The Observation Deck

Some light summer reading:

From the report:

"Stakeholders believed that the result of limited
access to primary and preventive healthcare increases residents’ risk of illness
and perpetuates the chronic illness that already exists in the Lakewood Hospital
community...."

I find that odd. The report was published in January of 2013 and stated that Lakewood residents had limited access to primary and preventive health care and in 2013 the Clinic responds to that need by...

transferring Lakewood doctors to Lorain County.

Here is the 2013 Fairview Hospital Community Assessment Report:



Fairview Hospitals service area includes the all of the area served by Lakewood Hospital.

The service area also includes Avon, Avon Lake and North Ridgeville which is the area of service for the new Clinic hospital in Avon.

Does a region with fewer people need more hospitals?

The Fairview and Lakewood report both reported that stakeholders that were interviewed thought that transportation to medical appointments was a big problem for many people. How does moving doctors and procedures from Lakewood to Avon improve the ability of the stakeholders in the Lakewood service area to get to the doctor?

A few months ago Fairview City council held a meeting on the challenges residents faced when their doctors were moved to Avon. I've been told that Lakewood City government is not to keen on starting its own bus service to Avon. How long can they resist?

It looks like the authors of the reports did a lot cutting and pasting.

Lakewood has an above average education level when compared with other areas in the Fairview Hospital service area.

I wonder if anyone proof read this report?

"The following qualitative data were gathered during individual interviews with twelve stakeholders of the Lakewood area as identified by an advisory committee of Lakewood Hospital executive leadership. Lakewood Hospital is a 400‐bed acute care.......

If they can't count beds how can we trust their data?

From the report:

"There is a concern that the local hospital will close due to the perception that it is losing a
substantial amount of money"

The hospital is actually making money even after the transfer of doctors and resources to Avon and Fairview and Lutheran. Of course at some point the Clinic will succeed in their efforts to convert a profitable hospital serving 180,000 people into an empty, money losing shell.

What is one third of one billion dollars?

Thank you for sharing this, Bill. Interesting read. I noticed how the report indicates that Huron Hospital had a greater needs assessment rating than Lakewood. The Clinic closed it, correct?

Regardless of how the numbers have been manipulated or the data massaged, the employees I know have indicated that they have been told that Lakewood is losing money - quite a bit of money for quite some time - and that it's never at or even close to capacity. I haven't the faintest idea what the reality of the situation is though. (Like Bill said, if they can't count beds... ) But again, that may be a moot point as the clinic has also indicated to these folks that they're investing in Fairview and don't need another hospital just a couple miles away. Is anyone really suggesting that Lakewood isn't going to close eventually - and probably sooner than later? Still not sure why they would intentionally destroy a profitable hospital if that's the accusation. Surely if the location/facility were worthwhile a UH or Metro or other would step in.

Jeff Dreger wrote:Regardless of how the numbers have been manipulated or the data massaged, the employees I know have indicated that they have been told that Lakewood is losing money - quite a bit of money for quite some time - and that it's never at or even close to capacity.

Six Months Ended June 30 2013 2012
Unrestricted revenues
Net patient service revenue $ 68,350 $ 71,987
Provision for uncollectible accounts (6,546) (7,298)
Net patient service revenue less provision for uncollectible accounts 61,804 64,689
Other 3,383 2,573


Total unrestricted revenues 65,187 (for six months)



Here are the previous years financials:




The hospital made money last year on operations even after the Clinic transferred profit centers to Avon and Fairview and Lutheran.

The new hospital in Avon is not needed. It will only be able to survive because the Clinic is transferring Lakewood Hospitals profit centers to Avon.

The Community Assessment Report is required by law but there is no law that says the Clinic has to read it or take it seriously. I think the authors of the report just went through the motions. I doubt if anyone at the Clinic even read the report.

One aspect of this issue is particularly galling.

The Plain Dealer and our Community institutions and our political leadership spends a lot of time

bemoaning the flight of people and jobs from Cuyahoga County

complaining about urban sprawl

and

bragging about the importance of the medical industry to Cuyahoga County

BUT

they are completely silent about plans to close Lakewood Hospital and transfer 1,400 jobs to Lorain County

WHICH

will encourage even more people to leave Cuyahoga County.

I GUESS

it is what it is but could they at least have the common decency to quite bellyaching about urban sprawl and the decline of Cuyahoga County?

Two years ago Lakewood Hospital had $150 million in annual revenue. That kind of revenue indicates a demand for its services. A demand that will be met by the new hospital in Avon.

The Cleveland Clinic intended to close down the hospital from the moment it signed the lease. Would the Clinic close down a hospital that generates $150 million in revenue? Of course.

When J.D. Rockefeller bought a competitors refinery he closed it down no matter how much money the refinery made. He knew its customers had no where else to go.

Teresa Coyne Andreani wrote:Thank you for sharing this, Bill. Interesting read. I noticed how the report indicates that Huron Hospital had a greater needs assessment rating than Lakewood. The Clinic closed it, correct?

They did and they got a lot of bad press. They still closed it.

I've heard that the City has secretly signed off on the Clinic's closing of Lakewood Hospital. The Clinic would be granted immunity for any damages in exchange for...nothing.

The City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, the State of Ohio and the Port Authority just spent millions to keep 300 jobs in Cleveland:

http://www.cleveland.com/business/index ... ie_15.html

But the loss of 1,400 jobs in Lakewood and the creation of a health care desert in Lakewood means nothing to them.

It's an odd story. Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio spent $1 billion to upgrade Euclid Avenue and the only major private company with a presence on Euclid has to be bribed to stay in Cleveland.

Mayor Summers will be at Mahalls tonight @5:30 for his "Listening to Lakewood" series. How about somebody goes and asks him some pertinent questions about our hospital. I will be working and can't make it. I would be interested in how he replies.

Bill Burnett wrote:Mayor Summers will be at Mahalls tonight @5:30 for his "Listening to Lakewood" series. How about somebody goes and asks him some pertinent questions about our hospital. I will be working and can't make it. I would be interested in how he replies.

I've had some email exchanges with someone at City Hall and the City is considering several options.

None of the options mention the possibility that the Clinic renews its lease.

What is the highest and best use of an empty hospital?

The least appealing option is to allow the Clinic to keep a small presence at the Hospital.

The Clinic will simply provide a minimum level of service to keep out the competition. Their much reduced Lakewood presence will just feed patients in Lakewood to the Avon Hospital.

The Clinic has removed the Lakewood Hospital billboard on the shoreway and replaced it with a generic Clinic billboard.

What was the Vision For tomorrow?

What happens to all of that money raised by the Lakewood Hospital Foundation?