Media & Events : Clarifications and Corrections
Clarifications and Corrections
Note: The Adena Health System has created this Corrections/Clarifications Page so we can respond to comments that appear in news stories about the health system – to ensure that accurate and timely information is available to the community.
Comments of concern appear in the left column, while the health system’s clarification, commentary or correction appears in the right column if necessary.
Response to a letter to the editor in the April 12 Chillicothe Gazette
| Comment | Response | |
| I recently had a health issue that required a trip to my family doctor. After an exam, the doctor determined I had internal bleeding of unknown origin and wanted me admitted to the hospital. Like many local practitioners, my doctor does not have admitting privileges at Adena, so he told me to report to the emergency room. My doctor told me that it was an emergency, but after waiting two hours in the waiting room, I went to Berger Hospital in Circleville. They got me in quickly and did testing, then released me. The next day, I returned to my doctor, showed him the Berger reports, and he said there was still not an explanation for my bleeding, so he called the city squad and back to Adena I went. The emergency room doctor ordered more lab work and determined that my labs indicated there was no major blood loss, and he was going to send me home. I explained to him that my doctor wanted me admitted for testing to find the cause. In the old days, local doctors had admitting privileges at Adena. They could call the hospital to have a patient admitted, and they could write orders and see their own patients in the hospital. Not any more. Unless a doctor is affiliated with Adena, admissions must go through the hospitalist on duty. After insisting that the hospitalist speak with my doctor, I was admitted, referred to a specialist and given an EGD test, which found that I was bleeding from a vein in my esophagus. The bleeding was then stopped, and I was discharged after two days. Adena Health System built a $20 million cancer center and is investing $6.3 million for expansion and another $5.4 million for information technology. Good for them. Good for the community. But it is a shame that unaffiliated family doctors are locked out of Adena. If CEO Mark Shuter really wants to improve teamwork at Adena, maybe he should learn some lessons from the past when family doctors were important. Maybe he should either find a better way for family doctors to communicate directly with the hospitalists or eliminate the hospitalists and go back to the old ways.
| Hospitalists, who care for hospitalized patients until they are discharged and return to their Primary Care Physicians, have become the fastest growing medical specialists in history. In fact, it’s rare for a medical center or hospital not to use the services of hospitalists. The Adena Health System has embraced this model of care for a number of reasons. Along with improving the quality of care provided to patients, the hospitalist model provides a new and improved level of efficiency. At Adena, for example: Having hospitalist available throughout the day and night allows for patients’ needs, questions and concerns to be answered faster. And when families arrive, hospitalists are available to speak to them and answer any questions they have. In recent months, Adena hospitalists have adjusted their schedules so they are able to spend considerably more time with patients and their families. |
Response to coments and concerns regarding the Schumacher Group and Adena January and February 2012
In January, the Chillicothe Gazette released an article detailing an insurance coverage issue between Adena and its emergency department physician provider, the Schumacher Group. The problem involves billing for emergency department visits, which in the past were considered in-network by major insurance providers. Currently the only insurance provider Schumacher accepts in-network is Anthem. We’ve voiced our concern to Schumacher and insisted they prioritize this problem and resolve it without further delay. Schumacher is fielding calls from Adena staff and patients to help answer their questions about coverage. Once contract negotiations are complete, a public notification will be issued by Adena.
| Comment | Response | |
| Has Schumacher entered into contracts with any other insurance providers? | To date, the Schumacher Group, which does business at Adena under the name Ross Emergency Group, has contracts with the following insurance carriers: • Blue Cross Blue Shield | |
| How do I know if my insurance will be accepted? | As of the week of Jan. 22, Schumacher/Ross announced they will bill major insurance companies only for co-payments and/or deductibles while negotiations between Schumacher/Ross and major insurance companies continue. A Schumacher/Ross representative said the physician-provider would no longer balance-bill patients and would accept the amount the payer deems “allowable” for the service provided. Here are the five insurance carriers: • Aetna If you have questions about your coverage, please call Kathleen Lieder at Schumacher, which is doing business at Adena under the name “The Ross Emergency Group.” She can be reached at 800-893-9698, extension 1360. You also may want to call your insurance provider for additional information about your coverage. | |
| Andy Onderiko: “Signing a contract with a new provider without considering the insurance ramifications, even for its own employees, is sheer stupidity.” | As part of its agreement with the Schumacher Group, Adena is dependent upon the emergency physician provider to enter into contracts with insurance companies. We have made it clear to Schumacher that they need to negotiate those contracts ASAP. | |
| Angie Doles: “If I understand this correctly, Adena Health System and Chillicothe Schools are the only two employers … written off by Schumacher. What about everyone else?” | It depends on who your insurance provider is. Please contact your insurance provider for specifics about your coverage. | |
| Kim Depugh: “Adena thinks it is a big corporation anymore and the hell with the patients. So unfriendly and not caring.” | We are determined to grow, but not at the expense of our patients. We’re constantly surveying patients to make certain that our staff is doing all they can for them. If you have a bad experience with an employee, please alert a supervisor or contact our compliance officer. Any decisions that are made are done so with the patient’s well being in mind. | |
If I go to the Emergency Department and I do not have one of the insurances or am self-pay, will I be turned away? | No. We do not turn away anyone in need of medical care. |
To view previous Clarifications and Corrections, please view our archive page.
