[photobuff42]

This story was so sad. How is the recession affecting other medical care in Vegas? It was hard enough to find a doctor or get an appointment before things got bad.

I hope things will get better soon.

The Recession's Impact: Closing The Clinic - CBS News

[jfkIII]

I think the media now officially hates Las Vegas. Not saying bad things aren't happening there (as they also are in other places)...but the media (including LV's own) seem to thrive for a bad LV story these days. **** sells, I guess.

[photobuff42]

Originally Posted by jfkIII

I think the media now officially hates Las Vegas. Not saying bad things aren't happening there (as they also are in other places)...but the media (including LV's own) seem to thrive for a bad LV story these days. **** sells, I guess.

I agree--that's always been the case. For a brief while I dated the assistant news director at channel 13. He knew they got a lot of stories wrong, but if they didn't no one would watch.

[nwlv]

There's a lot worse ****e than that happening.

[Buzz123]

Since the beginnings of Las Vegas, nearly all news stories in every part of the country, especially the extremely jealous L.A. Times, have always focused on, and sensationalized, anything and everything that might show Las Vegas in a bad light. If they can't find something that actually happened they make something up. That is true of all news media about anything they report, but Las Vegas has always been a special object of their attention. I worked in the business for 32 years. I know people think there are exceptions to this statement, but there aren't: You cannot believe anything you read in a newspaper or hear on a TV or radio newscast. Absolutely nothing. I'm sure if the guy from 13 was completely honest with you, he would tell you that when a reporter is given an assignment to "cover" a story, he/she is told how to present it, what to say, and the story is written before they even go out to "cover" it. It's the main reason my wife gave up her career as a TV anchor/reporter, and why some of my production camera people would refuse to fill in for sick or vacationing news photographers.

I can't tell you how many surveys we paid to have done where people asked to hear something positive now and then, and various News Directors just laughed about it, and actually would say that people only say that because it sounds good, and they aren't smart enough to know what they want. They would just sneer about it, and continue sensationalizing what are generally non-events. In fact, if you pay attention, the promos for upcoming stories are presented better than the story, but they are sensationalized even more. Ever seen a promo that made you watch for the story, and when it was finally on halfway through the last segment of the cast, it fell completely flat, and didn't make any sense? Happens everyday. Lies never make any sense.

As far as most managers who could do something about if they wanted to, they like having the power to ruin people with lies and innuendos, and making money hand over fist by selling that crap to gullible people who watch TV news and read newspapers. So the next time you get all worked up over a story, remember, it's 99% sure to be a total lie. About all you can get from it is that something probably happened, but you will never know what it was. If you don't believe me, just watch for a story about something you know about, or are a part of. At the very least it will be full of errors.

[nwlv]

It cost Dan Rather his job.

[MomMom]

UMC Cancer Clinic has run out of money. Donations are way down and the budget cuts have taken their toll. Indigents and those with no medical insurance will be the sufferers and victims because of this.

The other hospitals with special cancer units and the Nevada Cancer Institute will definately not treat those with NO insurance and who can't pay for their services.

Some of our charity food banks/soup kitchens are feeling the pinch as well.

[jfkIII]

Maybe The Honorable Mayor Goodman should practice some compassion?

"This time Goodman’s tentative solution is to find five acres somewhere in the city, away from residences and businesses, and move the homeless people — forcibly if necessary, and if he can find a way to make it constitutional — to that spot. It could be a place “where they can bother each other, steal from each other, shoot drugs with each other, drink with each other,” Goodman said."

Growing homeless settlement vexes business, Goodman - Las Vegas Sun

I remember Scrooge saying something vaguely similar in 'A Christmas Carol'.

[RedRockAAAA]

Weren't there a lot of stories back when UMC first got into trouble that the management caused the downfall? Was the lady on 60 minutes a part of that management?

You can't lose some of the "funding" like Medicare and Medicaid unless you become 'un'certified. Becoming uncertified is difficult to do. Meaning, you truly have to screw up.

If privately owned hospitals are making money, and they are, why would a public hospital go broke?

I'm not sure who it would be, but every person needing care also needs a person to advocate for them. When you are very sick, the last thing you are able to do is jump through the hoops of medical providers.

[uncle_el]

Originally Posted by RedRockAAAA

Weren't there a lot of stories back when UMC first got into trouble that the management caused the downfall? Was the lady on 60 minutes a part of that management?

You can't lose some of the "funding" like Medicare and Medicaid unless you become 'un'certified. Becoming uncertified is difficult to do. Meaning, you truly have to screw up.

If privately owned hospitals are making money, and they are, why would a public hospital go broke?

i'm not sure who it would be, but every person needing care also needs a person to advocate for them. When you are very sick, the last thing you are able to do is jump through the hoops of medical providers.

medicare and medicaid are two different things.

medicare is paid for by federal tax dollars.
medicaid is paid for by state taxes... given that there is no state income tax, the funding for medicaid is rather low in the state of nevada.

also, outpatient services (which this clinic is/was) are paid for in a different manner. medicaid has the patient pay a co-pay ($10-20), and then pays a flat fee for provided service. most providers find that a purely medicaid patient actually costs money to see. i.e. if you only can collect $15 from the patient, but it costs you $18, it becomes not worth your time. also, certain services medicaid may not pay for.

strangely enough, with the way that rules/laws/regulations are written, you cannot bill medicaid services, and then charge them what you want. i didn't see the 60 minutes segment, but it could be a financial move on the part of umc to de-enroll/not sign up to be a provider of medicaid services on the outpatient side.

as far as private hospitals versus public hospitals... the payor mix is quite different, and thus the services offered can be drastically different. unfortunately, medicine is a business like any other business, and that which pays drives services. in other words, procedures and surgeries make money. taking care of patients, not so much.
so, private hospitals drive up outpatient procedures- elective heart caths, elective low risk outpatient surgeries, outpatient stress tests, etc.... and get away from (or curtail) providing money losing services.

thus, new hospitals seem to try and build a lot of operating/procedure romms/suites; while having a lower number of inpatient hospital beds than one would think. while not in our city, la recently opened a new county facility. it has a lower number of beds than the "old county", even though the population of la has risen dramatically between the time "old county" was built and now. but the payment of services was also different at that time.

add to that, the under-insured/uninsured population at umc is drastically different (read: higher) than at summerlin/st rose san martin/ st rose siena. having a high percentage of people with low or no payment status definitely affects a hospital's bottomline. yes, charity care is a tax write off, but it's not as though the tax write off is dollar for dollar.