Tenet Problems

Nurses Activism

Published

Huge number of articles over on calnurse about the investigations of two Tenet surgeons for doing unnecessary surgeries. Don't know all the details, nobody does. Lawsuits from investors over the fact that Tenet dragged it's feet about letting out the info and people were still buying stock. I am surprised Tenet did that, everybody knows that the stock holders are the most important people at Tenet. The stock dropped 50% in one session. Can you imagine the money that was lost. On the other hand it sounds like a big panic over TWO surgeons. Perhaps everyone fears this is the just the beginning. I am going to say something on Tenet and the surgeons side. I think that when the feds want to make a point they pick out a few somebodies and make an example of them. Much easier than going after thousands of surgeons that might be doing unnecessary surgery. This is a situation that will take months or even years to develope fully. I bet a lot of congressmen and senators are getting outraged phone calls from wealthy investors that lost a bundle. I bet some people at the justice department are going to be asked some pointed questions. How do we say it politely, "pressure will be brought to bear." I know I sound cynical, it is almost impossible not to be, it is the feds I am talking about. My recipe for cynicism, take a bunch of rich people and put them in a situation that makes them unhappy, add federal goverment, stir well.

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

"everybody knows that the stock holders are the most important people at Tenet."

No way. The most important people are those who actually make the company policy decisions and get the bonuses: the CEO and his fellow honchos, aided and abetted by the board of directors. (Yes, the CEO is a man who, by the way, just recently had his retirement package DOUBLED for when he wants to retire.)

This isn't the first instance of a fraud prosecution of Tenet, and you can bet it won't be the last. Their reputation is deservedly very poor for several reasons. This is just one.

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Yeah, we've been running every story written in California newspapers about the latest Tenet problems on our website. Hopefully, with less bias than the nursing union's website generally shows.

Of high interest is today's (Sunday's) article profiling Tenet's past problems from the San Francisco Chronicle. It's worth taking a gander at -- especially if you work for Tenet.

The lede reads:

"When 40 federal agents swooped down on the Redding Medical Center on Wednesday as part of a probe of two doctors accused of performing unnecessary heart surgeries, it must have seemed like old times to Jeffrey Barbakow, CEO of Tenet Healthcare Corp."

Hee, hee! You've got to love the sarcasm!:D

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Cool, I just got introduced to a new nursing web site, thanks. Gee, that is the first time I heard about the missing ER nurse, hope she is ok.

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Do you think the problems with Tenet extend to the Pennsylvania area? I go to (formerly MCP Hahnemann) and Tenet is offering graduates $20,000 tuition reimbursement to work at a Philly-area Tenet hospital for 3 years. Does this sound like a good deal or is this fishy? More info. please! Thanks!

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Dear Emerald, I would post this question under general nursing discussion if I were you. It is very important question and might get missed here.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

7 years ago Tenet bought a hospital I worked for in S. FL. Not far after that benefits decreased, supplies decreased, moral hit the tubes. I would avoid at all costs working for any tenet facility again. At that time tenet was in trouble with it's psych facilities in TX and CA.. All employees were forced to go to mandatory meetings saying that whistle blowers would be protected, we had to sign papers that stated that if we knew anything was going on or had any concerns we were to call a 800 number and report it, without fear of retaliation (right !!!). The paper essentially took the responsibility off of management and said that if we knew of a problem and did not report it then we were to blame, what a bunch of bull s--t!!! These were mandatory meetings every year for like 5 years, these were ordered by the courts as a way of protecting employees, what a croc.

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You guys are makin me nervous. I just started at a Tenet hospital today - hope I didn't jump from the frying pan into the fire! And the feds were at this hospital too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I wouldn't stress ... yet ... GambroRN. I'm sorry if we distroyed that "new job thrill" for you too soon.

The Wall Street Journal piled on Tenet today also. The lede to the story reads:

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Last week, federal agents raided a Tenet hospital in Redding, Calif., looking for evidence that two top heart doctors had routinely performed unnecessary operations and other invasive procedures. The raid came as the nation's second-largest publicly traded hospital owner has come under scrutiny by analysts for the unusually high payments for expensive procedures that it collects from Medicare.

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I can't provide a direct link to the Journal story because it requires registration and I'm not at my business computer -- sorry! But a link to it can be found here.

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>

And just a few short months ago they were bragging.....

The NY TImes

March 28, 2002

As hospitals have merged and gained sway with insurers, many have been able to demand higher payments for the first time in years. As a result, total spending on hospital services increased 5.1 percent in 2000, according to Mr. Taylor, the fastest rate of increase since 1993. Overall spending on health care rose 6.9 percent....

The for-profit hospital operators, like Tenet, are already benefiting from the increased spending, delivering their investors higher profits.....

Many for-profit hospital systems are able to respond quickly to the surge in demand by expanding. Tenet, for example, is adding 80 new beds at Delray Medical Center in Florida and expects to have no trouble filling the beds in a new 10-story tower at USC University Hospital in Los Angeles. "We just don't have the capacity," said Thomas B. Mackey, Tenet's chief operating officer....

A 2002 industry study concluded, "After 10 years of downsizing in the 1990's, hospitals are making new building plans." It predicts that hospitals could spend $5 billion in new construction over the next five years. The report was issued by the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development, a unit of the American Hospital Association, and other industry groups.....

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/28/business/28HOSP.html

My only question at the time was "and how do they plan to fill 10 stories worth of nurses stations?" Should have asked if they have no money for workplace improvements to attract & keep RNs, where are they getting all these millions from? And with its history, how is Tenet still allowed to be in business? Would love to see a who's who of their Board of Directors.

Surprise surprise.

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And what are they offering the "veteran" experienced nurses who have been working for them for 20 yrs?

Shall we have a contest to guess how much staff is going to be cut & which RN benefits Tenet is now going to do away with to cover the cost of their transgressions?

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Specializes in Corrections, Psych, Med-Surg.

jt--One word "Phillipines," where Tenet actively recruits.

And how does Tenet know that there will be patient demand for these rooms? Simple. It bought up, and closed, several hospitals in the area over the past few years.

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