Huron Releases Final Analysis of Proposed Plan for Lakewood

[Jennifer Pae]

http://www.onelakewood.com/city-of-lake ... -hospital/

http://www.onelakewood.com/wp-content/u ... report.pdf

[Bridget Conant]

Consultant: someone you hire to produce a report with the results and recommendations you want.

I've seen this done repeatedly. A company wants to close an office or division. Hire a consultant to evaluate the situation. Recommendation - close it- surprise!

It gives them something to show the employees and other affected - a rationale for what they already planned to do. It just looks so "well-thought out" if you have a fancy report.

I'm sure people can see through this.

[Jeff Dreger]

This caught my eye as I skimmed:

"The City may also consider other factors not specifically investigated in this report such as (i) the impact on employment in the City and (ii) whether or not the City feels it has a responsibility to ensure that acute care services are provided within Lakewood."

I think the answer to (ii) is presently "or not".

Has there been any independent work on (i) ?

Fairly limited scope to the study so it's part of a larger whole in the decision making process and not something you hang your hat on.

[Bridget Conant]

Sort of amazing that they haven't investigated the impact on the employment, no?

As for the second point Jeff made, a lot of people in this city feel that this move is socially unjust. Moving critical services from a working class suburb out to a wealthier suburb is an issue no one from the city wants to formally address. Yes, it's happening elsewhere, as well, but wouldn't it be amazing if we banded together and said to them, "Enough!"

Lakewood would be a national model if we stood up to the moneyed decision-makers and said "no, we aren't going to roll over and let money dictate who gets quality care and where." There are community hospitals that are holding on. If we REALLY wanted one, we'd be spending time researching successful community hospitals and how to accomplish it here.

[Jeff Dreger]

In other news, Huron Consulting can't even accurately predict its own company's trends...

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... g-promised

"announcing the Chicago firm would add 400 to 600 jobs by 2015. Three years later, it hasn't happened."

[Bridget Conant]

Exactly!

[Jim O'Bryan]

Sort of amazing that they haven't investigated the impact on the employment, no?

Why have them do a study on something you know would kill the deal? I mean they told
the $500,000 consultants what they wanted back, and got it. This group is playing us
for the fools they see in the mirror.

Mayor Summers will go down in history as the worst mayor ever. Mary Louise as the
worst Council President ever. I also think that when done, he will be seen as the head of
the biggest group of thugs, profiteers, ever. I am sure then this is done, Anthony Sinagra's
family will ask me to stop using this image as much as Summers supporters hate it now!



.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Mayor Summers will go down in history as the worst mayor ever. Mary Louise as the
worst Council President ever. I also think that when done, he will be seen as the head of
the biggest group of thugs, profiteers, ever. I am sure then this is done, Anthony Sinagra's
family will ask me to stop using this image as much as Summers supporters hate it now!

Brought to you by the person that broke the "LeBron James coming back" 36 hours
before CAVs' announcement. With facts

Brought you "Ed FitzGerald's campaign over at noon tomorrow," 24 hours early. With facts

And the "hospital was closing" 6.5 months before the mayor would tell you,
had I not broke the story. With facts

Also was the guy that did not back down as hundreds told me I was wrong and
the mayor wouldn't lie. With facts

Trust me, this is about to get ugly and down right embarrassing. Lakewood a city known for
schools, libraries, education, safety, good family living, will be overshadowed yet again but
myopic petty and small politicians and their gang of thugs.

People will forget, Ed, Tony.

.

[marklingm]

Mayor Summers will go down in history as the worst mayor ever. Mary Louise as the worst Council President ever. I also think that when done, he will be seen as the head of the biggest group of thugs, profiteers, ever. I am sure then this is done, Anthony Sinagra's family will ask me to stop using this image as much as Summers supporters hate it now!

Jim,

Unlike Mike Summers, Anthony Sinagra demonstrated leadership and dedication that enabled the Lakewood Hospital to thrive ...





Mike Summers has demonstrated no such leadership or dedication.

To the contrary, the Lakewood Hospital is under assault by Team Summers and their Build Lakewood gang.

Fortunately, there are great Lakewoodites who are currently demonstrating the leadership and dedication necessary to enabled the Lakewood Hospital to thrive now and in the future.

Matt

[Bill Call]

Consultant: someone you hire to produce a report with the results and recommendations you want.

I've seen this done repeatedly. A company wants to close an office or division. Hire a consultant to evaluate the situation. Recommendation - close it- surprise!

It gives them something to show the employees and other affected - a rationale for what they already planned to do. It just looks so "well-thought out" if you have a fancy report.

I'm sure people can see through this.

I threw away a lot of stuff and deleted a lot of files a couple of years ago. One of the things I wished I saved was a study that analyzed how merging companies decided where to locate the new headquarters.

The reports were always hundreds of pages long and looked at any number of variables. It turns out that you could predict exactly which location the study would choose if you knew where the CEO wanted to live. The rest was just window dressing.

One wag suggested that a better predictor was where the wife of the CEO wanted to live.

The Huron report was written by the Mayor.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I threw away a lot of stuff and deleted a lot of files a couple of years ago. One of the things I wished I saved was a study that analyzed how merging companies decided where to locate the new headquarters.

The reports were always hundreds of pages long and looked at any number of variables. It turns out that you could predict exactly which location the study would choose if you knew where the CEO wanted to live. The rest was just window dressing.

One wag suggested that a better predictor was where the wife of the CEO wanted to live.

The Huron report was written by the Mayor.

Bill

I remember you posting this years ago, I'll find it, it was pretty good.

I also remember this day...



The day that Mayor Ed FitzGerald stood over the removal of the Sinagra sign at Sinagra Park. Never mind
the many, many, many things Mayor Sinagra did, keeping the city, safe, very clean, in the black, and
growing at a pace that respected the residents.

Yes, the mayor that so bravely told of how he would finish Bobby Kennedy's walk to the White House was
giddy this day, "They should never name anything after living people." All while he was breaking the law
himself, and picking his "crew" to do his dirty work. Siley, Butler, Madigan, Summers, part of the hand
picked inner circle of the mayor that would go on and make a laughing stock out of Lakewood and law
in Lakewood.

Yes as he moved on, Summers, Siley, Madigan, Butler hand picked to carry on his programs, and the
programs they hatched in secret instead of actually following the laws and the rules.

Pardon the pun, but the hens are coming home to roost, and City Hall has lost its moral compass.

Mayor Sinagra, might have borrowed some tires, a back hoe, and paid off some crooked politicans, but
he never did anything to hurt this city as this crew has. Lakewood stands at the edge of our very exsitence
no those that favor developers, would love to see the city crash, and let their friends the developers come
in and build strip mall world, as their ilk did in the WestEnd.

"a fish rots from the head"

This will be national news, and it will not be pretty.

.

[Jay Carson]

I see a lot of criticism of the report based on the fact that the City paid for it. But I have not seen anything to indicate that the facts reported in it are incorrect. The findings state that the rooms are smaller than more modern hospitals and not set up private rooms. There are no showers in the rooms. Elevators from the 1930s; asbestos from that same era. Do any of those claiming that they want to "save" the Hospital have a plan how to fix these things?


Lastly, the Huron report was commissioned at the insistence of the those claiming that the hospital is economically viable as an inpatient facility--because they didn't believe the conclusions of the first report. Who did you think would pay for it?

[Bridget Conant]

The 2009 Vision for Tomorrow promised private rooms. What did we get?

Google hospital design standards. Patient room sizes are being DOWNSIZED. Hospitals demand efficiency and any amount of wasted space is costly. The idea that the rooms are "too small" is laughable. The "trend" is now as small as possible for efficiency.

Isn't that remarkable how hospital trends change so rapidly? Thank goodness everyone doesn't rush out to adapt to the latest trend because 2-3 years later it changes. Healthcare really is changing but predicting it is not a science.

[Brian Essi]

I see a lot of criticism of the report based on the fact that the City paid for it. But I have not seen anything to indicate that the facts reported in it are incorrect. The findings state that the rooms are smaller than more modern hospitals and not set up private rooms. There are no showers in the rooms. Elevators from the 1930s; asbestos from that same era. Do any of those claiming that they want to "save" the Hospital have a plan how to fix these things?

Lastly, the Huron report was commissioned at the insistence of the those claiming that the hospital is economically viable as an inpatient facility--because they didn't believe the conclusions of the first report. Who did you think would pay for it?

Jay,

No worries---the hospital is viable.

I spoke for 2 hours last week with the Huron consultant who wrote the report and here are my takeaways:

1. Huron was not hired to look back at how we got here--they did not look at how we lost the business and service lines--i.e. how they were stolen by CCF: i.e. they did not address the accountability, leadership and change issues the City faces---Without good leadership there is no accountability and, therefore, there can be no change. So the Huron Report does not address the fundamental issue of CHANGE.

2. The hospital was not marketed properly---Subsidium and LHA did not get a release from CCF last year or ever, i.e. CCF did not sign off or agree that if a buyer was found CCF would leave---so LHA and Subsidium were hopelessly compromised i.e. the hospital has never been marketed for sale in any meaningful manner.

3. Huron did not obtain a legal opinion on whether CCF would be liable for under the Definitive Agreement operating losses through 2026 per the cash to debt ratio obligation of the CCF--Neither did Subsidium---so now LHA and the City have together spent $600K without a core issue being addressed by either consultant--not Huron's fault--it was not in the scope of their engagement. FYI the Clinic is liable--they are stuck!

As to the minor issues of showers, room sizes and money needed, these are the easiest solutions---LHA and LHF currently have $80 million in cash and investments. CCF is on the hook for more than that--I've heard that the Plaintiff's now have evidence of fraud and intentional wrongdoing--that means punitive damages--but "hold the phone"---they are only in the first few months of discovery so it can only get better for the City's case (that the new mayor will get behind in January).

So the Clinic has to pay one way or the other--the longer they drag it out, the more they will pay---and they will likely lose market share too.

I have yet to read the Huron Report, but below are some points prepared by one of the smartest leaders working on positive solutions on behalf of the City:

Three Key Points from Huron Report:

· Lakewood can support an acute inpatient Hospital (Pages 38, 40 and 71).

· City Council needs to do more "Due Diligence" (Pages 17-18).

· Subsidium's Partner Search was flawed (Pages 43-44).

Lakewood can support an acute inpatient Hospital:

· Lakewood's population can support a hospital: The Huron Reports states: "A population the size of Lakewood has the ability to support an acute care hospital if the outmigration of healthcare services is significantly reduced." (Pages 38 and 71)

· Status Quo is Viable: Huron believe status quo "may be a viable option if LHA and the City prefer to delay a decision on the Hospital, during which time the City would continue to receive payments under the lease." Use additional time "to develop a strategy to address facility issues, develop a supportive physician network; and pursue negotiations with potential partners." (Pages 40, and 71)

· Additional study needed. Huron states additional study is needed with regards to maintaining the status quo. (Page 71)

· Right Size Hospital: Reduction of Beds - Huron believes this is "a viable option if there is sufficient capital for facility renovations and an ability to expand the physician network and capture additional community support for the Hospital." (Page 40)

· Physician Recruitment: Huron states that the newly formed Ohio Independent Collaborative "could aid the situation [i.e., difficulty in recruiting independent physicians] if they are successful in their missions." (Page 22)

City Council needs to do more "Due Diligence

· Additional Study needs to been done to explore status quo. (Page 71)

· Other considerations for City Council: Huron states that before Council decides to close the hospital, it should consider:

1. What are wait time for ERs in area?

2. Will closure cause wait times to deteriorate

3. Will emergency responders transport to family health center?

4. Risk to patients with critical care issues?

5. Will general health of community improve?

6. With no hospital, ability to recruit physicians?

(Page 18)

· Quality of Care Issues must be examined: "Huron has not taken a position on the anticipated impact on quality of care for the residents of Lakewood if the Hospital is closed and replaced with a family health center." (Page 18)

Subsidium's Partner Search was flawed

The Huron Business Advisory identified the multiples way in which the Hospital Partner search conducted by Subsidium was flawed:

· Process should have included a "licensed investment bank (broker-dealer). (Page 43)

· No release obtained from Cleveland Clinic regarding potential tortious interference claims in marketing of the Hospital. (Page 43)

· Difference in RFPs - some to operate as an acute care hospital - one for an outpatient facility - may have limited buyer interest. (Page 43)

· Not marketed to potential buyers that have a history of acquiring distressed hospitals. (Page 43)

· Not marketed to faith-based systems. (Page 44)


· Huron states "does not factor in the inconvenience to Lakewood residents or potential impact on public health (especially for high-risk condition such as stroke and cardiac arrest) resulting from increased transit times to other hospitals if Lakwood Hospital is closed." (Page 17)

·
Patients go to Avon - Subsidium concludes that CCF with move 80% of current volume to the new Avon facility - Huron states "this is a pessimistic assumption given the ability of patients to choose their facility." (Page 49)

Premier Physicians - Huron makes an erroneous statement that Premier group "has already declined to affiliate with the Hospital." Premier Physicians never backed out and they are still interested--in fact their patients account for about 40% of hospital admissions.

So Jay, there is no need to worry---the City has can keep a hospital by backing the right leaders who are positive and critical thinkers. I believe that Lakewood will make the right choice in November---less than 3 months from now.

[Bill Call]

So Jay, there is no need to worry---the City has can keep a hospital by backing the right leaders who are positive and critical thinkers. I believe that Lakewood will make the right choice in November---less than 3 months from now.

The Judge O'Donnell has said he will rule on some key issues in November. That means after the election. If Mike Skindell is elected the lawsuit goes forward, the Hospital remains open and the discovery process continues.

If the Mayor is re-elected the lawsuit is over, the Hospital closes and the discover process comes to an end.

Look for the Cleveland Clinic and its allies to spend $250,000 on this Mayoral race. The stakes are too high for them to allow an independent mind at City Hall.