Columbia/HCA

Sarah1966 · Oct 19, 2004

I worked for an HCA facility once. It was simply the worst experience of my life. I will copy and paste the info contained in your link. Although some of the information given is incomplete, I feel this info is very important.
Think big business can be trusted?
Think again.
Columbia/HCA:
Wall Street Health Care
The Corporate Imbalance Sheet
$216,000
Amount of PAC money Columbia/HCA's Good Government Fund contributed in Florida in 1994, making it Florida's largest PAC.
24
Columbia/HCA lobbyists employed to repeal 1992 Florida state legislation requiring the corporation to disclose its physician-investors.
6
Number of lobbyists Columbia/HCA shares with the tobacco industry in three southern states.
$19.9
Revenue in 1996.
18
Hospitals closed since 1994.
2,000
Layoffs and positions eliminated since 1995.
$70,000
Total fines paid for two separate patient "dumping" violations in Florida, including one for $55,000 (the highest penalty ever paid by a hospital).
$19 Million
Money that would go into pockets of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Ohio's board members and an outside council if Columbia/HCA deal goes through.
$116 million
Tax breaks over 10 years for Columbia/HCA to move its headquarters from Kentucky to Tennessee.
$30,000
Amount Florida Senator Ginny Brown-Waite received as a consultant to Columbia/HCA while serving on the Senate Health Care Committee.
30%
Hospitals in Florida owned by Columbia/HCA.
4
Attorneys general who have sued to block deals involving Columbia/HCA.
$25,000
Fine for failing to have enough nurses on duty to ensure patient safety at Columbia Women's Hospital in Indianapolis.
$3.5 billion
Amount Columbia/HCA has said it is prepared to spend to set up a network in the Northeast.
3
Days notice Columbia/HCA gave town Destin, Florida before it closed the hospital in 1994.
$1.1 billion
Net worth of Columbia/HCA Vice-chair Thomas Frist, who made the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans.
$13.9 million
Columbia/HCA stock held in 1995 by US Senator Bill Frist (TN), brother of Thomas Frist.
20%
Profit goal per hospital.
$40 million
Estimated cost of Columbia/HCA's recent ad campaign to build its image as a national brand name.
$87 million
Amount of taxes Columbia/HCA owed in partial settlement with the IRS.
$600 million
Amount of taxes IRS says Columbia/HCA still owes.
Sources: Available upon phone or written request (not via email)
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Worked for them for 3 years. It was the ABSOLUTE worst experience of my life also.

I know of 2 deaths caused by thier short staffing in my hospital alone!

They have had to change thier name from Columbia to HCA to hide the fact that they stole millions from Medicare. Now they are also using the name "Lifeline" while they continue to buy up hospitals and cut staff.

TinyNurse, RN · Oct 20, 2004

I'm on a travel assignment at an HCA hospital now. I'm finishing my contract and I am outta there!!!

The entire hospital seems to be staffed with "all abouters" ( from HCA's own staffing company) They don't even hesitate to put agency nurses in charge positions.

Bad experience, but learning experience..... I'm sure this can happen at any hospital or company though.

xo Jenni

laurakoko · Oct 20, 2004

This has been very interesting reading all the articles about HCA. I have been an employee at an HCA facility in Louisiana since 1998. I have some good views, and some not so good. I am now PRN, since changing my status from full time about 8 months ago. The incentive for PRN employment is outrageous, in opt NOT to use agency staffing. They are shucking out the $ for PRN, which is good to use staff nurses instead of agency.. however, I don't think any of the FT employees get much of this benefit. I guess that is one of the pros, and one of the cons I have. Plus a few more....

lyceeboo · Oct 20, 2004

I'm on a travel assignment at an HCA hospital now. I'm finishing my contract and I am outta there!!!
The entire hospital seems to be staffed with "all abouters" ( from HCA's own staffing company) They don't even hesitate to put agency nurses in charge positions.
Bad experience, but learning experience..... I'm sure this can happen at any hospital or company though.
xo Jenni

I worked for Columbia/HCA from 1998-2000 in a hospital near Denver, CO. They hired me as a new grad RN for a hugh $!3.00/hour. (It sad but I didn't realize my knowledge and hard work was worth sooo much more.) I worked 7p-7a and was usually the only staff RN on noc...the other noc nurses were on travel assignments. And, like TinyNurse said, the charge was usually a travel nurse. That is waaaay too much responsibility to dump on a travel nurse who is not familiar with the equipment and facility protocols!!! I'll never forget the night one of the travelers attached a gomco suction directly to the suction machine. She forgot that she needed to attach the suction hose to a collection container. The stomach contents were ssplashed all over the suction machine and all over the room. Yuuck! Too bad they didn't just spend a few extra dollars to give this nurse a decent orientation. Talk about a toxic managment!

They also fired all of the highly competent LPN's that had put in many years at our hospital. They were demoted to CNA's with no hope of ever getting a raise. The Nurse Manager made this annoncement at a staff meeting in front of everybody, without an ounce of compassion or respect for these loyal competent professionals.

HCA has ino interest in maintaining the basic human dignity of it's employees. In short, they don't support thier nurses. They are all about greed and protecting themselves at the expense of thier nurses. If you must work for them CYA at all times and get your own NSO policy.