Is there such a thing as a "VIP" patient?

pmchap · Apr 10, 2005

Last Place I worked had VIP treatment. It was a public hospital so all people got the treatment they required, if a patient came in that was a 'VIP' they had priate insurance and where contributing to the cost (meaning the hospital coffers grew when they where there). They VIPs where treated differently in a number of ways - first the towels they used where a different color, second they got real coffee and third they got the cups of tea & coffee in china cups. :chuckle :coollook: That was the total difference in treatment. I pitty the foolish patients that voluntarily said yes when asked if they where a private patient on admission - little did they know that there was no real difference in the quality of care they recieved, and they paid a gap cost for every day they stayed in hospital. In theory they had their own choice of doctor - but in practice only specialist or VMOs practiced at the hospital so typically the patient got the same doc regardless.....

Sort of reminds me of when I had the snip... went to the specialist for a consult... had two choices - private hospital that week for 1,000 + dollars or go to a small community hospital about 50 mile out of town the following week as a public patient for $0. Same doc, same procedure.... the maths just didn't make sense - hence in Australia the lesson is - unless you have some real medical issues the public system is the way to go - you will save a small fortune.

*PICURN* · Apr 10, 2005

I always treat all my patients like they are "VIP" patients

We have an entire VIP floor (for all that can afford it). $1000/day gets you a private room on this floor, and for another $50/day you can eat whatever you want. Lobster, crab, filet, you get the drift. Brought up to you by guys in tuxes on china. (not exaggerating at all).....what are we a hotel!?!?

A lot of new grads wanted to work on that floor (b/c of the celebrities) but IMO i'm not about to be anyone's servant.

A lot of these people will also pay extra $$$ to hire a private duty nurse

bagladyrn, RN · Apr 13, 2005

My handling of anyone who tries to give me this "VIP" line: I give them a highly offended look and ask "Are you implying that I give less than excellent care to ANY of my patients?" This usually results in them stumbling over their words and going away!

SmilingBluEyes · Apr 14, 2005

My handling of anyone who tries to give me this "VIP" line: I give them a highly offended look and ask "Are you implying that I give less than excellent care to ANY of my patients?" This usually results in them stumbling over their words and going away!

you GO! :yeahthat:

stevierae · Apr 15, 2005

I agree---I treat ALL my patients like VIPs, pretty much as everyone on this thread has said.

I have been approached by management--never the surgeons; always NURSING management--and "forewarned" that "this patient is a VIP." I always give them a withering stare and coldly state "ALL my patients are VIPs." What idiots some nurse managers are. I think, however, they (nursing management) are not as concerned about them getting SPECIAL, over and above care as they are about the possibility of these wealthy, important people. generally legally savvy people suing when they perceive they are not getting minimum STANDARD of care. I could be wrong. The truth is, it's well known that Medicaid patients are usually the most litigious---therefore, THEY often have to be treated with kid gloves, sadly.

Funny; often the people I've taken care of who I was told were "VIPs" were not rich, or even famous. One just happened to be a well-known (but only LOCALLY) blues musician--he even laughed when I told him our nurse manager called him a "VIP." Being a musician, he had no insurance, so he just very nicely asked that we try to not open anything unnecessarily, as he had to pay for everything out of pocket. He was a really cool guy.

Once I was asked to come to San Francisco and be the circulator for a "VIP" in a plastic surgery clinic owned by a surgeon I knew from working in a San Francisco hospital. It was all very hush-hush. I wasn't told who it was or even what the PROCEDURE--it was some big secret. My friends and I speculated it might be Sharon Stone, and that perhaps she was going to have a face lift. :rotfl:

It wasn't her. In fact, it was a GUY whom I had never heard of. He was only a "VIP" because he was a very wealthy, elderly local businessman. He and I talked at great length about various wines and champagnes, and he enthusiastically recomended a special favorite of his own. We established a great rapport. I fully expected him to send me a bottle, but he didn't..... hmmmmmmm.....I wonder if the surgeon got it, and kept it for himself..... :uhoh21:

Anyway, I didn't treat him any differently than I would have treated any other patient, including the homeless and body lice infested junkies with abscesses from skin-popping whom we often treated at said SF hospital. Everyone gets treated kindly and humanely, with the best nursing care I can possibly deliver.

I know at Cedars Sinai in LA they have a whole separate floor for celebrities--maybe a whole separate wing. I don't know what "extras" this entitles them to, however.

live4today, RN · Apr 15, 2005

I agree totally. All patients should be treated like gold.

Amen to that! :)

NoCrumping · Apr 15, 2005

In one NICU I was in in NY, we had a few babies there whose parents were sort of vip's. one celebrity, the other 2 were very well known millionaires in the community...Ya know what? We didnt give them special treatment so much.... they gave it to us.........each of those families every weekend had something special for the whole NICU staff.........full catered lunches,dinners, brunches, gourmet desserts, Godiva chocolates,(in addition to bagels, cream cheese, coffee and juices each and every morning ) really nice............I wish I could tell you who these people were!!!!!

live4today, RN · Apr 15, 2005

My handling of anyone who tries to give me this "VIP" line: I give them a highly offended look and ask "Are you implying that I give less than excellent care to ANY of my patients?" This usually results in them stumbling over their words and going away!

I like that line! :) I couldn't agree with you more.

laurakoko · Apr 15, 2005

This is a funny story....

while I was at the bedside, one of my patients said, "and I am under the impression Dr P.. knows about my temp?" I replied, "temperature? as in fever?" She said "well, yes, it is 99.1". I then began doing pt teaching regarding post op, and the need to deep breath, and get OOB. I explained 99.1 was not a true fever, and it was barely over norm body temp, and sometimes temps are good for the body, norm reactions...on and on. I get a call from my manager about not reporting a temp to the MD. When I explained, she said it didn't matter, the pt was a VIP, and I needed to do just what she asked me to. I then told her I also treat ALL of my patients as VIP, no different. My manager didn't like my answer at all. So I continued with, as nurses we are trained to treat patients with the same respect and dignity they deserve regardless of race, ethnic backround, looks, history, sexual preference, or gender, RIGHT?!?!?!?!?!? Doesn't that apply to social status?!?!?!?!?!?

rich, government official, or other job status?????

stevierae · Apr 15, 2005

In one NICU I was in in NY, we had a few babies there whose parents were sort of vip's. one celebrity, the other 2 were very well known millionaires in the community...Ya know what? We didnt give them special treatment so much.... they gave it to us.........each of those families every weekend had something special for the whole NICU staff.........full catered lunches,dinners, brunches, gourmet desserts, Godiva chocolates,(in addition to bagels, cream cheese, coffee and juices each and every morning ) really nice............I wish I could tell you who these people were!!!!!

Wow, that is so cool!!! It's nice to know that you guys were appreciated in that manner. What nice people those were.

leslie :-D · Apr 15, 2005

i agree 100% with treating all pts equally.

yet when my sister was dx'd w/breast ca, she was asking me why she had all these medical people (mds,nps,nurses-you name it) hovering over her; she'd get appts either same day or next day. all tests were statted.

i reminded her of her VIP position in the city where she lives and she was totally flabbergasted and it appalled her to think she was receiving special treatment because of her position. i told her that unfortunately, not all pts receive the same priority as others r/t status or lack thereof. it truly did horrify her at the thought, as she is a very humble, down-to-earth woman and is very much into public health; the impoverished, homeless, jobless, etc.

but that was my very first thought; that she was receiving all this royal treatment because of her position in such a large city. :stone

so sadly, yes it does happen, however discriminatory.

leslie

ScrappingTrojan · Apr 15, 2005

I have been an RN for one year and I work at a fairly large private hospital on the pediatric floor. Whenever we admit the child of a family that has contributed financially to our hospital management is always on our backs telling us we need to treat these patients/families "like gold". They expect us to bend over backwards for these families. I disagree, I don't feel its appropriate to treat any particualr patient better than your next. I treat all my patients "like gold", as much as possible. If i have the extra time to go out of my way, I do it for all of them, not just one. I am a stickler for our hospital policies especially on our floor because of safety issues and what not. I don't bend the rules for anyone and I don't like to feel the pressure fom management to do so. am I in the wrong for practicing this way?

At our peds hospital, being VIP just means you get your own room (which rarely happens). If anything, the only concession they get is having the more affable nurses. Being in L.A. though, a LOT of people think they are VIP, even without the financial contribution/political ties. :rotfl: