Showing posts with label IR Medical Center. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IR Medical Center. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

DO Y'ALL KNOW THIS MAN?

Swinging through the crowd at last years 4th of July parade! Click on the picture to get a better look.

It's your new Congressman kids and he'll be in town today to meet y'all. Not that the TCPalm is one bit helpful in giving us this information. Yesterday they posted this article that Congressman Bill Posey will be in Brevard County (Yes! Brevard County!) and that's where Indian River constituents should meet him:
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/feb/16/us-rep-posey-hosts-open-house-constituents/

But last week (Yes! last week!), they also posted that he would be at the Indian River County Commission building at 4pm to visit with constituents:
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/feb/12/posey-will-meet-public-feb-17-indian-river-county/

If it wasn't 2 am, as we write this, Miss Vero would call his office and confirm, but at least be thankful that we are paying attention in the first place. Now y'all need to get on down there and introduce yourselves, especially if y'all have recently lost a job or have some other concern that perhaps your nice Congressman will be more than happy to help y'all with. Here's a little info to get y'all acquainted:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Posey

Miss Vero has spent many hours in the offices of our nice Florida Congressmen and women over the years and we can tell y'all that once you go up to Washington or Tallahassee and plop yourself on their nice fluffy couches and settees and introduce yourself properly, hunnies they take notice! Heck, Miss Vero has made herself known to these folks for so long, we remember when Claude Pepper was a teenager!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Pepper

These people work for y'all and don't ever pass up a chance to remind them.


AND SPEAKING OF JOBS...

Today is the 17th right? Aren't the nurses at IRMC reaching another deadline today? What's the word on the strike? Let us know Beach House readers!




MWAH!

missvero@live.com

Thursday, February 5, 2009

TASTY THURSDAY TREATS

It's a big ole buffet of info today, so get y'all a biscuit to sop up the pot liquor we'll be servin.



FABULOUS FLORIDA!

This weekend, the finest of all things Florida will be in Gulfport, over there in the Tampa area, where the 2009 Floridiana Festival will be swingin at the Gulfport Casino. Perfect road trip excuse!
http://www.hulahula.biz/2009floridianafestival.html







WE TRY TO BEHAVE,
BUT HE HE KEEPS ENCOURAGING US!

And speakin of Florida road trippin, y'all know we ventured out Tuesday night to see the fabulous Mr. Tim Dorsey (look at how happy he was to see us!), at the Vero Beach book Center and picked up his new book "Nuclear Jellyfish", which we have already finished reading! We believe this one might just be our favorite, but then again, we say that every time we get our little paws on somethin Serge.
http://www.timdorsey.com/home.html





ARE THE DODGERS CURSED?


Oh no! Say it isn't so. Vero Beach's own Mr. Sandy Kofax taken in by that crazy Madoff money man!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/04/madoff-victims-list-relea_n_164097.html





GOOD OLE BOYS, CHEWIN AND A CHATTIN

As possibly promised, we listened to Charlie Wilson on Rhett Palmer's radio program, Monday (the rebroadcast hunnies, because y'all know we don't rise from our beauty sleep till the crack of noon). And we were particularly feeling sorry for Mr. Wilson who couldn't get a word in edgewise between Rhett's crazy country singin and County Commissioner Gary Wheeler, so to be real nice to Mr. Wilson for all his sufferin, we thought we'd give y'all a link to his new website:

Let's just hope that he updates it more frequently than Rhett's "readers forum" who forever keeps asking us to "check back in a few days" or the TV10 website, which is still "under construction".


Oh! We did hear a little rumor about that, it seems that the host PDMNET is holding the station owner hostage and won't release the domain name. We also hear that the same principle for this company (PDMNET) is responsible for the $600,000 wireless system(600THOUSAND?! Can that be right?) that is not working properly at the Indian River Medical Center (like they need another problem). Can any of y'all shed more light on this big ole stinkin pile of rumor and gossip? And that's just the tip of the pile kids, y'all wouldn't believe the volume of hospital rumblings stuffin our mail box concerning the goings on at that hospital. Pity.

WE THINK WE'RE HALUH-CIN-ATIN!
Can it be true? Did a beachie charity event really look this good? Y'all won't believe how beautiful the Whiney Festival was photographed:
A big MWAH! and special thank you to the always fabulous Die Muse of our World for sending us such a lovely gift!


ARE THEY TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHIN?
Some of Miss Vero's friends are suggesting we try a "Zumba" class that apparently is all the rage (and offered right here in Vero!) As y'all know, we have tried to exercise in the past but have never actually gotten past the initial planning phase. Maybe this time will be different. Yeah, maybe.


SINGLE? DATING? IN VERO?
We offer our sincere condolences. Now if any of y'all would like to share those experiences with Miss Vero and all the Beach House readers, we will be featuring a new writer on the dating scene tomorrow and hopefully every Friday, but we're sure she'll run out of material fast, so that's why we're asking, no begging, for y'all's help. So jot somethin down and send it right now! (It's not like you're super busy getting ready for a date or anything, might as well commiserate).


A big Thank Y'all to everyone who faithfully visits the Beach House and sends gifts of gossip!

MWAH!!!!!!!

Monday, February 2, 2009

ANOTHER SIDE OF THE STORY

As Miss Vero plows through the e mail box this morning, we find a response to our "Hospital Hotbed" post, last Wednesday and the now infamous $90,738 desk invoice. We received a very nice correspondence from Miss Betsy Whisman, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Indian River Medical Center:


Dear Miss Vero: It has come to our attention that you have placed on your blog a copy of a purchase order which suggested that more than $90,000 was spent on a desk. Attached please find the back-up detail behind that purchase order that clearly shows the expenditure was to totally furnish an office for two physicians and their staff, including patient exam tables, rolling file cabinets, X-ray illuminator lights, waiting room furniture, reception area furniture, etc.--including desks for two physicians. If you have any questions on the material provided, please feel free to contact me. It is our operating style to be open, direct and factual with information about the medical center.

Ok, so here's the problem, to be fair, we would love to post the attached invoices, but the file is too big and blogger can't support it. We are however, willing to forward this file to anyone interested. Just let us know.

MWAH!
missvero@live.com

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

HOSPITAL HOTBED



The most astute comment made on the TC Palm last week, concerning the impending strike by Indian River Medical Center nurses, we gladly quote today;


"Food for thought...Where do the unemployed, depressed, uninsured turn for medical care? The local emergency room. In these bad times there is no other alternative for most. This means people will prioritize their needs and many times medicines, and routine medical care will have to come last. The result is larger numbers of very sick people and congested ER's. Do you think the hospital hires more staff to handle the inevitable? No, hospital motto is "Do more with less" All the while the administration earns more than anyone realized. Visit your local ER sometime, especially during "season" and witness for yourself the very sick, emotionally disturbed, and violent patients. See how many patients are "holding" for inpatient beds. Why does any citizen in the county stand for this? We need to demand a GREAT community hospital. We need to appreciate the REAL staff that are in the "trenches" everyday. Do we need a union? YOU BET! It's the only way staff will ever be "heard" by those that control the dollars in the hospital."
Posted by mcma5652 on January 23, 2009 at 8:45 p.m.




We also must bring to light the fact that in today's South Florida Business Journal, Indian River Medical Center did not make the grade for any type of specialty excellence in Florida:



Oh my, we were lead to believe that the Duke association would benefit our community and give us a cutting edge, so to speak, in cardiac surgery, but further examination shows that we have not made the grade at all:




Oh and somehow, Miss Vero has become in possession of a copy of the infamous desk invoice. honestly $90,739 for a desk? Not on our dime.
Click on the invoice to enlarge it:






The official Beach House position? we hope y'all will agree with Miss Vero and...

SUPPORT OUR NURSES!



MWAH!


missvero@live.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

ROAD TRIP AND MORE!



Ahhright hunnies, get out your calendars or your i-somethings or your chisel and hammer or whatever it is y'all use to save the date, here's some good times in the next few weeks to look forward to and although we love Fellsmere, that ole frog leg festival that Max was talking about yesterday, just isn't anywhere on our list.


Miss Vero is tired of everyone telling us that they are bored to tears with the same ole stuff (yet, we completely understand), so we've come up with a few suggestions that y'all might not see anywhere else. Of course we'll be attending most of the events (or sendin a designated socialite) and disscussin 'em all at length when they happen, so just consider this a sneak peek into our social calendar.


First of all, don't forget the Indian River Taxpayer's luncheon tomorrow, where the guest speaker will be Mr. Jeff Susi, CEO of the Indian River Medical Center. We're sure he'll be thrilled to see y'all and answer any question y'all may have.


At a dinner party last weekend, Miss Vero listened eagerly to the story of a very well to do beachie woman, who upon entering the ER informed the staff that she was a member of the "Golden Eagles" and should be whisked away to her private accommodations immediately! The attending RN (who related the tale), explained quite patiently that she would have to wait in the same designated area as everyone else and that it didn't matter how much money she gave to who, because no matter what she was told, this was indeed a myth to perpetuate donor dollars. Needless to say, Miss beachie's subsequent attitude was not helpful in the healing process.


So don't forget, go and see Mr. Susi squirm, uhmm, speak tomorrow.



And while you're in the mood, why not attend the appropriately named "Breaking Legs" at The Riverside Theater, opening tomorrow night?



Also, y'all might want to consider seeing Mr. Garrison Keillor, who will be visiting next Monday, January 19th, but if y'all have made plans for celebratin the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Day, once again, we completely understand.


In fact, next week we should all be celebratin the inauguration of our new President, Mr. Barack Obama. Can we get a hoooray and an amen and a hallelujah?!!! Yes indeed. There will be a party, of course! Tuesday night, January 20th at the Epicenter of Cool, Undertow, to watch and celebrate this historic event.


Miss Nancy Richards, of the Indian River county Democratic Party, sent us a great email over the holidays, "The Election Party You Missed", which grabbed our attention immediately;


The local DEC (Democratic Executive Committee) rented the Executive Courthouse Center and along with the help of volunteers, put on the election night party which attracted about 350 people; including Republicans, Democrats, Independents., homeless people, about to be homeless people, very wealthy people, very very wealthy people with multiple homes they could lend to the homeless people, black, white, and yellow people--maybe a few red ones too--old, young, and all in between------it was spectacular; great band (The Coffee Beans), good eats and drinks---------we blew the roof off------wished you'd have known; or maybe you did and just couldn't make it?????

P.S. just became aware of your site; so answered your question about where the party was------sorry over 7 weeks late!


Hmmm, we don't remember seeing that party covered in our local paper.


Have y'all finished gigglin yet?


That's Ok, Miss Nancy, just keep us on the mailin list and let us know what's happening.


*SNARK ALERT*
We hear that sales of tickets to the Treasure Coast Wine Festival next week, benefiting IR Medical Center and the VNA, are a bit sluggish. Don't blame it on the economy. Let's just ask, what happens when you take a great concept and turn it into a semi private, beachie, charity event? It becomes exclusionary and as of January 20th, that is no longer fashionable.




Thursday, January 29th, Mr. Eliot Kleinberg, the author of "Weird Florida", will be speaking at the Emerson Center. This event starts at 7pm and the best part is that it's FREE!
http://www.theemersoncenter.org/humanities.html





FIRST WEEK IN FEB. - BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!


Monday, February 2nd, Poetry Slam in Vero! Sound interesting? We thought so too. Here's the details and a link to the new Cafe 1901. We love anything goin down in downtown, so we'll be curious to check out somethin new.

http://perfectedpenpoetry.com/

http://www.cafe1901.com/

Tuesday, February 3rd, The Vero Beach Book Center welcomes back our favorite Florida hero SERGE! Ok, how 'bout Serge's alter ego, our favorite, Mr. Tim Dorsey? Y'all know we love us some Tim Dorsey! In fact, here's a picture of Miss Vero attending a previous event for Mr. Dorsey at the Vero Beach Book Center, can y'all spot us? http://www.timdorsey.com/vero%2006.jpg

http://www.timdorsey.com/home.html

http://theverobeachbookcenter.com/


After getting our paws on a new Tim Dorsey book, by the end of the week we'll be in the mood for a little Florida road trip and what could be better than the 2009 Floridiana Festival?
http://www.hulahula.biz/2009floridianafestival.html

Miss Vero has waited all year for what promises to be a fun event, but we'll have to rush back on Sunday, because on February 8th at The Club House Bar and Grill, located at 4000 Atlantic Blvd, THERE WILL BE DRAG QUEENS!

Got that? All of it? Good, we guess we'll be seeing y'all around then...


MWAH!


missvero@live.com


Wednesday, January 7, 2009

WHERE THERE'S SMOKE...

...there's fire. Or so the sayin goes.



Miss Vero has received several emails concerning the going ons at the Indian River County Medical Center, otherwise known as the County Hospital. Yeah that's right County Hospital, y'all remember where they send the indigent folks? Only before we get to that email here's a little something that'll remind you that they really do care about you (and your finances):
http://www.wealthengine.com/pub/successStories/indianRiver.jsp

It just warms my heart to know that our little ole county hospital is assessing my health and wealth as I lay there in the ER!

So we sent this one particular email to a good friend of ours who is experienced in the hospital business, in fact he's got one of those MBA's in Hospital Administration, so we thought that he'd give us a fair assessment of some of the talking points made in the email.



"Well, where's thars smoke thars fire, darlin." (He's originally from deep Bubba country) "but don't be frettin, cause that's just how it is in about every hospital."

Hmm, that was reassuring.

Anyhoo, here's the email in question and just so y'all can't say we didn't warn you:

WARNING THIS EMAIL HAS NOT BEEN RESEARCHED AS TO IT'S CLAIMS AND YES,THERE IS PROFANITY!

Miss Vero hates censorship, as y'all know, so we are posting the email as we received it. We think that anyone who took the time to write such an extensive list deserves at least a post from Miss Vero. We asked y'all to contribute and y'all did.






"Not sure how to add a article to your web site but I do have a story for you: Points to ponder about Indian River.

Note all this is true.

1), In November of 2001 the hospital had over $150,000,000.00 in its long range portfolio's. This is per Nick Samilo the CFO that Jeff Fired, That money is no where to be found today?

2). Jeff Susie took money to the Islands and started a Malpractice insurance company. No mention of that any where they all go a few times a year and party ...

3). John Walker the Director of Materials Management at the hospital a guy that worked there for over 7 years was fired because He found where Dr. Rose was being paid over $45,000.00 per month. Through a company called CRT leasing they were acting like the hospital was renting equipment. Per Walker the stuff could have been purchased for two months rent. He went to Greg Gardner the CFO and nothing was done. When Val the new lawyer was brought in and she was made a VP he turned it into her as Medicare Fraud. Rose told Gardner if they stopped payments he would stop bringing patients to IRMC and he demanded Walker's Job less than a month later Walker was laid off.Walker did a great job and saved the hospital Millions in the time he was there. I know he is yet to locate a job.

4). All folks laid off were over 40, 95% were over 50.

5) Jerry Herrin was 62, he did not want to be laid off instead wanted to go ahead and retire. They told him NO!!!!and fired him.

6). The hospital signed a 10 year deal paying Duke 1 million dollars a year to use there name on the heart sign. Note no one in IRMC is from Duke the heart team came from Orlando? Rumors are Jeff Susie got 2 million back into his wallet?

7.) Barb Horn RN, Vice President, Barb has something on Jeff,. she ran CEBH into the ground loosing 3 million dollars per year for a few years until Jeff moved her to the main hospital he got rid of Judy Schanel, VP of Nursing. she left to a great job at Mosses Cone in N.C., Susie fired her a reason, she didn't get rid of the teamsters. They hired Dale Grinstead to run CEBH he turned the place around in 1 year it made 3 million dollars, Barb Horn was so mad that people were talking that she had Carl Fire Grinstead. Back to Barb, so she is over budget the last 5 years in a roll by over 3 million in Nurses wages., etc., so Jeff Fired Bob Zomok to make a spot for Barb and moved her in there. Bob was just a Director, Jeff gave Barb a $62,000.00 raise to move from the Nursing VP spot to the VP of Human resources. Something she knows nothing about.first tasks ....eliminated staff retirement, tripled the co-pays and the costs of insurance to staff. Bob left very quietly because they went ahead and paid off his retirement so he gets his couple thousand a month until he dies, so he is content and has never said a word and he won't he is one of them.

8.) Note the executive team did not take a hit., and they receive over $300,000.00 each into there plans each year. You know about the $800K they pay Jeff. cutting the benefits to staff saved the hospital $3.5 million dollars where did that money go?

9.) Barb hires the heart team, Dr. Stowe his salary is 1.2 million., they pay his staff, (11 people), double what they were making in Orlando to move here and they pay there rent on the beach for 1 year. They also pay the each $45,000.00 per year just for being on call and carry a cell phone that they provide? Scrub techs are making $110,000.00 a year on the heart team, a job that pays $40 at best? The heart team LPN made $88,000.00 working part time. A RN in the rest of the hospital makes $63K working full time. The purfusionist was paid $215,000.00 most make $70,000.00, the PA $210,000.00, average wage around 100,000.00, and so on, everyone was way over paid and they all bragged about it which made a lot of people mad.

10.)The heart team only does hearts they sit around waiting for heart cases doing nothing? There was two teams I heard they got rid of some? Susie spent millions more than the hospital had on the heart staff and supplies, they had a open check book, they ordered over $150,000.00 worth of supplies with out going through Walker and the purchasing department. Supplies were hitting the dock and no one knew where it went they created a monster of a mess. Doctor Stowe spent $96,000.00 on a desk and $13,000.00 on a stereo for his office. Walker refused to cut a PO with out receipts., Dr. Stowe never produced receipts Greg Gardner just cut him the checks back. No proof., how on earth can you spend that much on a desk?

11.) This past July $144,000.00 worth of supplies were thrown in the garbage because they had expired and could not be used. The team had bought way more stuff than they used and they never rotated anything thus wasted it., Central supply did not even know the stuff was there. Once they did know and tried to control it the items were outdated already. They found the stuff. The heart team told Purchasing what they did was none of there business, the purfusionist was a real ass his name is Ed, he spent money like he was printing it. They were buying from there friends and Walker found later that many things they were paying list price. Also the samething happened with the Vascular supplies and that new department, everything was out of control and Jeff Susie and Carl Martin allowed it. Supply responsibility was removed from Walker and he was told to stay out of Surgery? It was a joke. He was signing contracts based on finding what they were buying, behind there backs. Supply costs went up millions, Greg Gardner quit over it (CFO).

12.) To recover the losses from the year Susie lays off 44 people., all lower level people except for Walker, and the 3 other Directors that worked for Gardner. The above is all true. I have copies of the expensive desk check, the CRT leasing PO for $45,000 to Dr. Rose.

13.) A hospital bill that was a friend of Jeff Susies that was in the hospital., he told billing to throw the bill away., $17,000.00 thrown in the trash. So if your Susies friend you don't have to pay?

I could go on and on but whats the point no one is going to do anything about any of it. Like the wireless system They bought for $600,000.00 that never worked. Carl Martin bought it from his buddy then had to buy something else. we never got a penny back., Carl had also hired is cousin and had him working at the hospital for better than a year as a consultant, his name was Paul. Carl made one mistake after another he is not a smart man.

Dr. Greenberg was a complete story in himself the hospital put everyone in harms way with that guy and they knew it he was a nut., screaming and cussing in peoples faces, he more than 10 times screamed in staffs faces, he called Walker in Purchasing a Mother Fucker because he had ordered something that was not there, he ordered it that morning and expected it the same day? He did this in front of the patients he didn't care. He was finely let go because he told the Cath lab Manager Debbie Rose to suck his dick in front of the entire department at a department meeting? In short the behavior of Stowe and Company is not much better they belittle people and have gotten at least 10 nurses fired, many areas have had a total turn over since they came to town. So they do this lay off....but they hired two more Vice Presidents and Barb Horn hired her friend to be the Director of Human Resources???? She was a GYM teacher now she is a Director? Perfect ending to this note."




Sorry, no great picture today and we did have one. Blogger is not behaving in the usual way, maybe we're being hacked? Nah, who'd wanna shut down the Beach House? It's not like we have an open forum or anything...

MWAH!

missvero@live.com

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

YOUR DOLLARS MAKE NO SENSE



Well kids, he's finally gone and done it. Yup, Mr. Lemmon has made us proud. There he is doing his best Andy Rooney impersonation and honestly, we could just give him a big MWAH! on his shiny ole head, bless his heart. In the future, somebody ought tell him to put a little powder on that dome, we fear we coulda been blinded for a second there.

But Miss Vero digresses, as usual. Seriously children have y'all seen Mr. Lemmon's new video? Well, we just have to tell y'all that Miss Vero loves, loves, loves it!

Really.
This report just tickles us to no end, we can just imagine the steam comin outa ole Chester Clem's ears. Now, it's no secret that Miss Vero is a not a huge fan of Miss Kay Clem. Nothin personal mind you, just don't like the entitlement ways of the Republican Party in Indian River County in general. We also despise seeing money (especially taxpayers money) being wasted. So seeing this particular video and lovin Mr. Lemmon's work for a change was just like opening a package on Christmas morning.

Never let it be said that Miss Vero does not give credit where credit is due- so here it is, mark today on the calendar!

Thank you Russ, loved this piece!

Now that Russ is on a roll, maybe he also picked up some info at the hospital, to address his many commenters. There seems to be a few who continue to request an investigation into the goings on at Indian River Memorial Hospital. Miss Vero just happens to have come across some items that will make Miss Klem 's marketing trinkets seem quaint.

Ever heard of S.E.R.P.? Well hunnies, neither did we, until a few days ago. Here's the story;

What is a S.E.R.P.?
Why it’s a retirement plan for executives, based on years of service and pre-retirement cash compensation. It is not tied to executive performance and designed and marketed specifically as a way to increase executive compensation “off the radar screen of shareholders” (or taxpayers)

The financial accounting standards board "does not require liabilities associated with serps be itemized separately” and therefore compensation is usually hidden from our view, as firms are not required to include this increase of value in their compensation schedules.

(“Pay Without Performance” By Lucian Arye Bebchuk, Jesse Fried) http://www.amazon.com/Pay-without-Performance-Unfulfilled-Compensation/dp/0674022289/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1223470766&sr=11-1

Indian River Memorial Hospital Inc. paid its chief executive officer, Jeff Susi, $383,790 in 2006. The Vero Beach hospital was renamed Indian River Medical Center in 2006, but retains its legal name of Indian River Memorial Hospital Inc. on Internal Revenue Service documents.

In 2004, he received $361,121 in total compensation. In 2005, his total compensation was essentially the same, coming in at $357,778.



In 2006, his salary increased by $34,000 to $383,790,

but thanks to a SERP payout, his total compensation that year came to $1,222,384.


Additional compensation to Mr. Susi came from Indian River Hospital Foundation to the tune of $838,594.00 in 2005.

(see page 32)


A lot to consider, don'tcha think, what with all the recent budget cuts and job loss at the hospital:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/sep/06/indian-river-medical-center-cuts-42-workers/?feedback=1#comments



Now that we've finally let the cat poke it's head outa the bag, is there anyone else that might like to add something to this hospital information sit-che-ation? C'mon y'all, Miss Vero has opened the door, just walk right in.






MWAH!


missvero@live.com