Comment on Hospital-Yavapai Regional Medical Center (Phoenix, Prescott: hospitals, good, policies)

[smilinpretty]

DellNec,

Not all hospitals carry anti venom. It is very expensive. In the Inland Empire, San Bernardino County, Loma Linda is the only hospital that carries anti venom. People have to be flown into Loma Linda Hospital for the anti venom.

Living in a rural area is a disavantage when it comes to certain medical procedures. Maybe, since you have this concern, phone the hospital and find out why they don't carry the anti venom.

Dell Nec, since the helicopter ride is so expensive, do you know off hand, if there is a inexpensive insurance policy offered to the citizens who live in the Tri City area, that would cover the cost of the helicopter? Just wondering.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by smilinpretty

Not all hospitals carry anti venom. It is very expensive.

Living in a rural area is a disavantage when it comes to certain medical procedures. Maybe, since you have this concern, phone the hospital and find out why they don't carry the anti venom.

I did, they did not know why. While it is "expensive", that is relative, as most other medications cost a lot more than anti-venom does. Some medications cost 3x more than anti-venom and the hospitals here carry them. So I don't believe it is a cost issue.

Originally Posted by smilinpretty

Dell Nec, since the helicopter ride is so expensive, do you know off hand, if there is a inexpensive insurance policy offered to the citizens who live in the Tri City area, that would cover the cost of the helicopter? Just wondering.

That I would not know about. One would have to call and check with their insurance company to see if they cover that. Like I said, many insurance companies would classify that as not a normal expense and would not cover it. It's like being rescued in the Grand Canyon with a helicopter. 90% of insurance companies will not cover that $10K expense.

Maybe instead of Fain building that $30+ million dollar monstrosity & money losing machine known as Tim's Toyota Center and built a Level One Trauma Center in PV. It would be profitable and help save lives.

[BriansPerspective]

I dug this up. It's well worth reading: Why Prescott does not have a Level One Trauma center

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

I dug this up. It's well worth reading: Why Prescott does not have a Level One Trauma center

Thank you.

In the article it stated:
"The American College of Surgeons - the national physicians group that sets the standards for trauma care - says if trauma patients can get to the right trauma care within the first "golden" hour after their injury, about 300 more Arizonans would survive each year."

The answer as to why Prescott does not have a Level 1 Trauma Center was:

"It doesn't have enough money to pay for the around-the-clock medical care necessary to qualify for the designation."

Which seems absurd as they have enough money to build a $30+ million dollar stadium that is losing $500K a year. It seems absurd that the city and the wealthy land barrens can't get together and pool this money and fund such a place in order to save the lives of people living in Prescott, PV, Dewey, CV, etc.

In the article's comments, a fellow resident said they had a friend who was involved in a car accident and was flown to Phx and the helicopter bill was $22,000

The article also stated:
"In the past few years, the hospital has had about one person a day flown to a Level One Trauma Center from the Prescott area, Taylor said.(Those numbers) may be creeping up a little bit with the increasing population," Taylor said. "

One person a day needed Level One Trauma care in the area, back in pre-2008, yet they still will not build a Level One Trauma care center here. That number is probably more like 2 per day by today's population numbers.

I believe it is a crying shame and a disgrace that the city, when it was rolling in millions of dollars and the land barrens were making millions of dollars, that they could not get together to save the lives of its citizens by building such a facility. Instead, they built failed stadiums, parks and tore apart mountains to get more land to sell to investors.

[BriansPerspective]

So Dell, Here's your homework... find out how much it costs to convert YRMC into a Level One Trauma Care Hospital. I am sure we would all like to know that. As the article states:

"[YRMC] doesn't have enough money to pay for the around-the-clock medical care necessary to qualify for the designation.

Trauma surgeons - and teams of trauma nurses, technicians and anesthesiologists - must be on site at all times. Specialty surgeons, like neurosurgeons, must be available within 30 minutes."

Unfortunately, the article does not tell us the costs involved. Are they an extra $1M/yr, $10M/yr, $50M/yr?

[VLWH]

Originally Posted by BriansPerspective

So Dell, Here's your homework... find out how much it costs to convert YRMC into a Level One Trauma Care Hospital. I am sure we would all like to know that. As the article states:

"[YRMC] doesn't have enough money to pay for the around-the-clock medical care necessary to qualify for the designation.

Trauma surgeons - and teams of trauma nurses, technicians and anesthesiologists - must be on site at all times. Specialty surgeons, like neurosurgeons, must be available within 30 minutes."

Unfortunately, the article does not tell us the costs involved. Are they an extra $1M/yr, $10M/yr, $50M/yr?

The article below discusses a trauma center located in Pennsylvania. They mention a cost of $5-6 million a year. For a small town hospital or even a medium size hospital, this cost is too expensive. Especially when you figure the number of patients treated in the trauma center would be small.

It's time for a Chester County trauma center - Doctors For Medical Liability Reform

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by VLWH

The article below discusses a trauma center located in Pennsylvania. They mention a cost of $5-6 million a year. For a small town hospital or even a medium size hospital, this cost is too expensive. Especially when you figure the number of patients treated in the trauma center would be small.

Actually, according to the Courier, they average 2 patients a day that needs Level 1 Trauma in the Prescott area. So over 730 people a year need that type of care in the Prescott area.

Look, it can be done, if they wanted to. The land barrens and the city made millions and they built a stupid arena that is losing $600K a year. They spent over $30 million to build the arena. That would have covered a Level 1 Trauma center for at least 6 years. Plus with donations, income from treatments, and other areas, the trauma center could run for at least 10 years on those funds.

All they cared about was building housing and making millions. The infrastructure, water resources, police, fire, streets, hospital care, doctors, etc., was not important to them, as it does not make them any money.

I know them (the land barrens) and I despise them. Unfortunately, I have a business in the area and run into them every so often. I act friendly to them but I really think they are piles of dirt and corrupt to the core.

[MZBEA]

It is a FACT that in the rural areas such as Bisbee, Flagstaff, Prescott etc,. the local hospitals DO NOT provide trauma care. This forces most seniors closer to major cities or risk their lives or finances being helocptered out. Two of my rides were out of Bisbee (at best a first aid station)at a cost of 8Grand. In Deming NM, they wouldn't even send an ambulance to take a friend to Silver City for a ruptured appendix.

If you are moving TO anywhere. Do some intense research and don't just count on so-called professionals to tell you the truth. Look at more boards, find a few chat rooms with Arizonans in them, then wiegh the pros and cons based on what YOU are willing to risk/hope for. Also compare tax rates....they are not cheap in the prescott/flagstaff area.

[Azman100]

Actually very few hospitals have anti-venom in stock...even in the larger cities. It has a very limited shelf life, it is in short supply and it is very expensive. The state essentially has a "clearing house" setup if you will. Smaller communities will not have it but can have it transported to the hospitals. Unfortunately I recall a case several years ago where it took about eight hours to get it from Tucson to Sierra Vista (70 miles!). It seems I heard that ASU is one of very few institutions in the US that develop anti-venom.

[Esenjay]

Checked with my insurance, the helicopter ride is covered (after I meet the deductible, regardless of whether I need a ride or not--after the deductible on the policy is met all other costs are carried by the insurer). Guess it really depends on what you have in your policy. If it's a concern then I recommend checking your insurance policy and seeing what it will take to get emergency transportation coverage added in.