The Observation Deck

My grandmother just had a horrible experience at Fairview Hospital. She was kept in the observation wing for 48 hours, wasn't told how to order food so she didn't eat breakfast her first morning there until almost 11 when she finally saw someone to ask. She was there to rule out a host of potential causes to her situation and only saw 1 doctor, a neurologist 1 time over the stay. She was left in the dark about her status most of the time and when she was discharged she was told not to drive by herself until she met with the neurologist to at his office to learn more. She was told to call first thing Monday morning to schedule a time. This morning she was told the first available appointment was in JULY!?@ but they would put her on the cancellation list!?@?

If she received this level of "world class care" without the added Lakewood volume I can't even begin to imagine how bad it will be with the "future of medicine"....

5 or 6 years ago my mother had brain surgery at the Cleveland Clinics facility Downtown. The day after the surgery they called us early in the morning to tell us my mother was ready to be released . When we arrived at the Clinic we found my mother lying unconscious in bed still covered in blood from the surgery. When we summoned the nurse to the room we asked her if she thought my mother was ready to be released. She wisely declined comment.

The Clinic offers some very good medical care but it's not any better than what you can get in dozens of other cities. Sometimes its worse.

The Clinics economic model is based on the destruction of the local doctors practice, monopoly power and monopoly pricing. The latest addition to the model is the transfer of economic activity and jobs to areas outside of Cuyahoga County.

Will any elected official challenge them?