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What a great idea!: WRH, the best value hospital in the nation?

A lot of What If's - including What if it strived to give good service without bankrupting families when a member had to use the emergency room? . . . I know this just a pipe dream of mine, but ain't it a good one? Ralph Waggener asks.
Or is it really just a pipe dream? If the leadership of the community mans up, faces reality, fires those who are failing so miserably, and takes the necessary action to save Westlake - for the community? -EW

By Ralph Roy Waggener
Commentary from the editor of It's Just for A Smile News

After writing about Westlake Regional Hospital it got me to thinking.

What if Westlake were not bought by a big regional money making hospital and just became the Walmart of medical care by being the best value hospital in the nation?



What if it strived to give good service without bankrupting families when a member had to use the emergency room?

When a child develops a high fever at night and people who have limited or high deductible insurance needed to go to the ER and a parent does not have to be sure that they need to go and be sure before deciding to go because of the ridiculous cost of using this facility.

Competition in medical care is something unheard of; service is some kind of draw to some hospitals but not money! If Westlake became the most cost affective hospital in all Kentucky it would attract Doctors who would like to practice and make their own decisions about the service they provide and put pride back into the picture and not be all about the money.

Sounds impossible, but most good ideas start out this way. We are headed for large regional hospitals controlled by just a few large medical companies that the all mighty dollar reins not your health.

Doctors and Medical facilities that need to compete not only in quality of service but in price, now that would be a new twist. The old American way of competing for business could be back and to think it all started here in Columbia, KY, at Westlakee would that not be a kicker?

Is this not possible?

Could we not be the leader in cost affective health care, or is this not possible?

Could the name of the game be let's give quality care as cheap as possible and make it work by using practical cost saving measures like using less expensive medical prepackaged devices that help drive up the cost of medical cost.

Could this kind of thinking ever be used again?

What if the bill you receive from any hospital was readable and understandable and complete?

What about getting a bill for .05 cents for water not $15.00 or had no medical mombo-jumbo and was writing not in doctor speak but in plain everyday English?

- Ralph Roy Waggener


This story was posted on 2012-07-29 13:32:58
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