University of Chicago Medical Center Patient-Care Disaster Delayed

The University of Chicago Medical Center has halted its controversial Urban Health Initiative program, created and emplaced by hospital employees Michelle Obama, Eric Whitaker, Susan Sher, and James Madara, among others. They had implemented a scheme to “redirect” only poor (Medicaid) and uninsured Chicago South Siders (but not affluent patients carrying “good” health insurance) with supposedly less serious health complaints away from the hospital’s emergency department to some 20 local “community doctors, nurses, community health centers and hospitals,” for four reasons described below. (1-14)

University of Chicago Medical Center Emergency Department. Source: http://docwhisperer.wordpress.com/2009/02/13/; accessed March 13, 2009.		Community government-financed health clinic for the poor and uninsured. Source: Axelrod Urban Health Initiative video. Available at http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/uhi/video/index.html; accessed March 13, 2009.

First, Ms. Obama, a native South Sider and attorney who received post-secondary school education on the East coast, and Dr. Whitaker, an Iowa Grinnell College graduate, South Side barbershop physician, and former director of the Illinois Department of Public Health under former Governor Rod Blagojevich, reasons that the health care for South Siders “will dramatically improve,” because they will not have “to wait hours at U. of C’s emergency room.” (4)

Eric Whittaker. Source: Axelrod Urban Health Initiative video. Available at http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/uhi/video/index.html; accessed March 13, 2009.

Second, Whitaker, who now leads the Urban Health Initiative since Ms. Obama moved to the White House, explains that diverting poor and uninsured patients away from the University of Chicago Medical Center emergency department corrects the department’s long community-service tradition of seeing and treating all people who come to its doors. Well-fed Whitaker makes the following preposterous statement: “We opened our doors and saw whoever came [in the emergency department]. We would see a patient who had general pneumonia, and if we needed to see a patient who needed a liver transplant, that liver transplant patient couldn’t get in the door.” (5)

Susan Sher. Source: http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1363647,010609sher.fullimage; accessed March 13, 2009.

Third, Whitaker rationalizes that diverting poor and uninsured patients from U. of C.’s emergency department ends the “harm to other hospitals” (e.g., Mercy Hospital, Michael Reese) caused by the University of Chicago Medical Center “taking away their general patients.” Some of these hospitals might disagree with Whitaker’s hooey and instead accuse the U. of C. of dumping patients on them.

Fourth, Whitaker makes the disingenuous claim that diverting poor and uninsured patients away from the U. of C. emergency department “enhances the university’s finances.” How does he think this happens? Whitaker explains that fewer poor and uninsured patients in the interior treatment area of the U. of C. emergency department translates into fewer poor and uninsured patients available for admission to inpatient wards! In other words, one cannot admit poor and uninsured patients to inpatient hospital beds if they are not available in the emergency department to be admitted in the first place! The outcome of this illogical, offensive, and Orwellian scheme is that more hospital beds are freed up “for transplants, cancer care and other more-profitable medical procedures that the university prides itself on,” says Whitaker who was hired to front this egregious plan by Ms. Obama, Susah Sher and others at the U. of C. in 2007. (5)

To sell the Urban Health Initiative to the unaware public onto which it was foisted, Ms. Obama and her staff hired expensive public relations guru David Axelrod. Axelrod eventually dropped out of the Urban Health Initiative public relations campaign in October 2007 to become presidential bidder Barack Obama’s chief campaign strategist.

David Axelrod. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:David_Axelrod_at_Cleveland_Democratic_debate.jpg; accessed March 13, 2009.		U. of C. President Zimmer. Source: http://www-news.uchicago.edu/president/060309.zimmer.jpg; accessed March 13, 2009.

Since August 2008, the reaction to this disgusting initiative has been loud and fierce. For example, South Side residents and their elected representatives have expressed ire when referred away from the University of Chicago Medical Center’s emergency department where they have purposely sought care. Hospital medical professionals and medical professional societies have lambasted the initiative for potentially placing patients in harm’s way through bureaucratic mistriage and treatment delay. They also rail against the medical center’s violation of the Federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor (Patient Anti-Dumping Law), which the Urban Health Initiative flaunts. The University of Chicago Medical Center status as a nonprofit flies in the face of care denial to the poor and uninsured while the medical center receives annual tax breaks worth nearly five times as much as it spends on charity care.

Jim Madara. Source: http://president.uchicago.edu/vicepres/madara.shtml; accessed March 13, 2009.		Everett Vokes. Source: http://www.uchospitals.edu/physicians/everett-vokes.html; accessed March 13, 2009.

On March 10, 2009, practicing hematologist Everett E. Vokes, the medical center’s new department of medicine chairman (promoted to his position March 9, 2009) and University of Chicago mathematician President Robert J. Zimmer (president since March 10, 2006), halted the Urban Health Initiative, pending further review. (14-18)

Notes:

1. Joint Commission: “University of Chicago Medical Center.” Quality Report. Available at http://www.qualitycheck.org/QualityReportHistory.aspx?hcoid=7315#;%20accessed%20March%2013,%202009.%20In%201987,%20the%20University%20of%20Chicago%20Medical%20Center%20performed%20so%20poorly%20on%20its%20accreditation%20survey,%20it%20was%20docked%20with%20“tentatively%20not-accredited. Accessed March 13, 2009. In 1987-1988, the University of Chicago Medical Center received an JCAHO accreditation decision of “tentatively not accredited” for many reasons. Below is a list of its deficiencies in 2007: The following standard(s) were found to be out of compliance:

Hospital

Newly constructed and existing environments are designed and maintained to comply with the Life Safety Code®. The organization maintains fire-safety equipment and building features. The organization maintains, tests, and inspects its medical gas and vacuum systems. Medications are properly and safely stored. Medications are prepared safely. The organization has a complete and accurate served. Standardize a list of abbreviations, acronyms, symbols, and dose designations that are not to be used throughout the organization. Label all medications, medication containers (for example, syringes, medicine cups, basins), or other solutions on and off the sterile field. A complete list of the patient is referred or transferred to another setting, service, practitioner or level of care within or outside the organization. The complete list of medications is also provided to the patient on discharge from the facility. Mark the operative site as described in the Universal Protocol Conduct a “time out” immediately before starting the procedure as described in the Universal Protocol.

2. University of Chicago Medical Center: “Urban Health Initiative.” Available at http://www.uchospitals.edu/news/uhi/index.html?gclid=CMu22obVqJkCFRk_awodCiLSqA; accessed March 13, 2009.
3. The Editors: “Michelle Obama, David Axelrod and the University of Chicago Medical School.” The Washington Post, October 22, 2008. Available at http://voices.washingtonpost.com/washingtonpostinvestigations/2008/08/michelle_obama_david_axelrod_a.html; accessed March 13, 2009.
4. Joe Stephens: “Obama camp has may ties to wife’s employer.” The Washington Post, August 22, 2008. Available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082103646_pf.html; accessed March 13, 2009.
5. Tim Novak and Chris Fusco: “U. of C. shunning poor patients: Hospital dispute: Obama’s wife, 3 aides tied to plan to free up space.”  Chicago Sun-Times, August 23, 2008.
6. Bruce Japsen: “U. of C. medical practices drawing critical eye: Senator Grassely looks into program to dismiss poor and uninsured patients.” Chicago Tribune, September 8, 2008.
7. Lynn Sweet: “Obama’s pal Eric Whitaker, his Tony Rezko tie.” Chicago Sun-Times, October 28, 2008.
8. Bruce Japsen: “U. of C. hospital: Define ‘emergency’”: Chicago Tribune, February 10, 2009.
9. Jason Grotto: “Mauled by dog, kid sent home by ER: U. of C. hospital’s treatment of Dontae Adams heats up debate over care of poor in tough economic times.” Chicago Tribune, February 13, 2009.
10. Bruce Japsen: “Initiative to divert patients called ‘dangerously close’ to breaking law.” Chicago Tribune, February 20, 2009.
11. Monifa Thomas: “Doctors group rips U. of C. hospital: Says practice of sending ER patients elsewhere ‘dangerously close’ to illegal. Chicago Sun-Times, February 20, 2009.
12. Anonymous: “Group condemns U. of C. practices.” Chicago Tribune, February 20, 2009.
13. Bruce Japsen: “More ER doctors question U. of C.” Chicago Tribune, February 25, 2009.
14. Bruce Japsen: “Dissent halts ER plan at U. of C.” Chicago Tribune, March 14, 2009.
15. “Everett Vokes appointed chairman of medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.” University of Chicago News, March 10, 2009. Available at http://news.uchicago.edu/news.php?asset_id=1565; accessed March 13, 2009.
16. “Robert J. Zimmer elected to serve as next president of the University of Chicago.” The University of Chicago News Office, March 10, 2006. Available at http://www-news.uchicago.edu/president/index.shtml; accessed March 13, 2009.
17. “Susan Sher forum.” Available at http://www.politicalbase.com/people/susan-sher/31159/; accessed March 13, 2009.
18. “Susan Sher.” Whorunsgov.com. Available at http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Susan_Sher; accessed March 13, 2009.