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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us October 18, 2005 In defense of Ashland Community Hospital I was very surprised and deeply disappointed by Joy Craddick’s Guest Forum Oct. 10 (“What is happening to Ashland Community Hospital?”) Her statements were inaccurate, self-aggrandizing and mean-spirited. Dr. Craddick is not, nor has she ever been a member of the medical staff at ACH; she neither admits nor consults on patients at our hospital. She is a retired pediatric cardiologist, with very distant “quality assurance” experience; she was not and is not involved in the “quality assurance and risk management system” at ACH. She does use our laboratory for blood tests on her patients. Dr. Craddick practices “alternative and complementary medicine” for patients with cancer, although she is not an oncologist or a nutritionist. Joy has been very involved in the attempts to establish the Integrative Cancer Center, which would be a for-profit, private corporation combining traditional, non-traditional and “holistic” approaches in the treatment of cancer. It is a worthy project. However, the people involved in this enterprise hoped to use both the coffers and the influence of our hospital to build their center. After months, even years of meetings, the Board of Directors and the Medical Staff have written letters of support for the concept of such a center, but feel that the huge financial investment requested by the organizers is not the best use of the limited funds of our community hospital. This decision was evolving long before the departure of our former CEO, Jim Watson. The new surgical wing was also begun before Jim’s retirement. Surgery has been the backbone of our hospital’s ability to provide high quality care in every area, including OB, ER, In-patient care, ICU, Radiology, etc. It makes sense to invest our funds there, in-house, where it will benefit and support all of our patients. Our administrator, Mark Marchetti, arrived just as multiple factors converged to create the financial problems so well described by Dr. Doug Morrison last week. These financial pressures, which are present throughout the Valley and the state, were particularly startling for our hospital, which has enjoyed remarkable financial success over the past decade. Mark has had to make some very difficult decisions and has sought advice and guidance from his employee managers, the Board of Directors and the physicians. His goal has been to create a more efficient, but still caring, high-quality organization that can remain creative and flexible in these challenging times. Despite their sorrow at losing some of their co-workers, I believe that the majority of the employees and the physicians understand the need for these changes and are optimistic about the future of our great little hospital…emphasis is still on the “great!” Jean A. Keevil, MD Chief of Staff Ashland Community Hospital I was astounded by Dr. Joy Craddick’s recent guest forum. She states that “I have not spoken to a single person in our community who is pleased with the current hospital administration.” Does she live a very sheltered life? To my knowledge, Dr. Craddick has never attended the monthly medical staff meetings, has never been on any medical staff committee, and I am not sure she has ever admitted a patient to this hospital. I have been in active practice in this community for 33 years, and have seen our hospital go through several hospital administrators. I have been on the ACH Board of Directors for more than 10 years in the recent past. I am on the ACH Hospital Foundation because I believe in this hospital and want the community to support it. I consider every employee in this hospital my friend, and when the hospital had to cut back, I felt bad, but I understand. We were overstaffed. Every business sees this at times. I really miss those who are gone, and I am sorry for them. Dr. Craddick, I would like you to know that I appreciate, support and will stand up for our hospital administrator at this time without hesitation. In addition, I think the vast majority of physicians in our community endorse him, unless they had professional and financial attachment to the “Integrated Cancer Center” that the hospital apparently could not financially support. Before anyone wants to declare conflict of interest, I will do it at this time. My wife, Carolyn Johnson, R.N., has been supportive of this hospital as long as I, is active in the administration, and is well-known in this community as the hospital spokesperson for many years. ACH recently initiated a Hospice Program, Ashland Hospital Hospice and Palliative Care Services, and I have agreed to be the medical director for this program in my time off. This is a new program already making its recognition in our community. Mr. Mark Marchetti, my hat is off to you for doing a great job. Bruce E. Johnson, M.D. Southern Oregon Family Practice Dr. Craddick’s letter may be misleading to those not well acquainted with issues she raises. Dr. Craddick does not admit patients nor does she attend staff meetings. If she did, she would have spoken to many people who think the administrator, Mark Marchetti, is doing an excellent job. Her comments about him are offensive and untrue. He has a really tough job ahead, but he is more than capable of meeting the challenge. She is correct that we have a highly effective quality assurance and risk management system. As a staff member and admitting physician, I am privy to this information and I am not aware of any indicator that the quality of care at the hospital has slipped in any measurable way. We all constantly strive to improve the care at the hospital, and we succeed. Her careless statements about declining quality are an insult to all of us who work at and with the hospital. And I believe those statements to be false. The hospital still exists, but as far as I can determine, Medical Management Analysis International Inc. doesn’t. The idea for an integrative cancer center was discussed at several medical staff meetings. The staff endorsed the concept in general terms. But when we were asked to approve a specific plan as presented by several physicians and a local developer, we as a staff declined to do so. My “no” vote was based primarily on ethical issues. The single oncology physician participating in the presentation indicated that Medicare payments would not be accepted. People with Medicare only would essentially be sent away. Dr. Craddick’s current clinic, as well, accepts neither Medicare nor private insurance according to her Web site, but requires payment at the time services are rendered. She has an office-based practice where she treats oncology patients, a field in which she is not board certified or university trained. I have practiced geriatric medicine in Ashland for over nine years. I am committed to the care of the elderly. The idea of turning away a cancer patient because they are not wealthy and have only Medicare is abhorrent. If Dr. Craddick can only succeed financially in this manner, then I will be proud to fail knowing I tried without bias against the less fortunate. Funding an institution that treats only the wealthy is not consistent with the mission of Ashland Community Hospital. Those designing an integrative cancer center have lots more work to do. They have great ideas for a lovely building, lots of vitamins and minerals, massage therapists, healers, and oncologists; they only forgot about — oops — the patients. Tom Margulies Ashland DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams