New Family Health Center To Be Clinics Medicaid Facility

[Bill Call]

One of the little ironies about the closure of Lakewood Hospital is that the small loses were driven by lack of reimbursement and not the lack of business. Medicaid expansion would have eliminated the losses and provided substantial positive cash flow.

A vibrant Hospital that served both the insured and uninsured and Medicaid and Medicare patients would have been the premier Westside medical facility. To bad no one of the Hospital Board or Foundation or City Hall had the sense to see the possibilities.

A lot of Lakewood Hospitals business came from Rocky River and Westlake. That business is gone for good. A lot of Lakewood residents had Clinic doctors in Lakewood. Those doctors have been transferred to Avon and they are not coming back.

What's left?

Mostly Medicaid patients.

I think expanding Medicaid was a good idea. I don't mind living in a diverse community with a whole range of income levels.

However,

Anyone who thinks all of those Medicaid patients are going to see the doctor and then shop at Cotton and have lunch at Forage are.... wrong.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Bill

Your Republican slip is showing.

I have not heard of it being a "Medicaid" hospital, and if it is so be it.

That kind of stuff is just nonsense.

.

[Bill Call]

Bill

Your Republican slip is showing.

I have not heard of it being a "Medicaid" hospital, and if it is so be it.

That kind of stuff is just nonsense.

.

I'm just pointing out that the Rocky River residents and Westlake residents who once drove into Lakewood will now drive to Avon and that Lakewood residents who have insurance will also be driving to Avon because that's where their doctors are.

The minimalist facility that the Clinic will build in Lakewood will offer a very limited range of services that will target Medicaid patient's. And that's fine but anyone expecting the new facility to bring economic activity to Lakewood is wrong.

Lakewood Hospital treated more than 150,000 people per year from Westlake, Rocky River and beyond. The new facility will not attract those same people and will not have the same economic impact.

And that's the way it is.

[Peter Grossetti]

What's left?

Mostly Medicaid patients.

Same reason Lakewood has more Dollar General stores and Family Dollar stores. The market dictates what businesses show up/end up in a neighborhood, city, region.

Lakewood (hell, all muncipalities) needs to dig a bit deeper and get to the root of the issues at hand ... not the just the the issue-du-jour that bubbles up to the surface.

[Bill Call]

What's left?

Mostly Medicaid patients.

Same reason Lakewood has more Dollar General stores and Family Dollar stores. The market dictates what businesses show up/end up in a neighborhood, city, region.

Lakewood (hell, all muncipalities) needs to dig a bit deeper and get to the root of the issues at hand ... not the just the the issue-du-jour that bubbles up to the surface.

On aspect of this deal that is getting no attention is that the Cleveland Clinics business plan reduces the population and economic power of Cuyahoga County. The Avon Facility alone will move 3,000 jobs and $500 million in economic activity from Cuyahoga County to Lorain County and beyond.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Lakewood Hospital treated more than 150,000 people per year from Westlake, Rocky River and beyond. The new facility will not attract those same people and will not have the same economic impact.

And that's the way it is.

Bill

Thank God you are Lakewood's Nostradamus not our Isaac Newton, or Stephen B Hawking.

150,000?!

You going all the way to Chicago on this. Or did every member of those cities take 10
people with them to Lakewood Hospital for treatment?

This is what I don't understand, there is enough real stuff in this for you Bill, why make
stuff up? Have you even read the LOI? You would have a field day with it. All sorts of
numbers easier to get wrong than populations of cities.

I realize you are a firm,believer the poor should die, I get that. Either starve and or get sick
and die and we could channel that terrible waste of money to the military, or corporate
welfare, I get it.

But 150,000 a year from Westlake? River? Bay?

.
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[Bill Call]

Bill

Thank God you are Lakewood's Nostradamus not our Isaac Newton, or Stephen B Hawking.

150,000?!

You going all the way to Chicago on this. Or did every member of those cities take 10
people with them to Lakewood Hospital for treatment?

This is what I don't understand, there is enough real stuff in this for you Bill, why make
stuff up? Have you even read the LOI? You would have a field day with it. All sorts of
numbers easier to get wrong than populations of cities.

I realize you are a firm,believer the poor should die, I get that. Either starve and or get sick
and die and we could channel that terrible waste of money to the military, or corporate
welfare, I get it.

But 150,000 a year from Westlake? River? Bay?

.
.

From US News:

Admissions: 8,647
Inpatient surgeries: 2,131
Outpatient visits: 146,381
Emergency room visits: 35,180

"and beyond" is the kind of statement that can mean anything. Something like the statement made by the Lakewood Hospital Foundation to spend it's money in "Lakewood and surrounding areas".

About 190,000 people used Lakewood Hospital each year for one reason or another. Not all of them came from Lakewood. The people from Westlake, Bay Village and Rocky River who once came to Lakewood will be going to Avon. The people from Lakewood and Cleveland and other areas who now go to Avon won't be coming back.

That market is lost. Although I think it is more accurate to say the market was given away.

The new Lakewood Family Health Center will be about 70% smaller than what is offered by the Clinic in other communities, will offer limited choices and will not be able to compete with other Clinic facilities. The facility is designed to be the fly paper that catches the people of Lakewood and Cleveland's Westside who can't get to Avon.

The truly amazing thing is that around two years ago Lakewood Hospital had nearly $140 million in revenue and nearly 190,000 customers each year and we gave it all away for a minute clinic and dog park/recreation center.