New hospital planned in Janesville
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Dean Health System and SSM Health Care of Wisconsin will partner to build a $140 million hospital near the intersection of Interstate 90/39 and Highway 11 on Janesville’s east side. Plans call for the facility to open in 2010.
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JANESVILLE — Saying Janesville residents want more health care options, Dean Health System and SSM Health Care of Wisconsin announced today they will build a $140 million hospital and medical campus on the city’s southeast side.
The 50-bed hospital and adjacent physician office complex will open in 2010 on 50 acres that Dean bought in 2000 on the southeast corner of Highway 11 and Interstate 90.
The new complex will create 350 jobs in Janesville, said Craig Samitt, Dean’s president and chief executive officer. While Dean will build the physician complex, SSM, the parent company of St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, will build the hospital.
Dean currently has about 50 doctors and 200 employees at its Riverview and Northview clinic in Janesville.
Samitt said Dean plans to move most of its physicians, staff and services from the Riverview Clinic to the new facility. It will continue to assess staffing and location needs to serve the city’s west side, he said.
“We’ve listened to the community, and the community would like more choices in their health care services,” Samitt said.
Mary Starmann-Harrison, president and CEO of SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, said studies show that the Janesville area will need 100 more hospital beds by 2011 and that 40 percent of residents leave Janesville for their health care.
“We think that 40 percent would rather stay in Janesville,” she said.
“A second hospital in Janesville will benefit everyone—the patients, their families and employers.”
The new hospital would be the fifth within 21 miles of downtown Janesville. Others are:
-- Mercy Hospital, Janesville.
-- Beloit Memorial Hospital—10 miles.
-- Edgerton Hospital and Health Services—12 miles.
-- Fort Memorial Hospital—21 miles.
Given the demographics and surveys, the need for the new hospital is clear, Samitt said.
“The community wants a choice in health care, and, together with SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, we are well-positioned to provide it,” he said.
Starmann-Harrison acknowledged that some people will consider the new hospital, which will be a sister hospital of St. Mary’s in Madison, to be an unnecessary duplication in the Janesville market that will drive up health care costs.
Others, she said, will agree with Dean and St. Mary’s officials that competition will drive better efficiency and quality of health care.
The competition also could lower costs, Samitt said.
The community asked for a choice, Starmann-Harrison said, and the data and demographics support the new medical complex.
Javon Bea, Mercy’s president and CEO, said this morning that Mercy remains committed to Janesville.
“Mercy Health System offers its patients comprehensive access to services that span the care continuum from birth through end of life,” he said in a news release. “We will continue to offer high quality service and compassionate care in Janesville and the surrounding area.
“Our physicians are respected members of this community with an established history of providing our patients with superior care.”
Mercy, which operates a 275-bed hospital in Janesville, announced last month that it will build a $10 million trauma center and office complex on its Janesville campus. It is building a new parking ramp to serve its new cardiology care and imaging suite, which is under construction on the east side of Mercy Hospital.
Bea said Mercy Hospital is renovating all of its rooms to private patient rooms and has recently expanded neurosurgery and cardiac care services to support its new trauma surgeons.
Starmann-Harrison said the new complex will be built on an open site, which allows for the construction of a state-of-the-art, patient-friendly operation. The 50-bed hospital, which will feature all private rooms, will be designed with expansion in mind to meet the area’s needs, she said.
Dean serves 20,000 Janesville-area residents who participate in the Dean Health Plan. Dean recently took a hit in Janesville when General Motors made changes in its health care coverage, sending many former Dean patients to Mercy.
“We hate to disrupt the relations our doctors had with GM employees, but there are 50,000 other people in this area aside from GM,” Samitt said.
Health care is built on a system of changing relationships, he said, and GM workers could return to the Dean fold in the future.
“The situation with GM does not disrupt the plan that’s been in the works for several years,” he said.
Riverview employees learned of what was one of the community’s best-kept secrets this morning.
John Beckord, president of Forward Janesville, a private economic development agency, called the news exciting and contrary to recent dire economic news.
“The job creation, the construction jobs—all of this is terrific news,” he said. “It’s certainly a vote of confidence in the local economy, another sign that many segments of our local economy are strong.
“There is obviously a tendency to listen to CNN and read the AP releases and assume that our local regional economy mirrors the troubles in play in certainly some select major urban areas. It’s just not true.”
Beckord said the health complex will offer competition and additional health choices to community members.
“The health-care sector has seen a steady growth in employment,” he said. “This is a real shot in the arm for that employment base.”
The solid, good-paying jobs will dovetail nicely with the health-care education programs already in place, Beckord said.
“I would expect to see an increase in interest in those programs from area residents who might be contemplating a career move,” he said.
JUST THE FACTS
Some facts and figures about the new hospital complex proposed for Janesville:
What: A $140-million hospital campus on 50 acres at the southeast corner of Interstate 90/39 and Highway 11 to open in 2010. The project does not include state or federal money.
Size: The campus will include a 50-bed hospital, about 150,000 to 175,00 square feet. It will include a medical office building of about 120,000 square feet. The site has space for planned future growth of both the hospital and physician’s office complex.
Who: SSM Health Care of Wisconsin & Dean Health System. SSMHC/WI will build the hospital and Dean, its physician partner, will build the clinic as part of the physician office complex adjacent to the hospital. SSM Health Care of Wisconsin is the parent company of St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison and St. Clare in Baraboo.
Jobs: 344 direct jobs, plus 155 indirect jobs.
Economic impact: $164 million annually, including about $40 million in payroll and $124 million in sales revenue.
Why: The location allows easy access to services for Janesville residents and those in surrounding communities.
Available services: In addition to the existing clinical services already provided, the new hospital will offer such inpatient services as cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, oncology, pulmonology, neurology, obstetrics and vascular medicine and surgery. It will offer an emergency department, urgent care, radiology, a laboratory, cardiac rehabilitation and sleep lab.
Apr 28, 2008 at 3:35 p.m.
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The Malcolm Baldrige Award is an award to recognize management and organization - not quality of patient care.
Seeing the banners on the outside of the hospital touting this award should serve to show the public what Mercy Health System puts first on its list of importance - hint: it's not you or your health problem.
Apr 21, 2008 at 11:40 p.m.
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SSM won the award in 2002. The Mercy system won it last year. The award is a quality award. Anyone can download Mercy's application and see the application summary for themselves:
http://www.quality.nist.gov/Contacts_Pro...
The question to ask: Is Mercy (system or hospital) better today under Bea or was it better prior to his arrival? Its an easy question-and I think most, on balance would answer that Mercy is a better place today.
Apr 21, 2008 at 9:11 p.m.
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The quality at Mercy is very suspect. Very interesting that they refused to release their patient ratings when every other hospital did. I suspect that they were so abysmal that they could not dare let them become public the same week they receive the Balderdash Award. By the way, that award is for running a business system and has nothing to do with quality of care; and for what it's worth, St. Mary's won it years ago, the very first year it was given to health care organizations.
Apr 21, 2008 at 3:37 p.m.
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Peacegirl:
Ignorance is not bliss. Here is a link that you can forward to your husband-simply because your husband does not know about this award does not minimize its prestige:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/facts...
As for Javon Bea, I dont care if he is self serving or not. The criticism of Bea is due to his deferred compensation-nothing more. Winning the Baldrige award does not detract from his career-it enhances it. Had Mercy been sited for huge break out of MRSA virus-he would catch flack for this as well. Leaders get credit for good and for bad. If a hospital system is looking for a new CEO, the board of directors will look for someone like Javon bea who has a track record of turning around a system-as he did with Mercy. He has a succesful track record whether you recognize it or not. Spoils of the position, I guess.
Regarding medical staff: so what if physcians live elsewhere-as long as they are providing quality service-it should not make any difference. If mortality rates are increasing in cardiology, neurosurgery, or urology-due to lapses in care-then its an issue.
Again, I support an additional hospital for purely economic reasons. Competition is good for consumers. As a consumer of healthcare-this is good. As for Javon Bea, I could careless where he lives, where is daughters go to school, how many apartments he owns, whether he has a second home or not. As for his salary-I believe its market based and about 700-800K per year plus bonus-total comp aroung 1.3-1.5. A lot of scratch for a city like Jansville. If the board of directors who set his salary think its too much-they will change it.
Apr 21, 2008 at 3:03 p.m.
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TCB,please don't get too enamored of awards. Track records are what really count and Mr. Bea's is totally self-serving. TCB, please see my comments under the story titled "Some Say Hospital Will Bring Pain, Not Relief". The info presented is historically correct even if you don't come to the same conclusions.
Apr 20, 2008 at 1:57 p.m.
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This is a balderdash award - I personally do not think hospitals and facilities that are there for the public should be recognized. My husband,who works in Madison,has never heard of this award and he works at Meriter!
Apr 17, 2008 at 12:15 p.m.
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Hmm someone else in the know how it actually works..balderdash..thats a good one.
Apr 17, 2008 at 10:51 a.m.
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The "Balderdash" award is not about quality. Check out the Mercy application and see how much is about quality versus "patient satisfaction". Most of the application is about "leadership." Those in the know can tell you stories about how the data was tweaked to get the results that Bea wanted. Many of the staff left because of the deceit and did not want to be part of the charade. The Baldrige award lost all respect when they awarded Mercy.
http://www.quality.nist.gov/PDF_files/20...
Apr 17, 2008 at 9:25 a.m.
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So TCB how much does Javon pay you to sit and read comments on the paper and write comments in favor of him and Mercy..? It's obvious by your statements for "whom" you work for. If you can sleep at night more power to you TCB.
Apr 15, 2008 at 9:54 p.m.
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Escape8:
I would recommend that you examine the criteria on which the Baldrige award is given. You can't simply go in to work, put a phoney smile on your face, say a few buzz words and shazam-the Baldrige award is handed to you.
It is an impressive quality award and it surprised the heck out of me when I heard that Mercy won. But the award has 1 common thread-those companies that have won have tremendous, not good, tremendous leaders and employees -the vast majority of whom are committed to doing the best they can. Its a huge honor for Janesville. I would rather Janesville/Mercy be known for winning the Baldrige award than the arrest of Geraldo Rivera at a Janesville KKK rally. I would rate the Baldrige award higher than the albino buffalo as well (no offense to native americans)
As for pay, perhaps Dean will offer more money and some Mercy employees will be able to take advantage of this-and they should. As for staffing, nationwide there is a shortage of nurses, this is not a problem unique to Mercy-more competition for skilled labor drives wages higher-not lower.
Apr 15, 2008 at 8:35 p.m.
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I'm not part of administration. I work for Mercy, and am proud of it. We are not forced to say that we love our jobs. The people who say that they love their job at Mercy, mean it. I don't know why people don't think that the employees at St. Mary's may not like their job there either.
Apr 15, 2008 at 7:35 p.m.
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I'm glad dean is building a hospital! For the baldridge award..yeah its wonderful to have javon-administration make employees memorize tons of crap on what they are to say..lie how much they love there job and how good mercy is to them. Maybe if they spent less time on brainwashing the employees to say what they want them too...(and treat them like humans), And not just another knotch in Javons belt. Or get proper staffing..and pay what the employees deserve..but its anything to save a buck at Mercy. I know people aren't forced to work there..but I can almost guarantee that most of these yourahrah mercy comments are from Mercy administration that have to do it! Dean is a hard place to get into...hopefully with these new job openings ..mercy employees can get fair wages and a less stressful work environment! All I have to say is YOURAHRAH DEAN!
Apr 15, 2008 at 4:06 p.m.
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enoughalready:
If what you write is true, then Javon Bea should be given more credit in Mercy's Baldrige award. Believe what you want to believe but very few companies win this prestigious award. Since Bea lead Mercy to this prestigeous award the value of Javon Bea went up accordingly.
I think those who complain about Bea are jealous of his compensation package-period. Bea is already on the record stating that an additional facility will provide nothing but duplicate services. But Bea also knows that a percentage of patients that Mercy received will now be going to another facility-which means Mercy's revenue stream will be affected.
Apr 15, 2008 at 3:33 p.m.
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"Wisconsinheat" brings up a good point, but, unfortunately, it doesn't represent reality. Javon runs the Board, period. The Mercy Board is his puppet to manipulate. New board=newCEO=new Mercy. Maybe St. Marys wouldn't have to step in and do what Javon and the Board have failed to do if that "equation" was implemented.
Apr 15, 2008 at 9:43 a.m.
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I, for one, love ninjas.
Apr 15, 2008 at 8:52 a.m.
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Sarab:
The market will determine whether a new, small hospital is needed.
Sarah, are you an investor in SSM? It is their capital they are risking to build this hospital. Ifyou are an investor, perhaps it's your capital they are investing. You can demonstrate your displeasure with SSM by selling your investment.
SSM believes that it can best serve its owners by expanding in Janesville
Lets agree that we are in a recession-for argument sake, are you saying that private companies should not attempt to expand while the national economy is in recession? How do you expect to come out of a recession? Gov't?
TCB
Apr 15, 2008 at 8:17 a.m.
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tater:
You got me!
Cheers
TCB
Apr 14, 2008 at 11:39 p.m.
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The full page add by Mercy was telling. Is Mercy really concerned about higher health care costs, or are they concerned about competition? Criticizing your competition is petty. Whomever was responsible for that should be fired.
And by the way, awards mean nothing. They are not given without the recipient company doing A LOT of up front work. I would rather my NON-PROFIT health care provider spend money on improving health care.
Apr 14, 2008 at 9:01 p.m.
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I work for Mercy Hospital. I love to be here working with everyone that is here. If you're not happy with the system here, then what's going to make things any better going to St. Mary's? It's all about customer service. If the employees here go to St. Mary's you're going to get the same treatment. And even for the ones who are not from Mercy...not everybody is perfect, and as with any business you are always going to run into that person who just doesn't rub you the right way. I think it's wonderful that there is going to be a new hospital. It will open up opportunities for new jobs, and another place for people to check out. But your customer service will always be the same. Good, Bad, or Otherwise. People who don't work within a hospital have no idea what these people have to deal with, and how busy they really are. Everyone is trying their hardest to make sure that every patient, visitor, and partner is happy.
Apr 14, 2008 at 5:15 p.m.
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" IF YOU DON'T LIKE MERCY GO SOMEPLACE ELSE"...
That is exactly what we will be able to do when the new hospital opens...
Apr 14, 2008 at 4:44 p.m.
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Doesn't Javon Bea work at the discretion of the board of directors, of which most if not all are local citizens?
Maybe they are paying him the big bucks because he is doing what they direct him to do and is getting the results they desire.
Perhaps much critism of MHS is misdirected.
Apr 14, 2008 at 4:11 p.m.
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Amen hardworking! I have worked there on the same floor (the busiest floor in the hospital) for years. I LOVE MY JOB AT MERCY! The docs from Mercy AND Dean are GREAT! I,too,do not like to get involved with the politics and stuff that goes on...unless it directly affects me! Direct admissions and ER patients are wanting beds on our floor when there is not a bed to be found! Empty beds my hind end! People are always gonna bitch about one facility or another if some little thing did not go their way or they think something else should have been done. IF YOU DON'T LIKE MERCY GO SOMEPLACE ELSE! I see everyday Mercy MDs saving lives! Healthcare is not cheap ANYWHERE! LIKE I SAID BEFORE IN ANOTHER BLOGS, LET'S WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY! Sure people are Mercy years ago wanted to go to Beloit,NOW... they are back at Mercy. Grass wasn't any greener was it? Welcome Dean Hospital! We welcome the competition.
Apr 14, 2008 at 11:27 a.m.
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My wife works at Mercy and I'm not sure where the comment about empty beds is coming from. At least on her floor the beds are full 95% of the time. I agree with the hospital being understaffed. What I don't agree with is that this seems to be a Mercy bash. My wife loves working there and the reason is: she loves taking care of her patients, and working with the doctors (both from Dean and Mercy) and her co-workers. She doesn't get into the administrative/political things and she prefers it that way. In regards to bad care: have you ever noticed it takes only 1 or 2 rotten apples to make the whole basket spoiled? Don't let one bad experience or bad staff member effect your overall outlook on Mercy. Hate to say it but there's always a rotten apple in every place. As for Dean opening up: GOOD FOR YOU! If they feel like they should and if it will benefit the community, then I'm all for it. Will that mean that Mercy may lose staff? Possibly, but then they will have to find more employees. Good luck to both facilities!
Apr 13, 2008 at 11:15 p.m.
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He has a home in Janesville that is owned and paid for by Mercy (He needs to save his $14,400,000 to pay for other things), an apt in Minneapolis for teaching (teaches at a school up there), a family home in Mn. where his wife lives, and $3,000,000 worth of condos in a complex in Florida. The reason he is so out of touch with the commoners of Janesville, Rock County, or the surrounding areas? Hmmm
Let's see the show of hands of all execs. reading this that never converse with the customer, who never meet the everyday workers that bring in the big bucks, who think they have a grasp of what the people want based off of a corporate monitary decision to go with the lowest bid. Now let's see a show of hands of the readers that made $14,400,000 last year (defered comp or otherwise), who have 5 residences, who run 40+ facilities and have time to teach (for extra income) on the side. Out of touch is Javon Bea's middle name. For those that question Bea's spending any of that hard earned money here? Why would he? If he is here it is for business. He lives in Mn. That means expenses here are either deductable, or expensed by Mercy. In fact, Bea has a charity (Javon and Vita Bea Family Foundation) that is for Mn related causes. Ok, outside of the foundation, he underwrote a Notre Dame building designed with handicapped students in mind. I guess he is not all bad. At least 2 of his kids go there, so maybe U-Rock could recruit one of his other children to go to school here. That may be the only way to get him to spend any money here. As long as he stops by the area every once and a while we can have the benefit of him spending Mercy's money. To cover the expenses maybe 'non-profit' Mercy can get into the lucrative cosmetic plastic surgery to offset the expenses. Wait, they have.
Apr 13, 2008 at 10:01 p.m.
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I just finished watching the movie "Sicko" by Micheal Moore - the health care industry, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies - all need a good kick in the pants for their greedy ways in the USA. Mercy states that they are "non-profit" - sure. Any profit at the end of the year is given as "bonuses" to top execs, instead of split among the workers - who actually deserve it. Imagine if each and every staff member received a hefty bonus at the end of the year - what a difference in attitude you would see! Or if profits would go into a fund so that necessary procedures would be paid for if an insurance company denied services. Right now, Mercy is so understaffed - it takes hours to get through the ER - those poor people that work in that dept. Mercy's health insurance company started out in the right direction - offering affordable premiums - but then quadrupled over night - I guess they realized that they were a "for-profit" entity of Mercy. I think our entire system needs a complete overhaul. A second hospital in Janesville can only mean competition in customer service - so that is a great thing for patients. Mercy wouldn't have taken out a full page ad in Sunday's paper if they weren't worried.
Apr 13, 2008 at 9:35 p.m.
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Javon Bea and his family did live here in Janesville at one time. But his wife wanted to move back to Minnesota because they felt that there daughter with Retts syndrome could get a better education and care (a slap in the face for the Janesville School District)
Apr 13, 2008 at 9:25 p.m.
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Ya, that ad was a strange one. Don't know what they expect to accomplish by that.
Apr 13, 2008 at 8:42 p.m.
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I think Mercy would be much better served if they would spend alot less money on taking out full page ads in the sunday paper trying to convince Janesville that St.Mary's is evil. Maybe Mercy should allocate some of that money and hire a few more ER docs. They are really making themselves look bad in my opinion with all the negativity ads. I for one believe that their hospital has empty beds because people choose to go elswhere for their care.
Apr 12, 2008 at 10:28 p.m.
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Javon does spend the majority of his time in Minnesota. Ask any patient, nurse or doctor at Mercy if they've ever seen him in a patient care area.
Apr 12, 2008 at 9:13 p.m.
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Back to the comments earlier this morning about Bea living/not living in Janesville...does he truly spend most of his time out of Janesville? I was just kdding when I asked if he even lived in Janesville. Is it true that he's only here on a part-time basis ( and if that's correct he's only spending a small part of his multi-million dollar salary in this town)?
Apr 12, 2008 at 9:08 p.m.
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For those who think a new hospital in Janesville is going to increase medical costs, you should know that Mercy's charges are 25% higher than any other hospital in Rock County. They can do this because there hasn't been any competition or choice for patients (and their insurance companies) and they need to pay for their "empire" on the backs of he people of Janesville. A knee replacement at Mercy costs $42,000; that exact same operation at St. Mary's is $18,000. I think that demonstrates what a new hospital will be able to do for us. It will also force Mercy to pay more attention to quality of patient care and not to their advertising. None of the awards they have gotten have ever been for patient care. Lastly, Javon has to stop lying about how all the Mercy docs are "members" of the community. They have a urologist who lives in Lake Geneva, a heart surgeon who lives in Green Bay and a Neurosurgeon who lives in California. Half of the physicians who work in the ER are temporary docs for hire or untrained residents.
Apr 12, 2008 at 8:21 p.m.
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Reading all the comments about wether u like it or not, got payed enough or not, or if the staff was nice or not, the one thing that people are missing is the fact that the more compition there is in the health feild the better chances we have of lowering medical expenses(without lowering the quality of care). Also most of the problems people have can b solved by simply talking to the staff or stand up for yourself and demand that something is changed. Now they maybe afraid of losing u as a costomer.
Apr 12, 2008 at 10:21 a.m.
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I am originally from Rockford Il, and have always used Rockford Memorial Hospital. I moved to Janesville and started going to Mercy. I can say that I have had an overall good relationship with them. Although, they did tend to tick me off a couple of times. When I was pregnant with my second child, I went into labor 7 weeks early. They wouldn't deliver because they don't deliver babies that are born that early. Soooo...they decided to ship me to Meriter Hospital in Madison. Meriter treated me well and all, but just knowing that I had to ride a hell of a bumpy ride all the way to Madison that caused contractions (I hadn't had any until I got on the ambulance for them to take me up there)frustrated me. Then it really felt funny to me having my kid in some city and hospital I was not familiar with at all. I'd have to say that my worst experience was one time when my baby stopped breathing at home. I rushed to Mercy Hospital and demanded to get my son in right away. The nurse at the front desk was giggling to some other nurse on the phone. I lost it then. They have all day to giggle and chat with co-workers. It is not the time to be doing this when you're supposed to be getting me into a doctor right away to see my son. Needless to say, the words that came out of my mouth were far from being nice. After I told the nurse what I thought of her, she continued to tell me that nothing was wrong with my son, and he was breathing. *sigh*...Anyway, (before I get mad again), besides those two incidents, they have been alright. Another thing is, I am low-income and receive a medical card, and Mercy is my only option. So therefore, it looks like I'll have to stick with them for now. I believe that it is a good thing that another hospital will be built. At least there will be more options of where you can go!
Apr 11, 2008 at 5:40 p.m.
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As a Nurse, and former employee of Mercy, I hope that all the Nurses who work there now look into a job at St. Marys! The reason why I work in Madison now is because of the horrible pay and benifits I recieved (or lack there of) at Mercy. Once I realized that I could (and should) be making $10-$16 MORE an hour, I couldn't get out the door quick enough! It's a shame what they pay there, and once others see what they should be making, I bet Mercy will be adjusting there wages a bit.
I have heard the horror stories that come from former patients of Mercy, and I have seen the aftermath of surgical and medical mistakes as well. The reason why Mercy can't fill there beds at a time when most hospitals can't seem to find enough beds, is not by accident. Mercy has a reputation, and it is NOT a good one!
Apr 11, 2008 at 4:22 p.m.
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As someone who lives outside of town - Clinton, it is exciting to see this new location that is easily accessible for emergency services. Trauma and heart attack victims will appreciate not having to navigate slow city streets, lights and trains to get to Mercy Hospital.
Apr 11, 2008 at 4:16 p.m.
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Dusty, did you skip the whole semester of your economics class?
Apr 11, 2008 at 3:47 p.m.
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I'm all for competition in the health care industry in Janesville, but I don't want to end up paying more for care. Inevitably this is going to happen when more competition is brought into a community.
Apr 11, 2008 at 3:26 p.m.
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Okay first of all of course there are going to be a slew of you who spend all of your time whining about Mercy. While some of you may have had negative experiences- a lot of people have very positive experiences with Mercy. Personally, me and my family have had great experiences with the staff at Mercy Hospital. My dad has worked with the orthopaedic staff to create a new prostetic leg for himself. The doctor he is working with has shown superior knowledge in the field and has far exceeded expectations my dad had. As a family we have been amazed by the techological advances Mercy continues to make. Before having to use Mercy care for insurance purposes, he went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. While Mayo clinic did an exceptional job and we had some apprehensions about switching, it was been nothing but a good experience and my dad claims his doctor at Mercy is just as knowledgeable as his doctor at Mayo Clinic. While there are situational occurences for everyone, you all must admit that it appears that Mercy is continuing to improve it's healthcare system and respond to people's needs. Personally, my family has been in and out of healthcare systems for different ailments over the past few years. In our eyes we have received some of the best service at Mercy. I know some of you may have had negative experiences with Mercy, but give them a break....every hospital is going to have mishaps and every hospital is going to have great stories of great care..so stop wasting all your efforts bad mouthing MErcy...they really have been essential to our community-think about how many of you were born there, i know my mom was, me and my brothers and sisters were, most of my friends were, my first child was, and i plan on having my future children born there. And on one last note with Dean coming in, it is just going to raise healthcare costs for all of us- healthcare is expensive enough for all of us already...maybe some of you will appreciate Mercy more once you realize it
Apr 11, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
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bosslady96- A 100%, right on the money comment!!
Apr 11, 2008 at 12:25 p.m.
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Health research indicates that competition does not drive prices down in health care delivery. Duplication occurs in services increasing costs to consumers. In addition, there will be increased competition for physician labor and nursing labor. Medical schools are "importing" physicians from foreign countries at rate of 25% in the United States. There is a shortage of primary care physicians and nurses that is very serious. When labor supplies are low, labor costs more. Mercy has nearly created a monopoly situation in Janesville and Dean must believe they can extend themselves further to get heart cases to the big Dean hospital in Madison. Ask yourself how this helps Janesville and its residents?
If you want some scientific evidence to this effect read this research article (corroborated over and over again):
"Hospital Competitive Strategy: A New Medical Arms Race?"
Kelly J. Devers, Linda R. Brewster, and Lawrence P. Casalino
HSR: Health Services Research 38:1, Part II (February 2003)
Arms Race?
Apr 11, 2008 at 10:31 a.m.
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I for one am thrilled that the community of Janesville will have a high quality facility staffed with physicians who do not "come & go" as they do in the Mercy systyem. Javon Bea's financial rewards have not best served this community.
Apr 11, 2008 at 9:42 a.m.
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Valerie....If the employees at Mercy are happy with their jobs, they won't leave. I bet alot of employees of Mercy are secretly happy about a new job opportunity in Janesville.
Apr 11, 2008 at 9:04 a.m.
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A new hospital is a great idea but why would they build a hospital way out there?
Apr 11, 2008 at 8:43 a.m.
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The news is great...I'd rather see a complex such as this then another mega warehouse built not fully used or even sitting empty. Look on the southside and all you see is garage doors and docks.
Apr 11, 2008 at 6:05 a.m.
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"The new complex will create 350 jobs in Janesville". The 350 jobs "created" will be at Mercy because people will leave there to work at the new hospital.
Apr 11, 2008 at 2:15 a.m.
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I've tried both systems in Janesville over the last 10 years and found them both lacking in diagnostic ability. I just got another statement from MHS Physician Services telling me there is an Insurance Balance Pending... from November 2006! A big part of the outrageous medical expenses is generated by the insurance paperwork. Some laws forcing paperwork reform on both the health care providers and insurance companies would go a long way to reducing medical costs. Of course, the State Legislators can't balance the Wisconsin budget - much less keep the Governor honest; and our Federal legislators are too busy writing "earmarks" and trying to dodge angry voter repercussions over their failure to keep President Bush from bankrupting us with "Daddy's War: Part II".
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:56 p.m.
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TCB: Please quit being so rude to others submitting comments here. In regards to this plan for another Janesville hospital, it might create competition but is it really needed? I am not so sure that our economy is going to remain healthy enough to support another hospital. Many people are being laid off and that usually means they have to pick up their own insurance costs, something that is very expensive to do. In addition, in today's world many jobs do not include health care benefits. It's great to hear that another hospital will create 350+ jobs, but who is to say those jobs will hold up with a possible recession coming our way?
Apr 10, 2008 at 7:41 p.m.
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CIM, it will have that many beds in 2011. They are starting out with 50 in 2010 & by 2011 it will have 150+. By 2015 it will look much different so hang tight! This facility isn't being built to offer more options for consumers who need them! Studies apparently show Janesville needs that!
Apr 10, 2008 at 6:57 p.m.
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TCB wrote "An elective course in marco economics is not offered at Craig or Parker?".
Hmm, would that be an elective studying the adventures of Marco Polo perhaps??
Sorry, TCB - I couldn't resist!
Apr 10, 2008 at 5:23 p.m.
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my bad i was trying to say health care are being built like walmart one evey 5 miles
Apr 10, 2008 at 5:05 p.m.
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Unknown:
"how is this going to lower insurence cost an helth care cost an where do u think the money will come from for a new hospitol.Once again the taxpayers will be stuck with the burden of highe property tax an other taxes will goe up as well to"
My guess is that english is your second language? An elective course in marco economics is not offered at Craig or Parker?
Mrmeadec:
"billed walmart"? How much are you charging them? When you refer to "we" who are you referring to?
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:53 p.m.
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Finally another place to spend a friday night at.
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:46 p.m.
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Maybe with a new hospital and new state of the art equipment they will be able to diagnose health problems quicker and in the long run save us save money and our quality of life will be better. But then my glass has always been 1/2 full.
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:27 p.m.
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how is this going to lower insurence cost an helth care cost an where do u think the money will come from for a new hospitol.Once again the taxpayers will be stuck with the burden of highe property tax an other taxes will goe up as well to.
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:27 p.m.
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Jade,
The point is they do not turn any one away.Having $ or not.
Your #1 in the eyes of mercy care.
And mabie yes to tax payers paying.
That above my head.
Any way it goes if not for them and there staff i would have been gone that day. As said they gave me a 2nd chance at life.
And now that i do have coverage i would go no other place then back to them.
Streamboy
Apr 10, 2008 at 3:18 p.m.
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I hope that this competition causes Mercy to improve its billing practices and customer service. I have been trying for 7 months to get a response from Mercy about a certain billing form they are using that causes my insurance to reject the bill. I have called and left messages innumerable times. No one even returns my calls. I would switch to Dean in a heartbeat.
Apr 10, 2008 at 2:48 p.m.
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Steamboy Mercy didn't cover your hospital bills, the taxpayers did.
Apr 10, 2008 at 2:22 p.m.
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and then they wonder why health care is so expensive. Its just like walmart we have to billed one every 5 miles.
Apr 10, 2008 at 2:21 p.m.
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Mercy staff saved my life 5 years ago after my heart stopped. After 3 weeks in icu with no med insurance..Im here to say there staff cared for me like i was a king..They also covered all my bills.
Those people that staff mercy are top ranking and I would never go any other place then them..
I would like to thank
The heart@vascular center
With doctors like
Dr Posner
Dr Herickson
And there staff.
Because if not for these people and mercy placeing them there. I would not be here today.
They have made it posible for me to see my kids grow up.
And for given me a new chance at life.
Apr 10, 2008 at 2:16 p.m.
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TCB
I will challenge you to show me a market where a new hospital was built and the "competition" drove prices down. That simply does not happen the way it does with grocery stores and other businesses.
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Fact is that so few insurers cover both Mercy and Dean that the only "competition" is for the uninsured. The uninsured do not make any money for the hospitals. This simply creates duplication of services where it is not needed.
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Right now, if you don't like Mercy you can go to: Beloit Hospital, Edgerton Hospital, Fort Atkinson, Madison (St. Mary's, Meriter or University) or Rockford (St. Anthonly's, Rockford Memorial, Sweedish-American) all within an hours drive. That just makes this an unnecessary expense that only winds up costing consumers. The investors will make their money - don't worry about them. The consumers will pay the bill (or their increased premiums as the insurance companies pay the bill).
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:59 p.m.
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Due to the long standing 'grudge' these two healthcare providers have endured; hostility seems to be the main reaction to any announcement from either side. I work for Mercy and have had my share of good and bad experiences. The one thing everyone misses is that it's not what bells and whistles one provider has, or, how much $$ the other seems willing to throw around - it's the day to day people who interact with the patients and customers. Quality employees and staff is what makes a provider the best - not what choices you may or may not have, and certainly not, how much it's going to cost. Competition and choice is very good to have; however, neither can ensure a patient feels secure, or is properly cared for, or has the best experience with fewer complications. Without the employees and staff to help make it happen the doors will close and competition and choice are gone again.
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:49 p.m.
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Suprising to me that on one has mentioned what an awesome financial deal this is for Janesville as a community.
First, it will support 350+ new jobs, which will pay taxes and contribute to our tax base. These people will also need homes, jobs for spouses, etc...
Second, the City has not TIF'ed this land, (yet), meaning that Dean will be funding this alone, and no tax dollars have been used to attract them.
Dean, Mercy, who cares, they both have drawbacks and benefits, but this is great news for the stability and quality of our community.
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:42 p.m.
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Fantastic!! Compitition is good for everyone.
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:29 p.m.
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Long_Time_Gone
"This is not anything like Ford competeing with GM. Medicine and health care are heavily regulated, nearly government-run businesses."
Could you please point me in the direction of some statistics to back this up.
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:24 p.m.
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I am tired of all these negative comments about Dean and Mercy. This should not be a time to start a "war" between companies. Everyone has a different "bad/good" story about each company. I have been an employee of both companies and each one has it's pros and cons. Let's focus on the job opportunities it can bring to this area with the expansion of both companies. Janesville needs more jobs and better healthcare choices for each individual and their families. An individual makes their own decisions and choices. We are ALL human and can make errors. We have to believe in ourselves to know what is right and how to manage our own healthcare.
Apr 10, 2008 at 1:06 p.m.
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TCB: People can choose to go to Mercy or Dean ONLY if their insurance provider will cover one or the other. It's infuriating that too many are forced to change established relationships with their doctors at their employer's insurance companies whims.
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:57 p.m.
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Rocky:
Competiton reduces costs-in every industry. You are completely wrong. It's SSM capital at risk, not yours. People can choose to go to a Dean clinic or a Mercy clinic. The fixed costs of capital equipment are present in every medical facility. Its the variable costs of running the business that affect profitibilty.
When you write that "we have 2 new facilities providing the same services" you can make this argument for any business.
Do you really need more than 1 grocery store? Cant you find the same Milk at both places? Would the retail price of Milk be higher if there was only Woodmans? Competition works.
Mercy Hospital won the Baldrige award for quality. The new hospital has to compete against this. At the end of the day, the consumer wins.
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:53 p.m.
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Growth and change are good for economy. Dean and Mercy have worked together over the years to develop health services in the area that are very competitive with the bigger cities. Mercy has brought state-of-the-art equipment, services, provided community education, programs, and supported events within the community to help their patients and employees. I have had the opportunity to use both Dean and Mercy services over the last twenty years and seen many changes. I have been very impressed with Mercy services. I believe this is a positive move for Mercy also because they will be able to expand more on the demand for their services with Dean moving to the outlying area.
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:47 p.m.
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True that competetion may not directly reduce heath care cost, but competetion will be good for the consumer because both Dean and Mercy will have to focus on areas such as customer service that have been lacking recently. Additionally the new Dean facility and the potential new Edgerton complex may spur better employee benefits and compensation at other area facilites such as Mercy, Beloit, and Lakeland Hospitals.
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:12 p.m.
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The Gazette needs to remove its bias from its reporting. The new hospital was many years in development. It was unnecessary to make the obsequious Mercy references. Dean hardly "took a hit" when GM went to Mercy. Mercy is losing money on the first year of the contract. Obviously the union will attempt to renegotiate before the second year begins. Why doesn't the Gazette investigate truth-in-advertising issues? Mercy touts its neurosurgery team on its billboards around town. Yet only two of those people depicted are actual doctors. I, for one, am glad that a new hospital is being built which will accommodate a professional staff of doctors with a lower attrition rate than Mercy.
Apr 10, 2008 at 12:10 p.m.
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Our baby was born at Mercy. The new OB unit is incredible - I had a private room and everything I needed. New spacious rooms, caring nurses, great doctors. I will continue to go back to Mercy.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:58 a.m.
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Rocky - you are 110% correct. All these new facilities do not lower health care costs for consumers - ever.
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And the medical expertise needed at each new facility will place higher costs of recruiting back on the consumers as well.
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This is not anything like Ford competeing with GM. Medicine and health care are heavily regulated, nearly government-run businesses.
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Nothing good will come of this for health insurers and consumers except higher premiums and more lower wage earners forgoing health insurance because of it.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:56 a.m.
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Mercy is a good health system. Never had a problem and I am very excited about their trauma center that is being built. I have had some very bad experiences at Dean (which is next to Mercy).
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:50 a.m.
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I am so glad to hear this. Mercy care and service is well below par (thats saying it nicely) I have been to mercy a few times with life threating issues. and all those times I had to sit in their ER waiting room for 3 or more hrs and this was on a slow nice. I feel bad for anyone who might have to go there with real trama. Guess thats why people are flown to rockford or madison when its real serious
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:50 a.m.
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I love my Mercy. They have been there for me as well as my mom and grandmother. And I don't understand why Dean is touting all the jobs they will create when they laid-off a whole bunch of people just last year. And guess who gave a lot of them jobs? Mercy.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:49 a.m.
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More jobs and another option sounds great to me. The Southside needs something like this. HOORAY for Dean!
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:44 a.m.
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Mercy still has my vote. My family has been treated with respect and has received excellent care everytime we have gone there. Last month my uncle required surgery on his back and the neurosurgeon attending to him were fantastic. Thanks Mercy.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:40 a.m.
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Well, good for Dean but I am a believer in Mercy. They have always treated me very well and I have 5 children that were born there. I am glad Mercy is putting in the new trauma center. I think it will be good for the community.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:36 a.m.
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The line "competition reduces costs" is a fallacy in the world of medicine. What really happens is increased costs as the two hospitals compete for patients by purchasing the most expensive machines possible and splitting the caseload that would keep one hospital afloat, but not two.
Here is how it goes. Dean opens the new hospital. Advertisements say that Mercy is old and outdated and Dean is new. Mercy decided they need a new hospital (on land they already own between Home Deopt and Wal-Mart). A few hundred million dollars later we have two new hospitals providing the exact same services we already had - but now they have to pay the bills for the new facilities...so costs go up.
I'm not a big fan of Mercy - but this is not a good move for Janesville.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:32 a.m.
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Hospital competition is good for Janesville.
Maybe this is what it'll take for Mercy to start treating people with respect and dignity - their employees AND their patients alike.
Apr 10, 2008 at 11:29 a.m.
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I am glad to see residents will have a choice in their health care. I am a true believer in Mercy and will not change but there are alot of people who are devoted Dean patients. Now they will have a hospital closer and the loss of those patients from Mercy will make Mercy Hospital less congested and quieter for Mercy Patients. It is a wonderful addition!!!!!!!!
Apr 10, 2008 at 10:58 a.m.
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I like the idea of a second hospital in town. Though I would have wished that the new hospital would have about 100 beds instead of the 50. I have never really cared for Mercy.
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