tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post5684839782494394802..comments2024-03-26T00:25:34.026-04:00Comments on Not Running a Hospital: What's wrong at Hadassah?Paul Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-61775334147342638722014-02-12T15:58:20.286-05:002014-02-12T15:58:20.286-05:00As a long-term employee of Hadassah, I wish to mak...As a long-term employee of Hadassah, I wish to make a few remarks. <br /><br />1, we are in mourning as we see daily the extent of abuse and outright theft of management, with no appropriate oversight from the US organization. As Board members they failed in their obligation here. <br /><br />2, the physicians and employees have generally been mentioned only in the context of the handful who had such ridiculous levels of compensation or who had work rules ... while the vast vast majority have pushed themselves to the limit physically and emotionally to do the best for patients and Hadassah. <br /><br />3, not 1 single "leader" at the hospital or of the HMO has approached any of us with information about the extent of the problem, or to let us know we have to pull together to save this once venerable and very essential academic medical center. Not one single time has the new manhal stood before us. As leaders, every one has failed. <br /><br />Now, each of them begin to speak saying that the government and the unions have to make their contributions. The issues regarding government contributions have been clearly raised above and elsewhere. Here I speak for those of us at Hadassah. We are not "on board." We have been robbed, blindfolded, and demeaned as overpaid and lazy. <br /><br />When the Hadassah ladies and administrators who failed all of us are ready to give up 15% of their own INCOME, the money that they use to buy groceries, pay their electric bills and mortgage, educate their children ... Then they have the right to begin to speak about the union making sacrifices.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-24628360291288780532014-02-09T09:05:49.494-05:002014-02-09T09:05:49.494-05:00The Israeli health care system has its own rules t...The Israeli health care system has its own rules that can see political and quixotic to outsiders. Nonetheless, Paul's analysis stands out for making clear that management and senior staff ignored their responsibility to run an organization capable of surviving and thriving within its environment. The only external surprises were financial.<br /><br />It's important to note that there are other private hospitals in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Hadassah began with a huge advantage in reputation, and it squandered it.Initial Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03118768451371607255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-574300755183790582014-02-08T20:17:27.409-05:002014-02-08T20:17:27.409-05:00Anon;
I apologize for my inaccurate paraphrasing ...Anon;<br /><br />I apologize for my inaccurate paraphrasing of Paul's statement regarding the funding for the hospital; I did not mean to offend anyone. However, my point remains that the ownership of the hospital is apparently putting it at a disadvantage in funding compared to other Israeli hospitals. And, human nature being what it is worldwide, the ownership opens up an opportunity for all parties to engage in mutual finger-pointing, thus further delaying needed action.<br />Said finger-pointing seems to be continuing in this comment forum.<br /><br />nonlocal MDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-89773454112943819642014-02-08T19:45:25.637-05:002014-02-08T19:45:25.637-05:00Please read the initial post where I say, "Th...Please read the initial post where I say, "The current system of health care finance in Israel works to the disadvantage of HMO. Unlike government and health plan hospitals, it receives no financial support to meet operating deficits. In addition, the system of capping patient revenues that is employed by the health maintenance organizations and the government causes financial losses to accelerate as patient volumes increase. The discounts demanded by the health plans further aggravate this situation." So, there is certainly a problem there. We seem to be vigorously agreeing on these points.<br /><br />But the fact of the matter is that, for years, given those and other issues, HWZOA made up the annual deficit of the hospitals. After Madoff and the market crash, it could not longer do that.<br /><br />This is all public information. There is nothing confidential about it. The other points I raised, likewise, are now widely discussed in the halls of government and the medical community. <br /><br />My main regret about agreeing to the confidentiality earlier was the one made above--more transparency a year ago might have moved things along more quickly to help resolve some of these issues. Now that my report has been distributed more widely, though, the confidentiality of it is no longer was an issue.Paul Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-46011428408050452652014-02-08T19:32:59.456-05:002014-02-08T19:32:59.456-05:00Sorry but when you reply to the first anonymous by...Sorry but when you reply to the first anonymous by saying RIGHT to his/her statement about HWZOA not funding HMO you are adopting his, according to you, mistatement. Now you are inferring that HWZOA by reducing it's funding was the cause of the deficit when you will know that is not true. By saying "why else would the hospital be now so short of cash." Do you know what percentage of the HMO budget HWZOA participated in? I am sure that it is a small percentage and that the Israeli Health Plans are a major contributor to the problem as is the Israeli governments inaction. When it comes to confidentiality there are common professional ethics that you seem to ignore or don't care about.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-58620997836072290322014-02-08T18:40:52.263-05:002014-02-08T18:40:52.263-05:00Dear anon 5:19'
As Paul's turnaround stor...Dear anon 5:19'<br /><br />As Paul's turnaround story at BID exemplified (including the full release of the consultants' report on the hospital), laying the facts on the table for all to see, especially the employees/physicians, is imperative to obtain the engagement you need to stave off failure - never mind the donors. Otherwise you get what you are getting - ostrich-like behavior on the part of all, and imminent failure. The very desire to keep such a report confidential is symptomatic.beverlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13640602293864876951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-37578581719117570852014-02-08T18:19:37.530-05:002014-02-08T18:19:37.530-05:00I didn't say HWZOA doesn't fund Hadassah. ...I didn't say HWZOA doesn't fund Hadassah. I said it doesn't fund Hadassah to the extent it used to, i.e., whatever the annual deficit was. That is fact, or why else would the hospital be now so short of cash?<br /><br />With regard to Isaeli philanthropists, I said that HMO was not permitted to do its own local fund-raising for many years. That is true.<br /><br />As to confidentiality, there is nothing in this report that is proprietary in nature or that is not known to most close observers of the situation. Major donors watching the same situation I have outlined feel betrayed by the failure of governance and leadership of the organization.<br /><br />You can attack the messenger all you want, but the facts on the ground are the facts on the ground.Paul Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-79323317029592399862014-02-08T17:19:18.869-05:002014-02-08T17:19:18.869-05:00I suggest you report the facts as they actually ex...I suggest you report the facts as they actually exist. HWZOA continues to fund the hospital along with philanthropists from around the world including Israel. Your release of what you state was a confidential report because of what you believe were releases to the government is not justified.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-26113417291100655532014-02-08T11:47:10.835-05:002014-02-08T11:47:10.835-05:00Right. There was a time and place (maybe) for con...Right. There was a time and place (maybe) for control by the US organization, but certainly no longer. A sad irony is that HWZOA forbade Hadassah from conducting its own fundraising for many years, especially within Israel. So, guess what: Local philanthropists felt no affinity to the place and gave to other organizations.Paul Levyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17065446378970179507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32053362.post-81409271724048035252014-02-08T11:25:14.081-05:002014-02-08T11:25:14.081-05:00Well, fools rush in where angels fear to tread - b...Well, fools rush in where angels fear to tread - but from my completely outside, non-Jewish perspective, it seems counterproductive to have an Israeli hospital owned by an American (albeit Jewish) organization which no longer funds it, but whose ownership prevents it from access to the funding available to other Israeli hospitals. Notwithstanding all the other problems you cited.<br /><br />nonlocalAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com