so many hospitals in the area? No - physicians nursing staff and healthcare professionals are not perfect or omniscient. But fewer and fewer will take certain cases.
I strongly urge all of you uncomfortable with EIRMC to make sure your doctors know that ASAP. It is only fair to your doctor who depends on Interventional Cardiologists. Infectious Disease Specialists. Neurosurgeons. Interventional Cardiologists etc to send you to another hospital.
But make sure you are referred to a hospital beyond Rexburg or Pocatello. Sub-specialists recruited by EIRMC are working with hospitals up and down the valley including Madison Memorial and Portneuf to make them better. So you need to go to WY. MT or UT to make sure you don’t have these doctors involved in your care.
Maybe it’s time to get updated about what EIRMC offers now what additional services are being added and what the physicians who see care daily in huge hospitals like Glenn Closes’s physician father said when he was a patient or the Chief of Neurosurgery at Columbia Presbyterian had to say when his wife was admitted. Read the letters if you are open-minded enough to walk into the EIRMC of 2007 and see the changes for yourself.
Personally. I don’t care what hospital you go to. I do care where I go given which physicians are on staff what equipment is available and the experience factor of the nursing staff and other health care specialists.
I’ve never had as great of treatment as I did in EIRMC’s E. R. I’ve sat with the “street people” and others for 4-6 hrs in some other hospital E. R waiting rooms. I’ve waited in waiting rooms that had NO CHAIRS regardless if the patients were kids adults or wheel-chair bound patients.
Just my view but unless one has experienced those other situations in hospitals offering comparable services but in much larger cities. I find it very hard to understand why some opt to repeat or believe previous bad experiences than find out what has changed at EIRMC.
Portneuf started a heart program about 3 years ago. I don’t know how many cardiac caths they’ve done but EIRMC was way beyond the 25K - 30K mark years ago. Did you notice when Mountain View shut their Cardiac Cath unit down no announcement was made.
At the end of the day. I doubt anyone will change the minds of anyone else who posts here except for those who are new and have experienced big city hospitals. The letter writing contest about this went on for weeks in the Post Register.
This doesn’t have to be hard. For those who aren’t fond of EIRMC and the advanced technologies equipment and staff; just go to an attorney and write your wishes. Then carry you with you. Here’s a list of just 10 situations or specialists for which you’ll need to arrange out-of-town care:
1. If you or your family member are in a car accident and have a head injury you/your family can be flown by either an out-of-state helicopter to Salt Lake City. Billings. Missoula or Boise for treatment. Check with your insurance to see if they cover the thousands of dollars more it will cost. Perhaps Life Flight from Pocatello can fly the mission depending on all sorts of factors but don’t plan on it.
2. Declare which hospital you wish to provide any cardiac care for you or your family members. Remember the “over-flight rules” probably pertain to cardiac as well but that depends on where it happens.
3. Should you or your family members get cancer check to see which is the next facility to have Phase II. III trials that SWOG has placed at EIRMC. For that matter check for your closest comprehensive cancer center. Ogden is about 150 miles away and probably the closest. However unless something has changed. Ogden does not have the elite status of the SWOG membership the oncologists at EIRMC do so the approximately 40 clinical trials with newer drugs and treatments most likely will be at the Huntsman Cancer Institute or MISTI in Boise.
4. High risk pregnant women - pack up for a 3 month stay in Salt Lake City or maybe Boise. Three months is usual - maybe it wil be more or less depending on your circumstances. More experts in SLC but that’s your call. Funny how the high risk moms from Pocatello to Bozeman and Jackson are now coming to EIRMC. But you don’t have to do so.
5. For emergencies make sure any paramedics who rescue and transport you are made aware of your wishes and can divert you to another hospital that has 24 hr physician coverage. You will have to be selective though as many EIRMC physicians provide specialty services at Madison Memorial. Bingham Memorial and even Portneuf. So you may end up in Burley or Ogden. But that is up to you.
10. Neonatology - probably Ogden or Salt Lake City. Can go to Boise but they often have to place infants in Portland. Seattle. Spokane or any place in the northwest that has room. These would be NICU’s with full-time Neonatologists just like EIRMC. But no worries others are in the northwest.
11. Ok. I cheated - I said 10 but this isn’t one most people think of. If you have an operation and the surgeon needs a pathologist’s report on a frozen section what other hospital will you select to provide sub-specialty trained hematology/oncology and dermapathologists to review frozen sections of your tumor or other suspicious cells? Frozen sections allow the surgeon to know while you or your family member are still under anesthetic whether a tumor or cancerous or not and how much to remove. Probably MISTI and several hospitals in Salt Lake as well as 2 could provide this care.
Please be aware that Mountain View Hospital made an interesting decision. No. I’m not talking about them shutting their cardiac cath lab down and not telling the public or not building the ICU they said they would. Maybe those are all still coming.
However if you need emergency care in Bonneville County. Mountain View Hospital by being a Boutique Hospital with no emergency room cannot accept ambulances and walk in patients regardless of their ability to pay. Instead paramedics and ambulance have to take you to a full service hospital that has an Emergency Room. EIRMC. So all the patients who uninsured on Medicaid. Medicare or are gravely ill are taken to EIRMC. But you can ask to go to a different hospital as long as there is a 24 hr emergency room.
If you opt for care at Mountain View’s Redi Care in Taylor’s Landing which is Urgent Care not Emergent Care please remember the family physicians and one pediatrician from Blackfoot are the doctors staffing that facility. It could be tricky if they could admit someone in your family to Bingham Memorial or whether they are contractually obligated to send folks to Mountain View for whatever tests care or surgeries they might need.
Certainly let your doctor and family members know your wishes. Nothing is worse than to wake up alive with lots of I. V.’s piggy backed to find out you’ve survived an accident or cardiac episode and are at the wrong hospital. Every patient has rights and it helps if your doctor knows yours.
People should go where they feel comfortable and be treated by staff only affiliated with that hospital. I have no problem with that. You just need to plan how and where you or your family members will go as sooner or later you will need a hospital for some condition.
Joe challenged someone to ask at work and he believe that at least 1/4 people at each person’s work would have horror stories about EIRMC. That may be true. I’d challenge you to ask 3 more questions:
It’s funny Ace mentions Gritman Medical in Moscow because that’s where we had our first baby. They were really awesome and took great care of us. We even got steak dinners served to us in her room the evening after the birth. We felt like royalty there.
My wife had a really bad experience at EIRMC though and given all that we heard over the years we chose Mountain View hospital for our second child’s birth. They were really great also (no steak dinners but hey).
I would hope feelings about healthcare and EIRMC are not as hard as religion or politics where opinions will not change. I’ve had many of my opinions changed from discussions here on different topics and that’s why I raised this issue.
I had a bad experience at Gritman once (maybe we should start a Gritman thread for all of us who have lived in or been to Moscow). I cut my arm pretty badly and obviously needed stitches. I show up at the emergency room bleeding all over the place and they won’t even so much as give me a towel to stop the blood until I’ve sat down with their admitting clerk for fifteen minutes doing paperwork. I’m right handed and the cut was on my right arm and since they wouldn’t even give me anything to put pressure on the cut with I ended up twisting my arm around and pushing the cut down on my leg to apply pressure while I tried to fill out forms left handed. I was not a happy camper.
My second trip was to get stiches in my finger (who knew that doing dishes could be so dangerous!). The nurse came into the room pull the skin apart to look at the wound making it start to bleed horribly again and said “yeap you need stiches” and then walked out and left me sitting on the bed dripping blood on the floor. My mom finally had to find some kleenex to wrap around my finger because I wasn’t going to just keep bleeding everywhere.
During my second pregnancy I had to have some medical tests done. My doctor wanted to have it done at EIRMC which was fine with me because I was confident in his skills. However once I was all checked in and ready to go a nurse brought in some paperwork for me to sign regarding my “treatment.” The paperwork she brought in was for a bi-lateral breast reduction which is NOT what I was there for. It turns out that the paperwork was for someone else. I was so glad I read through everything before I was shipped back to the operating room! The nurse didn’t even seem that concerned when I pointed out the fact that the paperwork was not for my procedure.
Lastly a family that I know had a member go in for chemo treatment at EIRMC. The nurse giving the treatment gave him the wrong brand and dosage of medicine. By the time the doctor discovered the error it was to late and the gentleman died a few days later from the “treatment.”
Honestly for any major services I wouldn’t trust EIRMC. If I am under the care of my family doctor or OB/GYN then I am less concerned because I trust them. I also make sure to ask LOTS of questions and read through all of the paperwork and repeat any health care concerns/allergies to EVERYONE that I speak with even if they are suppose to have the information already.
I’ve been to the ER at EIRMC twice over the past year and the wait was less than 15-20 minutes both times. The staff was very friendly and personable. We were treated with the utmost care by professional Doctors. RN’s AND staff and will continue to support them by using their services when needed in the future.
No hospital in the world is perfect and mistakes are made everywhere no matter what hospital you go to. What’s important is the overall quality of care and treatment you receive and EIRMC is tops in that area in our opinion. There will always be human error in every aspect of life. Mistakes happen and thats just a fact of life. As long as we (or the hospital in this case) can learn from their mistakes and strive to make improvements to better themselves that’s all we can really ask for. We should be proud to have a facility such as EIRMC in our community.
Healthcare is an aversion topic: none of us wants to be sick or hurt and nobody wants to go to a hospital. Just thinking of a “hospital” is sort of like thinking of “the IRS.”
That said. I am glad EIRMC is here. When I have needed care for the people I love (my daughter’s leg burn which needed wound care and skin graft surgery; my son’s broken wrist; my daughter’s friend’s bad cut that took 40+ stitches) the people at EIRMC have not only been good at the medical part but also at the human part. They understood we were scared and took time to make us feel better.
It’s time for the reputational stuff to be retired. It’s been a favorite pasttime in our town — either kick The Post Register or kick the hospital — but it’s worn out. Neither one is perfect but both have made positive changes and we should all move on.
Speaking of broken bones… it reminded me of when I broke my arm when I was 7 y/o. I broke it roller skating and my parents were out of town for the weekend. My Aunt was watching my brothers and I. She took me to the Broward Medical Ctr.(in S. FL) to have it tended to. After waiting for 6 hours we were finally brought into another waiting room where a nurse told my Aunt they couldn’t treat me because I was underage and she wasn’t my legal gaurdian and therfore had no right to authorize care. They wouldn’t so much as give me a sling for my arm! I had to wait for two days until my parents got home after which my Mom went down there and raised all sorts of cain! After threatening them with a lawsuit my arm was x-rayed put in a cast and our bill was free of charge. On another occasion I was in an accident and was admitted there for a detached retina. The care I received was top notch and the surgery went extremely well. Everything turned out great.
The point is accidents & human error can happen in any Hospital no matter where you are. We should all be thankful we have such a nice state of the art facility in the area such as EIRMC. I’ve been in there a couple of times with family and friends and the wait time was under an hour and the care given was excellent. For a town the size of IF having a Hospital like EIRMC is a great assest in my opinion.
You continue to make good points in every thread I’ve read. Again what you add to this site along with others is your experience in S. FL and the realities of medical care elsewhere. I sometimes think local residents wouldn’t believe what happens in some other states and other hospitals. (babies stolen wrong appendages amputated etc.)
I have to write this given your comment about your detached retina (besides that is scary as you know what!) how many other areas with a Metro Population of 116 have 3 ophthalmologists who are Fellowship trained retinal specialists? That’s two years beyond regular ophthalmology residency.
That is four (4) fellowshiped ophthalmologists locally. In surrounding states or cities in ID of comparable population how many have that many sub-specialty ophthalmologists?
And that ties into the endocrine care locally. Not every city has an endocrinologist former Assoc. Prof at Vanderbuilt who still lectures nationally about the treatment of diabetes given his success rate. But endocrine is a totally different issue and I don’t have the time today.
I do hope Rich and others will opt for an Anoynous or Guest name and write what they want and should write. No patient names need to be involved or specific practitioners. But. I strongly believe it’s time to educate many who appear either to not understand what really happens in hospitals or have just stuck with negative reviews to make decisions.
Speaking of negative reviews of course there will be more the more services offered and time open. EIRMC has ~ 350 beds. Mtn. View has 17. You do the math. What’s the probablity someone will have a bad experience each day?
I fully acknolwedge bad medical situations happen that known of us want (myself included - which I think a few of you could punctuate with a ! this week given the sub-specialist I saw and my own personal reality.). How we deal with news we don’t necessarily want to hear and whether we blame others for not finding a symptom earlier or not answering a call button within 5 minutes is up to us. The reality is we are all going to die.
Technology that allows quicker transportation times short cuts and better lives in so many ways or “funner” experiences like rock climbing bring injuries that are more dangerous too.
I honestly think the majority of physicians nurses and other healthcare professionals in this area do their best to provide care for those for whom they are responsible. I’m not asking anyone to agree with me simply stating my opinion having observed dozens of hospitals and working in many.
I don’t like politics. I do like the facts. The facts are for American Policy makers. EIRMC was deeemed the safest and most sophisticated hospital (with the most specialists) to care for Federal Officials. Visiting Heads of State and others - like the current head of the UN when he was in Jackson Hole a few months back).
Say what you will but having trained in many states seeing that a hospital is a White House Designated Hospital plus a Designated Trauma Center that tells doctors a lot about how good the medical community and services are.
Look there is a big difference between the live chat and comments like these. The live chatbox holds 25 messages at a time so conversations can fly fast through it. Sometimes it gets cleaned out also. Such is the nature of short-term conversations. Last night I was grouchy and being a jerk and when I left I realized I should clean out the bad stuff I had left in it so hopefully better more positive conversations would flower after I left; I just didn’t want my bad mood to foster more negativity.
It is true Joe and I think the Post Register has published that info before as well as others. But don’t believe me call Administration or Public Relations at EIRMC at those employees.
I’m guessing that given visiting dignitaries from other countries etc that the White House doesn’t exactly make this information accessible to just anyone. Both the University of Utah and Harborbiew (at the University of Washington) note their status on their websites as Designated White House receiving hospitals. There are certainly reasons why I wouldn’t advertise that info if I we’re EIRMC.
That being said it may be in one of the pull down files at the top of the EIRMC(dot) com website. I don’t have the time or need to look as I know the truth. But please search yourself so you know the truth for yourself.
I’m not willing to give my password and account out but this is the only effort I will put into proving this point. The following is from a classified ad from one of the major medical journals. There are several similar ads in respective journals.
I’ve edited out the part of what type of physician and bit about the practice but included enough so the average reader would understand this ad is for a physician to practice at EIRMC.
Work in one of the most physician-friendly malpractice states in the countryServe on the medical staff at one of the top 100 hospitals in the USWork in a White House designated health care facility. Live in a safe family-orientated community in the shadow of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park”
Others would have to speak for themselves but for me one of the hardest parts about a designated Trauma Center like EIRMC are the accidents/injuies that didn’t have to happen. However many think the really severe injuries or medical problems can’t happen to them and ignore the warnings.
Injury and illness know no socio-economic brackets. It’s really difficult to be an a E. R room after a major attempt to save someone’s life has been made by many trained professionals and they lost. But it is much harder to be in that same room if the patient was drunk doing drugs or a parent wasn’t watching their child swim or ride his/her bike etc.
Should you end up at a medical facility for some type of urgent care or emergency think about thanking the people there for taking care of you. Odds are they would like to be enjoying this weather and time with their friends and family too. Sure it is the chosen job of some.
Saw the press release. PMC can dream on. They can only hope someone soon will rush in and save the day. The heads at ISU have no desire whatsoever to buy PMC. They would like a working relationship for health care such as supporting furthering medical education in the state and that’s it. The MOU doesn’t promise any sort of purchase. The state/governor would never approve it. IMO. The MOU is a pleasant piece of paper but it will not solve the crises PMC continues to be in.
PMC is making a bigger deal than one would expect about getting some good ratings on a recent Health Grades scoring. EIRMC didn’t do badly either. PMC needs massive PR help so they have taken out new billboards all over in the last few weeks. A sinking ship must raise every flag possible.
A medical school is a long shot in Pocatello. Increased health care education is the direction ISU wants to take. One wonders if the people in Pocatello understand what a real medical school is. It is not a hospital with a few classrooms bought out by a small campus. It IS generally a separate educational institution that sends their MDs in for training and internships and later out to hospitals across the country for residency programs! Does a medical school exist anywhere in the country in a community as small as Pocatello with such limited resources? They’d have to send half the class to Boise for rotations it seems. I doubt there would be so many MD’s with the time/desire to be on staff either. A medical school works in a much different setting.
First off the care was fantastic! I probably had 12 nurses total and probably 3 that could certainly stand improvement. The rest were awesome. Third floor. Bryce. Lori and Stephani were the best. They really “cared” for me. The nursing profession is clearly important to them. I was too out of it to remember the first nurse I had but I do remember she was quite good. The vast majority were caring friendly and very helpful. I was in a great deal of pain and they did everything humanly possible to ease that from propping pillows to helping me stand up. The physical therapists (demons in disguise lol) were awesome too even though it was quite painful to do what they asked. The surgeon and his assistant were also incredible and took great pains to work together on a time and date for my surgery as I really wanted to pick who would assist him (a doctor I work with).
My only beef comes with the billing department. I initially went in on 8/24. I received my EOB and bills within 10 days and paid them in full right away. Last week they called stating they sent two letter (neither of which I’ve received) and want to know when I’m going to pay? First they woke me up. I had just gotten home from the hospital. I told them I did pay and they stated that they haven’t received payment. I looked up my checking account and called them back. I had 3 different account numbers (insane) all of which were on the check. One check which had cleared my account. When I called back the automated recording had me punch in my account number (allowing for only one # not 3) and then my date of birth and the last 4 digits of my SSN. After having done all that it gave my balance on the single account. I pressed to speak to a person who then needed to also verify my address and name. She stated that with online bill pay if it’s on EFT it will be rejected. Well. I’ve always paid them that way and it hadn’t been rejected yet. She stated two letters were sent. Again haven’t received any letters. I stated they were paid gave the date and they my account shows that the money was taken. If it’s rejected. I consider that their problem not mine and told her as much. I also question why I had 3 separate account #’s. Apparently there will be many more account numbers now that I’ve had the surgery because each department is billed separate. I have real issues with that.
Medical care is horribly expensive in the US. For each account number you are to pay minimum payments on each. That is horribly difficult for most people. And the billing department and they way they handle accounts leaves a lot to be desired.
1. Boise is already training to get the U of I. Law school re-assigned to Boise. The split of the “State of Ada” again. Boise/TV residents think ALL professional schools should go there.
I don’t know if people really understand what had to happen for the University of Utah (with Major NIH Funding and MAJOR donors - Huntsmans. Soresen and Eccles) to first become a two year school for many sciences.
The two year school covers the courses before the 3rd and 4th clinical years. All students had to transfer elsewhere to finish. It took years for Utah to “grow” into the 4 year status. And even now that school is at best only 106 seats/year.
Every year. 40 students are doing their basic sciences (pre-clinical) years at the U of I along with 40 from the U of Washington. It’s a perfect fit it just needs expanded.
The Boise crowd doesn’t like to admit the fact that the Spokane-Cd’A area is a bigger MSA than Boise. Not that Moscow is in Cd’A but it’s also not isolated.
U of I needs to expand the in -place program with the U of Washington. IMO. It’s the most cost-effective. Maybe it can only be 10-20 seats/year but that is far easier to fund that a fully functional medical school.
To their credit. I just recently read about the work the Idaho Chapter of Family Physicians has done with the University of Washington to start a brand new residency in Idaho in July 2008. It’s a win/win for all.
I’d recommend you ask to speak to a supervisor. My understanding is EIRMC’s billing is still done offsite as a measure to contain cost. I might be wrong but I wouldn’t trust my credit and lack of payment to just anyone who answers the telephone. You have the right to talk to the supervisor.
Unfortunately having to have different accounts for different services is one of those complexities that insurance companies really don’t need to require. Yet they do.
I should say the insurance companies don’t require it but for the hospital to be paid or the PTs/OTs/Speech Therapists etc to be paid there have to be separate accounts. I hope that is clear.
Personally. I’ve dealt with a hospital chain much smaller than HCA and to me far more confusing. I had to have OT two times/week post wrist surgeries. EVERY “encounter” with my hand therapist was billed under a separate account. In six weeks that was 12 different accounts for seeing the same person.
Just a guess on my part but the answer you’ll receive is. “It’s not us it’s them.” NO that isn’t true when every hospital system that has more than one hospital has to do the same to be reimbursed.
Secondly. I doubt they will be this honest but usually insurers follow what Medicaid and Medicare do. If Medicare can demand a separate account for each encounter there the insurance companies think they should too.
Those covered by Medicare don’t have the hassles you and I along with dozens of others have experienced with the numberous accounts from a hospital. That is because to be a Medicare provider one signs a co-signment contract that the patient can’t be billed beyond what Medicare pays. So those patients don’t see the hassles.
Furthermore. Medicare is decreasing payments in 2008. So if anyone has parents or others close to them that are covered by Medicare. I’d encourage you to review their coverage NOW. IF possible get a supplemental plan at the highest reimbursement possible.
Idaho Falls residents at some level have been very spoiled. With less than 10% of insured being managed care most people don’t even understand what it is like to not even see Dr. X because s/he isn’t a provider on their health care plan.
One of the real concerns I have about seniors moving to ID to retire and the growth of population is how will their medical needs be met? I’ve seen it first hand in St. George and didn’t like what I saw there 10 years ago.
Yet. I can see how other physicians in other cities are now being forced to do what St. George did 10 years ago due to their Sr and tremendous Medicaid and uninsured population.
I back Pres. Bush for his veto of the Children’s Health Care Bill as it was presented for a number of reasons. The Bush Bashers will just bash although I would encourage those intelligent enough to read to read the facts.
Certainly there is a percentage of our popoulation who needs assistance like Medicaid. I have no problem with that given the means testing and the responsible adult completing the paperwork to make a child or adult eligible for programs in place.
However. I don’t understand what a government or individual provider/hospital is to do if that person has REFUSED to apply for the programs already available. Check the numbers some may be surprised.
Absolutely those with limited means deserve access to health care. So what stops so many for utilizing the programs already in place? That is a major source of frustration to providers!
Secondly it’s ridiculous IMO to allow parents who make 3X the poverty level to “insure” their children with state-sponsored Medicaid. That allows the higher end income parents can opt out of providing health care insurance through their work. This particular issue really makes me angry.
Parents can buy extra vehicles boats remodel houses or whatever their $50,000+ incomes (to the point of being 3X the povery line) yet the bill initially proposed would allow that. There is no guarantee what physicians their child/children could see under Medicare. However in my experience those with the mentaility that nothing happens in their family health insurance is a waste of their money will be the same ones who threaten lawsuits be semi-complaint and do nothing but complain about the limitations the Medicaid system has.
As I’ve written elsewhere. I find it ironic that we’re all guaranteed representation by an attorney but not health care. The really interesting thing is to determine who makes more hourly physicians or attorneys.
So I support President Bush and his veto of the first draft of that bill. As the talking heads have said those who refused to lower the income standard to cover more people/kids who needed the care did so to make this issue a talking point for the next election.
Many in Congress knew it wouldn’t pass - they were warned the initial bill at 3X poverty level wouldn’t pass. Yet they still voted for it. Watch for it to be a real wedge issue in the next political cycle.
Joe if you decide to create a new thread out of my last comments about backing Pres. Bush in his veto of this bill that is fine with me. I doubt it will generate much discussion except Bush bashing.
And I’ll speculate that many who bash the most are not on the receiving end as I am still waiting for Medicare and Medicaid payments from a year ago and absolutely from April forward in this year. So I don’t expect others to understand there is indeed another side to the story.
How many of you could keep accepting “customers” who didn’t pay you? And while the other favorite thing on this site seems to be beating up pharmaceutical companies how many of you have a better life because of a new drug that was developed?
How many of you are alive because of a medication or have a relative who takes a blood pressure pill etc and hasn’t had a stroke because of it? That’s just one example: diabetes infertility. G. I. neurological infectious diseases etc all benefit from the newer drugs. They do cost billions to create but consumers don’t want to realize that.
Just be relieved with new guidelines that have come out. One specialty of medicine no longer advocates treating upper respiratory infections with any anti-biotics. Personally. I think that is insane given the much more severe diseases that consume far more health care dollars.
For those who are positive pharmaceutical companies are driving up health care costs if you have a family member who is covered by that specialty your dreams have come true.
Don’t tell me about costs when your family member has to be hospitalized or receive daily I. V treatments etc due to the pneumonias mastoiditis sinus infections etc that can become meningitis encephalitis and many more very debilitating diseases. No don’t tell me as I won’t listen. I’m happy to live in the time when modern drugs are available to keep ME and those who matter to me alive.
They earned their level III designation in 2004 so it has taken just three years to upgrade to level II (I don’t even know if that is aggressive or normal or what but it sounds impressive to me.)
It means if you experience a trauma accident (stabbing gun shot or motor vehicle accident) paramedics who reach you first will report the severity of your injuries to EIRMC. It yours is a trauma case the EIRMC trauma team is paged and as many as 15 medical professionals meet you as you enter the hospital. Your trauma team can include “surgeons lab technicians respiratory therapists and other specialists.”
And that sounds pretty awesome. I think EIRMC has come out from the dark cloud of their past and has become something our area residents can truly be proud of. When folks ask what makes the Idaho Falls area so great. I think EIRMC can be listed in the top ten.
Many see EIRMC as part of a large corporation which is true. However. I wonder how often we stop to think about HCA’s investment in us and our area? Not every HCA hospital has a Trauma ranking and few have Trauma II.
And NO bonds ballot iniatives or tax dollars from any resident’s pockets were asked for to make the upgrades. The company invested in the area which has brought in several other companies.
So now EIRMC holds the unique titals of being: The Designated White House Hospital. The Contracted Provider for MedCor (covering Yellowstone National Park) and now not only the single hospital in Idaho to have Trauma Designation. EIRMC has Level II Designation.
At one time. St. Al’s in Boise had Level II Designation but lost it. The local spin is they didn’t think it was worth the money to train the staff invest in the extra equipment etc. However. Boise weekly in an April. 2006 Article offers additional details.
It does require a deep commitment from the professionals involved the sacrifices made and the corporation who footed the bill to make sure we have this level of trauma care locally.
Maybe a different way to think about EIRMC is simply how would you feel about knowing if you or a loved one had an accident you would be flown to an out-of-state hospital for care?
EIRMC is a Designated White House Hospital but only for the service area for which it is responsible. The list of White House Designated Hospitals (WHDH) is quite elite of which hospitals are Designated White House Hospitals.
To further clarify. WHDH does NOT mean ONLY for the PRES. and VP of the U. S WHDH - also means treating Cabinet members and other high ranking U. S officials when they are in the area. What most people never consider is this designation also means that leaders from other countries or like we saw last year when the former Pres of the UN vacationed in Jackson Hole. EIRMC is the designated hospital to care for them all.
I laughed at Joe’s comment. “It’s a great day anytime Idaho Falls can pull one past the Treasure Valley.” I will agree but say it’s sweeter yet when the ONE (1) Boise Hospital who had Level II Trauma Designation Lost it and EIRMC now has that Designation.
I don’t mean that in a way that hurts patients; what I mean it is a great day when those in the State of Ada who constantly discount there is an “Idaho” beyond Ada and Canyon Counties are stuck reading the headline about EIRMC. Probably a little cursing going on in western ID’s metro area right now too.
A little reality check that that eastern ID has sophisticated medical equipment facilities recruited very skilled physicians sponsored education for nurses to get more advanced degrees and additional certification - such as TNCC let alone all the other technicians and skilled members of the trauma team can be hard for some who live in Boise and have constantly taken pot shots at EIRMC.
Nonetheless the Idaho Falls area currently is seen (literally) at a national level as having the ONLY hospital in Idaho who can treat a serious Trauma patient’s injuries the same as is required in an ACS certified Trauma II hospital in Washington. D. C. Miami. Dallas and other large cities where the ACS uses the same criteria to assess whether of not the hospital should be renewed let alone upgraded in Trauma Status can be hard to hear.
I strongly encourage anyone interested in learning more about the what really happens to read the 4/26/06 article in the Boise Weekly of what other reasons were cited for St. Al’s losing not ONLY Trauma II Certification but ALL Trauma Certification.
One reason I believe it is important to read this article is ironically over half of it is about EIRMC and the baby steps they had to take to get to where they were in 2006 until today.
“It’s a great day anytime Idaho Falls can pull one past the Treasure Valley.” Yes it is especially when lives limbs and other abilities may be saved given the training personnel and equipment EIRMC has collected.
Many hospitals can provide quality care. The problem I see with letting each state create their own ranking system is there isn’t a national standard. Physicians and other health care professionals to graduate from their respective schools and obtain licensure must pass national exams. I’ve had to do it and I know others who read IFz. Com have too.
Perhaps using the example of passing “The Bar,” for an attorney is something more people can relate to. Should “The Bar” be the same for each state or determined within the state where an attorney may want to practice?
I’ll go on the record now as saying I don’t like the idea of states designating their own system of which hospitals meet which Trauma Certifications to be ranked at each level. The reaction of many Boise area residents to this news release. IMHO is exactly why it is dangerous to have a state instead of a national entity granting the certification.
If a hospital outside of Boise had a higher Trauma Ranking than all Boise hospitals with clear cut records documenting the last 18 months of care then wouldn’t that area in ID be even more of a threat to certain people in Boise? I say yes given e-mails I’ve had sent to me to “straighten out my thinking about Idaho.”
The great thing about a national entity like the ACS being responisble for certifying Trauma Levels is Boise is just Boise and not able to dictate what does or does not occur in the medical world in Idaho Falls or elsewhere in ID. And what the good folks in Boise might write as policy to make sure one of their hospitals is always the highest of any location in the state that doesn’t guarantee that the same “rules” or “needs” have been evaluated in NV. CA. WA. SD and elsewhere.
As a visitor or maybe a new resident in a different state how do I know without a national board award the designation if a Level III Hospital in WY. ID and DE are all required to have the same specialists the same response time and ICU/OR etc capacity let alone a Level II?
Wow - was I shocked when I started looking at the “designation” in various hospitals in many states and what they DIDN’T have that EIRMC has had from the day it opened its doors. Yet by using their own state ranking system the data is manipulated.
The victims are the patients. Maybe some hospitals can provide the care they believe they can and do. Yet others may still be wondering how to page the “mass page” for a major trauma.
How do I know which hospital I should take a loved one to if were traveling and someone gets injured? Should visitors or new residents in Idaho trust the decision that would come out of Boise given how we all know state government works in Idaho?
IMO - it is much harder for EIRMC given the geographical area is much larger (ID overall is the 13th largest state in the U. S.) to cover and often the traumas much more severe compared to more major metro areas. The EIRMC coverage area is hundreds of miles.
Additionally what I think many don’t totally appreciate is EIRMC had no help in achieving this status. Many “attacks” directly or indirectly by other area hospitals but where was the support to achieve this prestigious award?
I believe I recently saw a headline that said “Three is Enough,” or something similar. What that article addressed was having St. Al’s in Boise. Portneuf in Pocatello and EIRMC in Idaho Falls all be certified Trauma Centers some people think is enough. Verification by a national board wasn’t necessary in their view.
I see many flaws in the article but the title is enough for me: BOTH Portneuf and St. Al’s have lost their Trauma Designation. EIRMC is the ONLY hospital to maintain it in ID.
There are tremendous costs involved in seeking designation as a verified Trauma Center from the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Many don’t stop to think of the costs of recruiting the appropriate medical nursing and other technical staff to be part of the trauma team that responds within the time they must.
If you ever thought your report cards or transcripts got reviewed closely think about the American College of Surgeons (ACS) reviewing all of the training additional classes for all personnel involved for the last 18 months. That is one reason many hospitals opt not to even attempt a Level II designation along with the costs of training and equipment purchases or updates.
Finally this is presented the clearest at the source: and click on the green colored link that announces the new designation. However here is the same information of what a non-Trauma II hospital offers compared to what is in place today along with the impact to the patient.(Joe it would be cool if there were a way to reprint the EIRMC chart here so it is clearer to the users of this forum).
Brian O’Byrne. M. D.. EIRMC’s Trauma Center Medical Director likes to compare the Trauma Team to a well-trained race car pit crew. “Some things have to be done very quickly in trauma situations or it will harm outcomes,” he said.
Among the many requirements for moving up to Level II was formalizing EIRMC’s “bypass” policy (for when patient traffic is too high to absorb additional patients – a rarity) and documenting an 18-month track record of continuing medical education credits for EIRMC trauma surgeons in advanced subspecialty courses in trauma care.
The hospital met these milestones and others since last being verified in 2004 as a Level III Trauma Center. At that time there were two other verified trauma centers in Idaho but the designation was later removed from the others leaving only EIRMC verified as continuing to meet the rigorous standards.
“Fifteen years ago if a person came to the ER we assembled the medical team but it took time. We had to individually call in all the various specialties required to provide the care and all the while the clock was ticking,” said Dr. O’Byrne. “Now we’re ready before the patient gets here. The person with traumatic injuries is met by a large team of fully prepared physicians therapists radiologists and so forth so that care can be provided much more efficiently.”
How many hospitals in ID have an ICU nurse specialist along with a cardiac care nurse specialist and the House Supervisor there to meet an injured patient along with the cadre of different specialists physicians? If you think about it doesn’t it just make sense?
Of course without a national standardization there is no guarantee a cardiac nurse would show up for a massive trauma from a car accident. Some would see that as a waste. Those would probably also be the people who don’t understand how cardiac arrest happen secondarily to some injuries/illnesses. (Merely a guess on my part. I don’t know for sure).
I do think there was a time when EIRMC had less than desirable leadership and that was reflected through the staff to the patients. However. I think those who want to think what was continues today as the standard of care they are only hurting themselves. Many changes have occured since then. This annoucement is proof.
As one EIRMC employee told me at one time that employee would take off their I. D badge as soon as possible because the perception and well placed ads of others had many who didn’t research the facts always condemning (to use Joe’s word) EIRMC.
It isn’t the only Trauma services that are being upgraded at EIRMC. When a hospital is willing to invest close to $2 Million Dollars in equipment in one fiscal year to upgrade their current NICU does that not speak volumes to young families as well?
It is a logical question to ask but not the major factor. There are 4-5 hospitals in eastern ID who have competed for patients who go to EIRMC as well as the hospital in Jackson Hole and some in UT.
I’d think about this differently if I were you Joe. Granted you don’t have access to all the journals and info I see. I’d look more at HCA goals and centers of excellence.
And since I know someone likes to pick and chose some of my posts and post them in another online publication while acknowledging someone else wrote them. I’d better stop there.
I was reading it and thought. “hmmm this person sure seems to have the same views as I about some things.” I kept reading and realized those were my words I’d written actually earlier in THIS THREAD!
Wow- it is a nice compliment. I should be flattered by the mere fact someone has reposted info I’ve written at least 2-3 times in another online site. However there is something about having another persl cut and paste what I have written to make one of his/her key points in something that person is posting that just doesn’t seem right.
It has certaunly made me “filter” information I post here. I can’t be a good but guarded neighbor posting more information I’d love to share - hints I can share while remaining within the professional and work boundaries I must follow. Consequently,that is why I am vague in many threads- sometimes very vague.
Some other people elsewhere may like to know more of some details I know. I can’t allow that to happen. If I had wanted that information posted in the other website. I WOULD HAVE POSTED IT THERE MYSELF.
Perhaps others have experienced a similar situation or are experiencing it but don’t know it. When you see the website. Joe and what was cut pasted from this thread. I think you’ll have quite a much clearer understanding. And it may be possible other comments from here are being reposted there.
I do appreciate your offer and will get ab e-mail sent to you when I have the time to gather some sanples of the above. I can also explain my comment from the last post much more clearly in an e-mail as I trust you won’t post it somewhere else!
I originally wrote something else and realized if those facts were shared elsewhere for whatever reason. I. F area residents would ultumately be hurt in the long run in many ways. So I have adapted by being much more vague.
Joe did you make your famous deviled eggs this Turkey Day? Were they as big of hit as always? Did you share that recipe with us last year or just give us some hints? I remember you talking about it then but can’t remember if I have the correct “X” factor in your recipe.
I appreciate you looking into the “repost” situation. What a way to kill an honest flow of information when at least one person knows others eyes are scanning his/her posts to be used as ammunition elsewhere.
For pet owners. I’m not a DVM so I can’t say why this happens how and when it does. However. I was at my DVM’s office yesterday and heard information new to me. He told me he hated working after Thanksgiving because humans feed their animals too much Turkey. Ham and Chocolate for Thanksgiving. Then next week many of the pets will become very ill and have to be admitted to the pet hospital for pancreatitis and other G. I disorders.
If you love your pet/pets. JUST SAY NO. Better to have an a pet that “didn’t get to sample it all,” than one who got to eat endlessly everything humans were eating and got acute pancreatitis and other G. I diseases requiring hospital admission at a local Vet. Hospital.
It is very painful to the pet sometimes lethal and always costly to have a pet diagnosed with pancreatitis. It is also frustrating to the veterinarians who KNOW what causes it and apparently many owners won’t take responsibility for their own actions.
So please remember that while you may think you are being extremely kind to your beloved pet your pet’s G. I system doesn’t process the food the same way humans do.
I hope you are “pre-dressed” so you sleep with your clothes on and get that “extra edge” over someone not quite wise enough to think of where that will place you vs them in lines. But maybe your shoes/boots could be put on in the vehicle prior to driving to the store or after you start the engine to let it warm up. I’m not suggesting you put your shoes on while you are driving.
I believe it was 10/31 in particular but could be wrong. My oh my was I surprised to find what I wrote in Post #28 on that blog (word for word. The poster did acknolwedge those were the words of others not his/hers). However. Idaho Fallz. Com by name was not mentioned. Instead the author who cut and pasted my post referred to IFz. Com as another site or another online site.
To the person who shares some of my views. I appreciate the compliment. How about telling me how to write my own opinions at the Journal Blogs instead of posting what I’ve written here?
I’m flattered but would appreciate being able to write what I want posted for the ISJ. True that may be nothing given who absolutely screwy I believe the Portneuf situation is. Besides it might get edited.
I found what the #28 reposted on there and emailed the ISJ publisher to either remove it or provide a working hyperlink to this story with the quoted text and asked that their users be made aware of copyright issues and that they should provide links to source materials.
You know I probably do a lot of things to tick off folks around here but I don’t steal anyone else’s content so it burns me when I see our stuff stolen like that. I try to always reference where I got my ideas and provide links if usable (such as the PR is not a usable link). Please let me know if you see ISJ users or other sites doing this kind of thing. To be fair to the ISJ this happened once before and they were prompt about correcting it.
Funny the west campus of PMC doesn’t even have hot running water there is no trauma coverage one of the cardiac surgeons is not allowed on some floors without an escort because of several unresolved “sexual harassment” claims employee morale is at an all-time low the hospital had the ISJ yank some blog comments because they reflected poorly on the hospital. THEY FAILED JACHO !!!!!!!!!….
What isn’t adding up is “Babs” obvious vitriolic opinionated statements about PMC – he/she obviously is taking this very personally. Some of Babs assertions are very difficult to either prove or disprove so let’s look at a couple that are easily verifiable.
JACHO – PMC has NEVER lost accreditation. About two years ago they received a “preliminary denial”. Several cited items were successfully appealed and others were corrected and they passed a surprise inspection about a year later. By the way hospitals pay for JCAHO (now TJC) to survey their hospital so I guess “Babs” assertion that it’s like being in the “Who’s Who” maybe doesn’t hold water.
HealthGrades – In addition to rating hospital nation-wide they also provide consulting services. From what I understand the rating and the consulting are totally independent. Babs claim is that PMC “paid” for their rating. As far as I know. PMC has not hired or paid HealthGrades to do “consulting” work. If Babs has other information. I would like to hear about it. Hospital’s also pay the ACS to be surveyed as a trauma center. I would be equally offended if someone were to suggest EIRMC “paid” for their designation.
In the interest of brevity. I will leave the remainder of Babs comments to the readers interpretation of his/her credibility. That being said. I would like to address the following to Joe. In accordance with your “Community’s Comment Guidelines,” I would ask that the statement about “one of the cardiac surgeons” be removed. Not only is this statement a “personal attack” it is slanderous. This type of comment adds nothing to the debate and is offensive. I don’t know what the ISJ pulled from their blog but if it was comments like these they were morally and legally justified in doing so – just as you would be.
I have read on the healthgrades site you can use their information to advertise your ratings if you join with them for consulting. So up went many new billboards. Now that couldn’t possibly be free?
And why in the world would they recruit another ENT when current coverage/call and availability is perfectly fine? Where are their priorities? And didn’t they just find out their 99 year lease on that new building was illegal? The consultant keeps collecting his $40K per month check probably laughing all the way to the bank.
Bob re-read my post; I said PMC ‘failed’ JACHO; that is what a ‘preliminary denial of accredidation’ is; once the administrators put some band-aids in place the JACHO folks came back and ‘accredited’ the hospital. Moreover the ISJ pulled the blog comments at the request of PMC who stated to managing editor Ian Fennel that unspecified information in the comments was “incorrect”. However. ISJ admitted they made no efforts to ascertain the truth/falsity of the blog comments; they were merely concerned about losing their single biggest source of advertising revenue.
PMC is in sad shape. Employee morale is at an all-time low; some docs are being paid with taxpayer monies salaries in excess of 800,000 per year nearly triple the pay for these specialties at other similar hospitals. Lots of talented docs have left over disputes with administration about staffing shortages and poor patient care. Lots more to report but this is supposed to be about EIRMC. The reason I even broug
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