What does a state senator do on his holiday? He reads a mind-numbing audit of a local institution. Awwwwww, what wonkiness.
Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth) spent his labor day poring over the recent much ballyhooed Grady audit and came up with some interesting conclusions.
According to the report, Grady requires Morehouse faculty physicians to provide 12 times as much documentation as Emory physicians. That is completely backwards. While Emory physicians divide their time between Grady and Emory’s own hospitals, Morehouse doctors practice only at Grady. If the two schools are to be held to different standards, it should Emory that is required to keep more records, not Morehouse.
Perhaps it's time for Morehouse which does not have a competing hospital to take a larger role the administration of Emory?
3 comments:
I never heard of David Shafer before this stuff, and I'm admittedly harsh on state rep's and state senators (some call me a "bomb thrower", but this guy is impressive. The guy's clearly highly intelligent and picks up details no one else is finding.
And he's got cajones picking a fight with unlimited pockets Emory. Don't even know which party he's in, but man, I think I could vote for this dude.
I'm not a brain surgeon, but I like elected officials clearly much smarter than me. David Adelman. David Shafer. Anyone else at the Dome, not so much.
Personally, I find Senator Shafer's comments extremely disappointing and insulting. To read that entire report and come away with the idea that Emory is to blame for Grady's problems is just showing a complete misunderstanding for the entire situation.
Both Emory and Morehouse physicians work VERY hard in a difficult climate to provide an apparently thankless service to the people of greater Atlanta. They take care of a large populations of patients that no other hospital wants to. To suggest that Crawford Long would want Grady to close because it is direct competition with Grady is just ignorant. One of the largest arguments for keeping Grady afloat is that the surrounding hospitals would all go into bankruptcy if they had to absorb the patients that Grady provides care for.
Both Emory and Morehouse Schools of Medicine depend upon Grady for their physician training. And both schools are extremely invested in helping to save Grady.
I'm not convinced that Senator Shafer shares the same commitment to Grady that Emory and Morehouse and their physicians do.
I disagree. So far Sen. Shafer has been very diplomatic in how he has characterized Emory's role. All he is asking for is a fair accounting and a larger role for Morehouse. As opposed to some activists who have practically accused Emory of profiting off the suffering of the poor.
We need solutions, not blame. I've expressed to Sen. Shafer my own personal frustration at politicians suddenly expressing the desire to ride in on a white horse with a solution after years of ignoring the crisis. I'm satisfied with his response and believe he is carefully trying to walk the tightrope in order for the greater good.
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