Why do hospitals advertise for more patients when they can’t even take care of the ones they already have due to chronic understaffing and a shortage of available beds?
Because of my past illness and Grady’s currently aging parents, we’ve patronized a variety of Emergency Rooms and Regional Hospitals over the last two years. A couple of things we’ve learned; ICU’s are top tier but the rest of the hospital? Bottom rung. And, if you can find a rural, regional hospital outside of Little Rock it is usually nice, clean, and friendly.
But if you need care in Little Rock at a Little Rock hospital (of which there are many), you better set your expectations low. Emergency rooms have become a bad joke. They are not for emergencies. They are for people who can’t get in to see a doctor in a timely fashion, which is almost everyone.
This past October, I wrote a blog post about my father-n-law’s poor stay at Baptist Hospital. To my surprise, I received a formal apology letter from the hospital. Instead of thinking, “oh how nice” I thought, “wow they have to pay someone to troll the internet and write apology letters.”
It just confirmed what I have come to believe: Hospitals are more about image than care giving.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they redirected some of that PR, advertising, and apology money toward patient care and staff retention.
What a novel concept!
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