Posted by:
summer
(
)
Date: March 04, 2023 09:03AM
HCA, a for-profit hospital chain, has been accused of chronic understaffing. For the hospital profiled in the NBC News report, Mission Hospital in North Carolina, staff positions have been cut by 37% since HCA took over. Nurses interviewed in the piece said that more "Code Blues" (a call for help for a patient that has suddenly taken a nosedive,) are more common now than before. They feel that their licenses are being put at risk (nurses are required to refuse patients if they feel that the staffing ratio is unsafe, but obviously it can be a tough call when you are dealing with your employer.)
https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/hca-healthcare-low-staffing-levels-accused-of-endangering-patients-159830085859I lurk on the nurse's Reddit, and *by far*, the most complaints come in about HCA.
In Utah, HCA runs six hospitals -- Brigham City Community Hospital, Cache Valley Hospital, Lakeview Hospital, Lone Peak Hospital, Mountain View Hospital, Ogden Regional Medical Center, St. Mark's Hospital, and Timpanogos Regional Hospital. Staffing at these Utah hospitals has been 22% less than comparable Utah hospitals from a 2020 report.
For Idaho (with three HCA hospitals,) that figure is -41%. For California (six HCA hospitals,) -34%.
California is the only state with safe staffing ratios mandated by law, but a dozen other states have certain safeguards in place. Given the California law, I'm not sure how or why HCA continues to run their hospitals "lean and mean" there.
Given what the nurses say over on Reddit, I personally would not go to a HCA operated hospital given a choice in the matter.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2023 09:06AM by summer.