"Keeping the Faith" offers this:
My oh my. Ray Humphreys reminds me of a chameleon. He can change his story at the drop of a hat depending on who he is addressing.
It seems that on Friday of last week there was a leadership meeting at which he announced that employees would not be receiving any raises for a year, a hiring freeze is on with no vacancies filled at present, and physicians employed by the hospital are being reviewed at present to make sure they are productive and those who are not will be "let go".
Additionally, that hour of PLT employees lost and were promised to be awarded back have now gone to never never land and will be lost eternally. Ray will also now be reviewing and approving any and all orders including office supplies to make sure he deems that necessary. Also, the employee's insurance coverage/costs will be changing.
He delivered this good news by explaining that he needed only the "team players" around and those who were unhappy should move on down the road. One department director even reported that he suggested that things like employees bringing their own supplies would help to decrease hospital costs and help DRMC stay afloat. I'm sure that sits well with employees as they drive around town and see the exorbitant amount of monies spent needlessly on the lame marketing campaign.
Now, how is that NICU coming, Ray? Booming business there? No, ok, well, then, how about the heart hospital? Hmmm, the new ER looks great, but the wait times are still looming aren't they? Atta boy : )
I have an idea for Ray Humphreys (I know he checks this blog atleast three times daily) ---- RESIGN!
You are the cause of the mess DRMC is in. You took a perfectly stable hospital and ran it in the ground just like Hattiesburg. The only people who are still on Ray's side are his team of administrators who make big bucks by always saying "yes sir, Mr. Humphreys." Not only are the hospital employees fed up, but so are the citizens. Dr. Richards is out of our LSD and now make it a home run by Ray's resignation.
Keeping the Faith
Just wait until next week when Haley slashes 30% from the Hospital Medicaid revenues. Ray will jump on that and spin it to look like DRMC's fiscal woes started August 1, 2008!
True, Medicaid cuts will negatively impact every health care provider in the state, but Ray has only himself to blame for the current state of DRMC. Ray tried to "spend" his way out of debt with frivolous $4 million dollar ad campaigns and and foolish new service lines which turned out to be total fiascoes!
A "chameleon" is not exactly the reptile to which I would most liken Ray, but you are in the right genus. Surely, all of Ray's highly paid physicians will rally to his cries and begin admitting everything from "hang-nails to hemorrhoids" to save his floundering career... a bit too little, too late, I'm afraid.
It appears that the "dog-days of Summer" are upon DRMC. On a positive note... hang in there DRMC employees! You will still all have jobs and stable careers once Ray (and his cronies) have "exited the building".
Forthright
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53 comments:
i see the new vascular sign is up by the old burn center. are there actually employees to work there? drmc seems to put up signs first, which seems ridiculous. i guess when ray leaves, everything will just start rusting---such a waste of money!
To Keeping the faith
Please get your facts straight, but of course I guess no one on this blog is really concerned with facts...
Here are some anyway:
The leadership meeting was held Thursday not Friday.
The part about the "no raises and hiring freeze" is true, but the part about "he delivered this good news by explaining he needed only the team players around and those who were unhappy should move on down the road" is a bald faced lie. That was not said.
Also the part that says "One director reported that Ray suggested employees bring their own supplies" was also a lie, that was not said by Ray or anyone else.
Looks like "Keep the Faith" needs to find other people to keep faith in, because the people that gossiped to Keep the Faith about the DRMC Leadership meeting, told lies which Keep the Faith then posted on this blog.
In response to anonymous at 8:48am:
Yes, there has been a cardiovascular team working at DRMC for quite some time now. They will be moving into the Cardiovascular Center in September. It seems they have outgrown the small CV unit in the DRMC ICU. Perhaps you are thinking of the Neonatal unit.
I know I will sleep better knowing Ray H. will be reviewing and approving all requisitions for equipment and supplies....but wait, isn't that the job of the directors? Shouldn't they be doing their part to cut unnecessary costs so the administrator doesn't have to micro-manage their jobs? Maybe he needs new directors! Party time is over! Better drop those diet cokes and get your hands a little dirty!
And...who will be watching Ray and what he spends? The hospital board?That's a joke!
Hey Anonymous at 7:19 pm...........
Aren't you the rebel?!?! We all know Ray has instructed all of you not to read or participate in this evil blog. Oh MY! A leadership member posting here? (gasp) Call that code!
And, while you are clearing up all of our ignorant and horrendous facts, can you also clarify the real state of finances at DRMC? There are so many different versions published and discussed by administrators. Thanks a mill, anon!
Guess who is getting ready to build a house on Lake Washington? None other than Mr. Humphreys himself. If you have ever checked that land is not cheap, Someone must be doing pretty dawg gone good at DRMC. I personally wouldn't send my Dog there, which is really sad because we do have some good doctors there.
I guess there are a lot of people that have nothing better to do than worry what others are doing. If Ray wants to build a house on Lake Washington, so be it, if Ralph wants to drive a Hummer, so be it. People have the right to spend their money however they choose. For those of you that only complain and fuss about the problems where are your solutions? Eliminating Ray doies not fix all of our problems. We still do not have enough physicians, we still have crappy demographics and still have a declining population base. That was a problem before Ray got here. That was a problem in the "glory days" when good ole Bert Whitaker was here. As for not using our health care, if you have a true emergency good luck getting somewhere else because time is always of essence! To make things better you must have solutions to the things you constantly complain and moan about!
Anon at 1:37 pm...and your solution is?
Wow !! Looks like we are getting some feedback from the Hospital finally.
I agree with 1:37. This blog is a breeding ground for disgruntled, disengaged coach potatoes who get their jollies by anonymously attacking people by name! That's so unfair! IF YOU HAVE PROOF THAT MR. H (or anyone else in any venue) IS BREAKING THE LAW OR DOING ANYTHING REMOTELY ILLEGAL, YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO REPORT IT TO THE AUTHORITIES IN CHARGE. Otherwise, please don't use this space to gossip or threaten or besmirch someone's name. I have no loyalty to Mr. H, and have never worked for him, but it is staggeringly obvious that former employees have chosen to use this forum to attack the man they hold responsible for their current state of life. Move on.
I'd like to hear some GOOD news for a change.
if u you don't like the content on this blog, then YOU should move on. It was absolutely ridiculous to waste all that money on advertising. when all the doctors and nurses are gone, there won't be any need to advertise.
I'm a current employee and I can tell you that most of us are disgruntled with Mr. Humphrey's actions. He has damaged our hospital beyond repair. For most of us, this is the only forum we have available to air our concerns. You don't dare it at work for fear of being fired. I need my job. This blog does do some good. If it didn't, it wouldn't be on Humphrey's hit list. He discusses the impact of "the" blog at most meetings for leadership. So, if you don't want to read the blog here, just don't. But you can bet the DRMC employees such as myself won't stop telling the truth. In fact, everyone I've talked to at work is encouraged by Dr. Richard's resignation in Leland, it gives us all hope.
4:16pm is right. If you do not agree 100% with the administrator, nursing administration, and the directors, you are not considered a "team player". It may not be "verbalized" in leadership meetings but it is certainly implied and this message is relayed to the staff by the directors. If you express a difference in opinion, your job is definitely at risk.
There are some administrative people that will deliberately try to provoke employees to the point of anger so they can then turn around,report them, and have them fired.
The dictatorship mentality did not disappear with AW. Organizations mirror the true ethics/values of their top leader and dispose of those that refuse to participate in devious practices.
As for reporting inappropriate / unethical actions, you are required to go through convoluted internal processes in which the evidence suddenly disappears, nothing ever gets done, and everyone pleads ignorance of the situation. Then you are labeled a "scalawag" or fired for some other asinine reason.
Not a pleasant atmosphere to work in! Due to the politics at the hospital, this blog site gives employees an opportunity to let the community know the "inside story", without putting their jobs in jeopardy. And yes, after Leland's success story, there is hope.
This is me again from the 1:37 anon post. I do not have the solution to the problems at DRMC. I am NOT an employee there but it is still my hospital because Greenville is home. No one has any answers to the problems other than "fire Ray-Ray". Then what??? The problems are still there. Is getting rid of Ray going to get more Docs? No. Is getting rid of Ray going to get rid of indigent/self pay and Medicaid only patients? No. If I had the answers I would be able to retire because this is a problem throughout our country. For those of you that are employees, if you are performing your job and your evals support your work they can not fire you just because they want to. If they did you could find any local attorney and own them. If you are worried about being fired maybe your job performance isn't what it needs to be. Bottom line is there are many problems and Ray is not your answer to all of them. You can say what you want but he has tried and until the medical community and the local community support the hospital and physicians, not Ray, then the problems will not go away!
I agree with the above comment. Life is not always easy. Pull up your big boy/girl underwear and deal with it. A lot of the people that do nothing but comlain here need to get over it. Things are not what they were when the tow boat industry was so strong, when cotton was king and the Delta was flourishing. Guess what it never will be that way again. Greenville will NEVER be what it was in the 60's and 70's so quit whining. If you are not part of the solution then YOU are part of the problem. So what part are you? And for all of you that say "I need to keep my job" if you are a good health care provider you can get a good job anywhere so pack up if are unhappy and hit the highway! Maybe you will learn some things about "the grass not being so green" in other places
Changing the topic to a positive direction. How about the news in Thursday DDT? Bamboo the new cash crop and industry answer to the delta economic woes.
quote -
*Bamboo is not yet sold as a commodity, but Johnson said he hopes the Chicago Climate Exchange will begin trading the plant early next year.
Even after farmers harvest their bamboo, Johnson wants the crop to stay in the Delta. Johnson envisions building factories that will turn the bamboo into all the products that Heinricher brought with her on her Delta tour.
“We're looking from origination of the raw material all the way to the end-user product being grown, made, sold, distributed right from here,” Johnson said.
Johnson estimates that the start-up costs for growing bamboo will be about $600 an acre, and he hopes to begin planting as early as this fall.*
READ MORE: http://www.ddtonline.com/articles/2008/07/31/news/news1.txt
This sounds like a good possibility for Greenville and the farmers. Will the community support the efforts of the DEDC and get behind it or will they complain, do nothing and miss, once again, another opportunity???
I say, let's go after any thing that can bring back jobs and industry, this sounds like a great idea and one within reach. I vote YES!
Way to go DEDC and Mr. Ed Johnson-President of DEDC!!! Cudos for your efforts and finding new idea solutions for old problems.
In response to 10:31: That is part of the problem. People are leaving the Delta. It is easier to leave than to stay and fight the problems. Are you part of the solution? Do you support DRMC or do you go elsewhere for your healthcare? I don't think encouraging good healthcare workers to leave the Delta is the solution. I think Mr. Ed Johnson is on the right track by attempting to bring new industry into the Delta.
DRMC was a much better place before Ray Humphreys. The problems such as indigent care, Medicaid, and doctor shortage are problems faced by all hospitals. The concerns voiced here are internal issues which directly and negatively impact YOUR healthcare. I have my big girl panties on and I can tell you that I am not going anywhere. I will definitely out-stay Ray Humphreys and the rest of his "administration". This is my home and I do care about healthcare in our Delta. Unless you work there, you cannot understand. Put it this way - If you have a tumor growing inside you, are you going to remove it? Or are you going to ignore it and let it continue to grow and gain more and more power over you? Ray is DRMC's tumor. He has self-centeredly made decisions that were irrational and plain old bad business. He's had his chance and he's failed. Remove him.
New industry in the Delta? Yes, we need it. Bravo to anyone who is bringing our depressed area hope.
I'm all about that BAMBOO!
Just imagine... a bamboo factory. We grow it and produce bamboo blinds, bamboo flooring, bamboo baskets, trays, picture frames, etc. There is no end to the possibilities! I am all for that Bamboo too! Think of the jobs that would be created. All in our own little Delta! Delta Bamboo - what a wonderful idea!
The previously known as "Greenville Chamber of Commerce", now known as the "Delta Economic Development Center" has a new and shiny web site, copy and paste: http://www.deltaedc.com/intro_page.html
Bamboo is one of the most popular "Green" resources. It does in fact grow very well in this delta, many have it growing in their own backyards for decor. It grows prolifickly and can overcome large areas quickly.
I think it is a fanatastic idea that the entire city and Washington county region should stand up and shout about it. Let's support this excitng direction!
Contact Ed Johnson to discuss these new agribusiness opportunities in Washington County: e-mail - ejohnson@deltaedc.com
or 662-378-3141 and let him know we do care and we appreciate all of his and the DEDC efforts to bring in jobs and industry to the Greenville region and that we are all ready to climb on board to make it happen.
It does sound exciting. Maybe letters to the editors in the local DDT supporting this new direction would encourage farmers, bankers, city and country leaders, and investors to get with the program. The sooner the better.
Contact Ross Riley at: rossreily@ddtonline.com
or leave a "sound off" of support to the paper on today's follow up article, copy and paste: http://www.ddtonline.com/articles/2008/08/01/news/news1.txt
This is something that every City and County leader should be jumping to be involved in, if not, they will be left behind (leaving us behind with them) and some other county or region will take it and run with it. Don't let this happen...AGAIN!!!!
i am a nurse at drmc. first and foremost i want to say how thankful to be in this profession. it is a very rewarding job. i have been with drmc from the first day of being a nurse. i love the place. plain and simple i thank God for drmc. there may be days we are so busy we feel like falling down, but talk to other nurses in other hospitals, they have the same days. i have heard the negative comments and it just saddens me that people are such haters. if all of you would put as much energy into prayer for mr. H as you do running him down maybe you would start to see changes that would satisfy you. you are not in control, God is!! we are blessed to have this facility. we are not appreciated or respected by the public. daily i go to work and subject myself to health risk. how many of you have sat on the bedside of a dying Aids patient and hold their hand and pray for them until they take their last breath, how many of you big humphrey blasters know about the cards he personally writes and sends to an employee on a job well done, i have recieved such a card before and did not know anyone recognized anything i did, but he did notice and it meant more to me to get that note than to get a raise!! raises are expected in employeement, praise is not. I love drmc, i would NOT have the job of running this business, i would not have sense enough to be honest, and neither would most of you who hate on the place. i know every one has an opinion, but how many of these opinions are based on fact. there are disgruntled employees at drmc i know many of them, and like i tell them, leave, but the grass is not always greener on the other side. i am curious to know how many of you are satisfied in your own lives? it appears that you feed off of gossip and misery. be carefull that will cause health problems and like it or not you just may be dependant upon the very sevices in which you complain against, and if you do need our services we will be here for you. as far as the waiting in the ER, your right there have been long waits, i have been in several ERs in Little Rock not as a nurse, as a patient. the waits there are just as long if not sometimes longer. you must realize that some people are just sicker than others, pure and simple and there is a priority of care that we have to follow. the child with the runny nose for 2 days that comes into the er at 7p (2hrs, after clinics close) will more than likely not get treated as quickly as that person or persons that are in with a heart attack, an active bleed, or any other diagnosis that can be life threatning, now does this mean that the child with the runny nose is not important, no it doesn't but is does mean that that child may have to wait for a while. No i am not an ER nurse, but i do know how it goes. there are people at work who read these messages and are swayed by negative opinions, they bring that to work with them and you can tell they let it effect their job performance. this should not be so. so again i ask that the energy spent on "hating" on mr. humphreys and drmc would better be used to pray to our God and Father for strength for the whole staff. Pray for the patients, and pray for yourselves. i pray for you all, may God in heaven give you all peace.
I, too, work at DRMC and have been there since I graduated nursing school. I do pray for our hospital and its leaders almost every day. However, I will not pretend that all is ok when its not. It is time for change. Just because I think Bush is no longer the man for the president's job doesn't mean I hate him. Same goes for Humphreys. He has had his chance and it has not worked; in fact, I've seen many things change (and not for the good) so let's give someone else a chance and bring DRMC back to what it once was.
4:04 pm - Beautifully stated and we agree 100%.
Not all of us agree I think Mr. H. is doing a Graet job with what he has to work with it is sad our on people is stabbing our hospital in the back "shame on you" lets talk about the real truth there have been 265 families leave greenville in the last 12 months I guess this is rays fault two wrong try your great mayor and her staff wake up people lets face the real facts not so much of the made of mess about Ray Humphreys and DRMC
We lost a Great employeee because of this blog junk I think this site should be removed off of the internet for good.
in the "8:40 pm" comment, are you referring to allyson as the great employee? i would hate to see this blog leave because i enjoy reading it every day. how do you know 265 families have left? just curious.
Yes, and of those 265 families, how many were employed in the healthcare system here?
AW didn't leave because of this blog...she jumped off a sinking ship. I have to say, she is the smartes of Humphrey's crew. She knows what is about to happen!
Out of the 265 families that have left Gville my family is not one of them.
With that said i will tell you that my family for the first time in 50 yrs is now seeking healthcare outside of DRMC. The reason is not because of the staff but because of the leadership that has been inaffective and created a morale problem among its employees.
The hospital board of trustees needs to address the problem because i do know they are aware of it.
Statistics show that Greenville's been losing roughly 300 people year if my memory serves correctly. That is regardless of jobs or industry in which a person works.
But, no matter how the population shrinks, it seems to be 300 people or so leaving (not families). So, the percentage of population loss ticks upward each year if trend is holding. I admit that I've not followed the trend since the early and mid 2000's.
If you count local births against deaths, the population increases yearly by a tiny amount. But, the departure of people (in family units) offsets the gains and creates a population deficit.
So you're actually losing more than 300 working people a year - these people share the demographic in that they have the means to relocate, meaning they likely work, have children or leave for college NOT to return. I blogged about this a few years ago when I noticed the trend in U.S. Census data.
It creates a population of the underage and the senior....neither of which, statistically, have much disposable income or the desire to purchase new homes. A fifty percent rate of renters in the housing market means property tax payers are highly concentrated among the shrinking ranks of families.
A blog did not do this.....economic trends, educational system quality, the outside world's view of the region's quality of life and many local residents' "grass is greener elsewhere" philosophy are taking its toll.
No hospital can change it. No blog can change it, but the blog can speak candidly using respectful dialogue to highlight its viewpoints - points that can get muddled in emotion but accurately reflect street sentiment. Street sentiment is your "word of mouth" advertising that no billboards or slogans can offset.
No hospital administrator can change the fact that DRMC's bread and butter customer is the government. There are too many subsidized patients that privately insured patients won't make much of a difference at all, but their absence will reduce the need for more advance care facilities that may or may not enjoy government reimbursement as a payment method.
I believe DRMC is trend-setting in this regard. A national and universal healthcare system will force many hospitals nationwide to reflect the current realities and perceptions enjoyed and lamented by medical professionals in Greenville. V.A. hospitals may also offer a "taste" federally controlled, universal health coverage. Bureaucrats and politicians control the purse strings and they'll tighten them. Throw out your local admins and I doubt you see much difference in things unless you possibly work at DRMC and morale is a daily issue.
But, that' s not a majority of the public.
Thank you for reading,
LR
Everyone should find this interesting:
http://www.city-data.com/city/Greenville-Mississippi.html
(Please realize the some population loss may be just out of Greenville and into the county)
To Anonymous:
Fair call on the folks who may move from the city into the Washington County. I can't recall if my informal research included Washington County in tracking migration patterns.
But, the analysis is accurate regarding city tax base and a good bet says most of those people moving aren't moving into the county. Track the kids and the jobs.
I'd love someone more local to squeeze numbers as the Delta and its facets will always amaze me though I'm no longer there. And, the numbers won't lie to you.
Local Reflector
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/28/28151.html
The website above is federal gov't estimates and my hunch about recent trends appears to hold up (read the two previous postings).
Washington County had just over 59,000 residents at the beginning of 2005. 2006 estimate placed that number at 58,000 for the entire county. Most of these people live in Greenville.
Interestingly enough (but comparing data from different years), the Washington County estimated 2006 census is 58,007. In 2000, the Census counted 13,180 citizens as having a disability.
That's 1 in every 4.4 Washington County residents. Is that a high number? I've not compared it.
JCAHO showed up today. I hear there were some scared rabbits at the ole general hospital this hot august day.
Nothing to be afraid of unless there is something to hide. If people would get off their power trips and start doing their jobs properly, JCAHO would not be so "scary". One important part of JCAHO standards is "effective communication" which is lacking at DRMC. Communication is difficult when dictators are trying to keep everyone in the dark.
i assume JCAHO is Ray?
Joint Commission Accreditation on Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) sets standards for healthcare organizations and issues accreditation to organizations that meet those standards. They make periodic on-site surveys to confirm that accredited hospitals (and other healthcare facilities) comply with Joint Commission standards.
Does anyone know what is going on at Bolivar Medical Center. I hear that several key personnel have been terminated and no one seems to know why. What is the Scoop?
how is ray faring with jahco?
Bolivar's CEO Steve Nichols has been relived of his duties. The HR director David Kent has been relived of his duties. Why?
Now lets get something straight, I'm not an employee of DRMC.
However, I've been a nurse at several hospitals in the past (I'm recently retired)...in Mississippi and surrounding states (AR and LA). Everything that I'm reading about the administration at DRMC is the exact same thing that I've seen and heard about the hosptital administration at the hospitals that I've worked at in the past (this is not unique to DRMC). This is nothing new in the healthcare field or any other field for that matter. I've never worked in a place where people didn't complain about upper management. One of the earlier posters had it right when they said that you need to grow up. You are doing nothing for our community or our healthcare by dredging for dirt on people.
It seems that people in this area love nothing more than complain about the Delta (Greenville in particular). I love living here! Get over it; keep your chin up.
forthwright, where are you? please update us!
I can't understand why hospitals go broke. The amount that they charge should keep them afloat!
Because no one pays their bills, government cuts, indigent care. The same way people go broke when they stop getting paid.
JCAHO update - 15 RFI's. Not good
15 out of what?? hows it scored??
What is a "RFI"?
RFI - RECOMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT.
Thanks. Are these minor or major recommendations?
My father is an employee at DRMC. We have moved around plenty of times in the years i've been growing up because of his field of work such as Louisiana, Hawaii, and California, and i must say that this is the best place that i have lived in. Every place has their problems but what define the problems is how the community and employees take it an deal with it. Someone can drag it out and make it dreadful or try to fix it and be optimistic. In 3 years i do plan on working for DRMC and i couldn't be happier. Hospitals of all types are under attack. If it isn't from their payor sources (Medicare, Medicaid, Managed Care), it's from a lack of resouces to maintain their facilities and equipment, or the availability of qualified staff. Be happy that DRMC is not a for profit hospital. When it comes to a choice between profits and people guess what wins?
Where did you buy those rose tinted glasses? I would like to get a pair. Don't believe for one second that non-profit hospitals don't sacrifice patient care over making a profit! I have seen it on multiple occasions. Better come down from that caslte in the sky before you start work at the hospital or you will be sorely disillusioned.
It just makes one feel good to observe the innocence of Anonymous at 10:05 am. I agree that for profit hospitals are not the best places to work, however; DRMC is all about profit in it's own way. They sacrifice patient care everyday -- trust me, I've seen it first hand. It's sad, but true. And, sooner or later (and probably not too much later) DRMC will be sold as Ray H and his administration have created an enormous debt that cannot be repaid. Employees like myself who have been there nearly twenty years have seen it coming since the first couple of years Ray started his "vision". DRMC is not a bad place, it has just been run by bad folks. There are some dang good doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, lab techs, and even clerical folks working there with good hearts and concern for our community and our hospital. We just need a new leader!
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