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Who's worse than the Gardner Museum thieves? Partners Healthcare, former CEO at competitor says
By adamg on Fri, 06/20/2014 - 8:30am
Paul Levy, former CEO at Beth Israel Hospital, explains why Partners has stolen more from Massachusetts residents than the value of all the stolen Gardner paintings.
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Comments
Thanks for the great link!
Good work sharing gems Adam.
Gratitude
I am very grateful to have access to the best medical care in the world. One really can't put a price on someone's life.
You might not put a price on it, but there's definitely a cost!
That blog had nothing to do with the doctors and staff that are employed by Partners. They - like the health care workers at the other hospitals in this area - are no doubt ethical, professional and committed to saving lives.
What Paul Levy is talking about are the executives who are running Partners. He's alleging that the people running the business have deliberately used its market power to extract excessive amounts of money from the local economy (that'd be you and me and everyone here). If true, this would not only be fiscal malfeasance, but would also mean that fewer people are being cured/saved than possible.
To put it in (admittedly too simplistic) terms, if health care company A spends X dollars to save 100 lives, and company B spends 2X dollars to save 100 lives, then the contributing community has spent a total of 3X dollars to save 200 lives. But if both companies were using their funds with similar competency, then we might expect that 300 lives could have been saved.
We all know that there's not a bottomless supply of dollars for health care. So if Partners is taking in way more than other health care systems that operate similarly, then regardless of how dedicated and accomplished their doctors and staff are, that enterprise is still costing the community lives.
Mr. Levy has made the allegation, it will be interesting to see if independent journaists can confirm any of it.
Exactly right, Jeff
We are all grateful for the commitment to healing from Partners as well as from the other hospitals and doctors in the region. Those doctors, nurses, and others are well intentioned and highly trained and well intentioned.
This post isn't about that. It is about the business enterprise that used its market power to extract too many dollars from our people and employers.
It's all right to believe in both the dedication of the individual staff members while also understanding that the corporation abused its market power.
This is why I don't call it "health care"
Because the people selling it don't care. Let's not pretend that Partners is Mother Teresa.
levy's crooked anyways
He's crooked anyways. I think he's just mad that he's out of work and probably will never work in Boston (at least in a hospital setting) again. (since most are owned by PHS)
BUT
I agree with him. I've often wondered how PHS can be so large, yet still be a "non-profit". At some point, you really are no longer a non-profit and just masquarding as one.
But I also say the same thing about other 'non profits' here in MA that are nothing more than cash machines for the executives.. like BCBS of MA, Tufts Health Plan, and several others. Its time to stop these types of activities and stop allowing these large 'corporations' from being NP so they can avoid paying their fair share of taxes.
Not looking . . .
for work in the hospital setting in Boston, cybah. I have plenty of other things to do around the world in this field and others. But I appreciate your gracious endorsement! :)
Meanwhile, the point you make about PHS is a good one!