Archive for the ‘Current Affairs’ category

Evolution or Devolution?

July 16th, 2010

There’s a part of me that celebrates each and every day because I’m evolving. For example . . . being a mature person usually feels pretty good.  I’m more settled, less angry, less needy, less . . . well, you get the idea.  On the other hand, I would never want to own a, vintage car.  Why?  They usually don’t have air conditioning, air bags, seat belts, or CD changers. . .with auxiliary jacks for MP3 digital audio players.  Driving one would be taking several steps backwards in safety, comfort, and style.

How else have I evolved?  Let’s see.  I have air bags.  Okay, maybe they’re not air bags,  but I have a protective coating of extra stuff around my organs. (I’ve gained at least one additional pound a year for the past 30 years.)  Oh, and I am a lot smarter, too.  In fact, my IQ test gained at least 10 points over the last few decades.  (It would probably have been 20 points higher if I hadn’t been on cholesterol medication, but I’d probably be dead and that higher IQ wouldn’t help much.)  On the other hand, the fish oil is supposed to make your brain work better.  Mom used to say, “Nicky, eat your fish.  It’s brain food.”  (Forget the fact that it was deep fried and heavily battered.)

Nick Jacobs, FACHE at the beach with his grandchildrenThis evolution thing could all be summed up by saying that I’m finally starting to mature.  Even though I’ve missed it by decades; it’s happening now.  I’m wiser.  Honestly, there couldn’t be that many things left to learn about running stuff; four decades is a lot of  experience.  I’ve learned about politics, human relations, sociopaths and wonderful souls; and I’ve learned about construction, child birth, heart attacks and ground moles.  I’ve lived through the birth of my kids, my grandkids, and my friend’s kids.  I’ve lived through the deaths of every aunt, uncle, and a few cousins; friends, neighbors, mentors and a half dozen family pets, and I’ve held both of my parents in my arms as they passed, too.

Having observed all of this, what is the devolution?

On NPR the other day, there was a short story that the American public’s view of capitalism has deteriorated.  The exact percentage of those still embracing capitalism was about 44% and those who think it’s outlived its appropriateness was around 47%.  (I guess the other 9% might have thought that capitalism had something to do with that white building in Washington D.C.)  Interestingly, before I heard this story, my impression of capitalism had devolved as well.  In fact, the litany of sins observable to me because of the extreme capitalist approach that we have embraced is long and includes:  BP, Enron, Tyco, Bernie Madoff, and the fat food industry . . . I mean, the fast food industry.

But then I read a rant by Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online:

“Every good thing capitalism helps produce — from singing careers to cures for diseases to staggering charity —  is credited to some other sphere of our lives. Every problem with capitalism, meanwhile, is laid at her feet. Except the problems with capitalism — greed, theft, etc. — aren’t capitalism’s fault, they’re humanity’s. Socialist countries have greedy thieves, too.”

So, what’s the answer?  It seems simple enough.  Once again, from Mom, “It’s moderation.”  The far right and far left seem to be providing a daily whipsaw of entertaining cable news shows from Beck to Olbermann and from Hannity to Maddow, but these extreme views are not helping us solve the problems.  In fact their rhetoric contributes to this devolution.  Does Rush really believe everything that he says or does he say it because it’s so outrageous that he can continue to earn nearly $38 million per year?  And Keith? And Glenn?

I like my air conditioning, my air bags, and my computer assisted brakes, but I’m really getting tired of “bags of air,” greedy anybodys and anythings.

Let’s be less angry, less needy, and more settled . . . come on, guys, grow up.

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Big Bird vs. The Status Quo

June 4th, 2010

Feeling “funny,” is something that would describe me pretty well today. Not ha ha funny, stomach ache funny. I’m thinking that Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, John Wayne, Amelia Earhart, and even Hawkeye Pierce from MASH may have ruined me. They stood up for what they believed, right or wrong, left or right. They had chutzpah, nerve, and . . . well, you know.

So, what’s making me feel funny? It’s those darn birds. Those birds have touched my heart. Tell me this; how can you not feel empathy for the baby birds being oiled down in their nests, and how about the tiny little birds that are still flying around a few feet from the oncoming disaster with absolutely no clue as to how bad things are going to be in a very short amount of time. I’ll admit that, unlike my mom, I’m not a passionate bird lover, but those big, oil soaked birds are really getting to me.

I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m allergic to shell fish, and even though, according to some oil company spokesperson, “Louisiana isn’t the only place that has shrimp,” according to my memory, their shrimp was some of the best in the world. So, if you’re not a big bird fan, how about a big shrimp fan, or a big fan of places where people live? How about a big fan of being able to sit on the beach or of jobs; fishing jobs, tourism jobs, even oil jobs? What will it take to get our leaders to show some real passion? I’m thinking Sesame Street.

We all know that getting the kids involved has helped remind us to start wearing our seat belts and bike helmets, to stop drinking and driving, and now texting and driving. Maybe we need Sesame Street to get our country to finally scream out from the top of their lungs, “S-T-O-P it.“ Could you imagine Big Bird or better still the President of that oil company dressed as Big Bird all soaked in oil being pushed out into the Gulf and gasping for air as he slowly is washed away forever? It would make the time they did the “Mr. Hooper is dying thing” seem tame.

One of my favorite sayings is “The problem is never the problem,” and the problem here is, once again, the status quo. It’s that philosophy of “don’t change ANYTHING because I’m personally comfortable with my life.” Just this week, a group of scientists who literally have brought 44 people out of deep, irreversible comas; soldiers, policemen, firemen, coal miners, and little boys and girls had their federal grant blocked because the status quo scientists and doctors involved said that “It was not the traditional methodology for treating coma patients.” Yikes, tell that to the people who lived, many of whom are back to leading functional lives. Come to think of it, that would be a good Sesame Street show, too. Oscar the grouch in Critical Care with tubes, the Cookie Monster administering the Last Rites, and Bingo Bango he’s awake and grouchy again.

Is it possible that no one wants to stand up for what they believe in and take it on the chin anymore? Somewhere there still must be some lines, some sacred requirements that we must meet in order to qualify as human beings on this planet? Could you imagine how different those John Wayne movies would have been? “It’s okay, pilgrim, let ‘em rob the bank. We need their support for re-election.” How about Neil Armstrong? “You want me to do what?” “Are you crazy?”

I still feel funny. Where the heck is Big Bird and Hawkeye when you really need them? We’ve had seagull management in this country for far too long now as they “Fly in, squawk, poop on our heads, and fly back to D.C. “ Pelicans UNITE!

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Moving Through Healthcare’s Version of the BP Oil Spill

May 27th, 2010

Who could have ever guessed that the United States of America would fall so far behind in education, childhood death statisticsscientific research, manufacturing jobs, and even overall, general healthcare?  Yes, of course, we are still a wonderful, strong country with incredible resources, but somewhere along the line, the train seems to have jumped off the track just a little, or is that like being a little pregnant?  No one would ever have conceived that a spark plug would be worth more than GM stock, but that’s exactly what happened last year.  Or how about the fact that large investment banks responding to the mandate to increase home sales by spreading the risk internationally could have helped put this entire world on the verge of a national depression?

For years now I’ve written about the need to provide some type of safety valve for the uninsured, underinsured, and those struggling to make it from layoff at age 58 to Medicare at age 65.  Not unlike the Kennedy-Katzenbaum bill, (you know, that HIPAA bill that was just meant to provide health insurance portability), we have healthcare reform legislation.  The really challenging thing about this new bill is that it was primarily written by policy wonks fifty percent of whom will not be working in Washington D.C. in a few years, and worse than that, it will be interpreted by policy wonk lifers who will be there long after we are all dead.

So, the “Healthcare Oil Spill” has been addressed.  What will it mean?  What does it mean?  How will it impact all of us?  That remains to be seen.  The good news is that 30 million more people will finally have a safety net. The bad news is that there are still two wars going on that are draining our treasury.  There is still financial chaos among the countries lovingly referred to by the EU as the PIIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain), and, along with this group,  spending in the United States  has been out of control for at least nine years.

What will happen is anyone’s guess.  How things will be interpreted is anyone’s guess.  How the law will be enforced is every one’s guess, but in  a recent round table discussion at the Mid-State HFMA meeting, we heard four CFOs discuss the challenges that they currently face and will continue to face as life becomes even more complex.  After that session, I’m thinking that lots of mud pushed in the head of the well might just be the cure!  Goodness knows there was enough mud thrown around during this last election cycle.  Maybe we could redirect it back to the source?  I do know for sure that one thing is clear: CHANGE is INEVITABLE, the train is back on the track, and it’s coming straight toward our physicians, hospitals, and nursing homes.

How do we cope with that change?  Make sure that every ounce of fat is cut from the system.  Take a look at the list below and contact SunStone Consulting for the next steps:

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Gotta Love This Guy (Oh, yeah, and this is an editorial comment)

March 1st, 2010

As we begin to emerge from the bottom of a V-shaped recession, we all pray that it does not evolve into a W-shaped recession. Having been a witness for the majority of this economic challenge rather than an officer in charge, I’ve observed several significant issues that have impacted the hospital industry.  They have included the downgrading of bonds, a serious lack of access to capital financing, cutbacks in elective surgeries and elective donations to our health care foundations,  All of which has resulted in a deep degree of uncertainty as to when  all of this will be over.

V, L, W, U or L-shaped recovery vs. recession

The fact that many of the economic practices that got us into this mess have still not been discontinued or are being reshaped into the newest version of the scam du jour does not bring peace of mind to the vast majority of us, a deeply concerned citizenry.  Add to that the billions and now trillions that we are committed to repay over the next several generations, and one has to wonder about the ability of our current political system to respond appropriately to these challenges.

Warren E. Buffett

Warren Buffett’s annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders criticized Wall Street executives and board members in a way that most of us would liked to have expressed, but which only Buffet could articulate. This is because his comments are clearly supported by his business acumen and investment skills.  He broadsided the leadership of Wall Street for failing to control risk and for avoiding  what very clearly should have been the “severe” consequences of these failures.  He chastised the bankers in particular for designing and implementing their own industry’s doom and then piling the losses onto investors, while they themselves have managed to maintain lavish lifestyles.

“It has not been shareholders who have botched the operations of some of our country’s largest financial institutions,” Buffett wrote. “Yet they have borne the burden, with 90% or more of the value of their holdings wiped out in most cases of failure. Collectively, they have lost more than $500 billion in just the four largest financial fiascos of the last two years. To say these owners have been ‘bailed-out’ is to make a mockery of the term.”

“The CEOs and directors of the failed companies, however, have largely gone unscathed…Their fortunes may have been diminished by the disasters they oversaw, but they still live in grand style. It is the behavior of these CEOs and directors that needs to be changed: If their institutions and the country are harmed by their recklessness, they should pay a heavy price – one not reimbursable by the companies they’ve damaged nor by insurance.”

With his sentiments firmly ensconced in my mind, I have to wonder about the current rounds of outrageous health insurance increases perpetrated upon the customers of many of our largest and most profitable insurance companies.  As a hospital CEO, I learned very early on that no matter how low we held our charges, those savings would not be passed on to the patients because the middle man controlled this aspect of the “business.”  Incentives are completely upside down in the system at many levels, and the political commitment to truly work toward meaningful change seems not only misguided but also seriously uninformed.

Blair House health summit, February, 2010

Bottom line?  We need to be heard.  We need to work toward systems that make sense: protection from catastrophic financial situations brought on by major illnesses or accidents, primary care that truly helps the patient manage their health challenges at a reasonable cost, and a complete change from a sickness-based to a wellness-based reimbursement system that is not dependent upon the insurance companies for the decision making proposition.

Sometimes right is truly black and white, and until we embrace palliative care, incentivize individuals for taking care of themselves, and deal with tort reform, progress will be only a delusion.

U.S. Health Care Reform Timeline: 1910-2010

U.S. Health Care Reform Interactive Timeline: 1910-2010

Click image above to view full-size, interactive timeline. (Will open in a new web browser window.)

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Staying Humanly Grounded and Healthcare Reform

December 26th, 2009

Each year I put up the tree and begin to believe that it is magic. The room feels and looks warmer. Often, I’ve considered leaving it up all year as a symbol of joy, love, and happiness, but when I returned home last evening it hit me that it was not the tree as much as it was the carefully wrapped packages beneath it. Once they were gone, the room seemed void of its magic.

It hit me that those packages represented anticipation, love, and sharing in ways that truly touch your soul. Those acts of love represent the essence of that entire experience, price or cost don’t really matter.  It’s the giving.

Healing Hospitals: little girl in hospital bed with caring doctorI try to end every night by reading CarePages from a local children’s hospital website; stories of young children that have many times reached the end of effective treatment and are waiting to meet their destiny decades before their time might have been.  The outpouring of the deep, soulful hurt that their parents, siblings, and grandparents are experiencing from this journey is always profoundly moving to me.  In many of these instances, the only gifts that we have left to give them are our  love and support.  That, however, is not the case for the majority of our fellow men in this country.

It won’t be long until the final product of the healthcare reform effort will appear.  We all know by now that it will be a patchwork quilt of sometimes horrendous compromise.  We can also count on the fact that the negative rhetoric will reach decibel levels typically heard only when standing in close proximity to a jet engine.  The pundits will parade up and down the isles of righteousness, and they will be spouting off their theories regarding what should have happened.  At the end of the day, however, when we approach our bathroom and bedroom mirrors for that last inevitable look, we must all dig into our humanity and ask one very real question: “Will it be better for the uninsured than it had previously?”

As a former hospital CEO, it became evident to me in the first six months of my administrative training that only those without insurance were destroyed by the system.  Only those who were not under Medicaid or an other insurance were hit with the awful burden of paying for everything at the full, retail price.  The fallout was clear.  Due to the risk of having to pay full costs to the hospital, they either were too frightened to go for treatment until it was too late, or they lost what little they had; their homes, their savings, and their possessions.

In a country with such unbelievable abundance, where not just the number but also the quality of the cars, clothes, and even pets that we own are held up as barometers of success, we have often allowed our fellow man to suffer and die for economic reasons.

That fact is no more obvious than at any children’s hospital in Pennsylvania, where you’ll see parents from conservative states where childhood transplantation surgeries were always denied, so as to avoid increased taxes.  You’ll see these parents waiting in line to establish residency here so that they can at least have a chance to save their child’s life.

Healing Hospitals: Mother kisses son in hospital bed

Regardless of your politics, regardless of the dysfunctional (mal-)functioning of our government, in which some of our representatives and senators have taken us to the brink of collapse due to their inability to co-operate; regardless of these issues, we are looking at the beginning of health care reform.  I just pray that we don’t revert to the inhuman practices of our recent past.

It’s time for a human win.

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It’s Been (Quite) a Year…

December 19th, 2009

Last year at this time, as word of the global economic meltdown was beginning to take hold, we saw the beginning of a decline in all aspects of purchasing, including the  optional surgeries and tests in our hospitals.  At the same time, as a member of several volunteer boards, we began to see declines in ticket sales that went as high as 20%.  Later, we met with restaurateurs who indicated that their business was down between 10 and 20%, an amount that proved to be terminal for numerous marginal companies.

obama_health_costs

As the year proceeded, we saw  hospitals make extensive cutbacks in employee  education, travel, and marketing.  This trend became the norm in the industry.  The healthcare-related industries that seemed to hurt the most were those involved in construction and new equipment acquisition.  One type of firm that did well was financial consulting groups, like SunStone Consulting, LLC , organizations that specialized in finding money that hospitals had already earned, but had either not been staffed deeply enough to pursue or that did not know the processes necessary to generate these funds.

For those of us in administrative consulting, the year has been interesting.  Decision makers stepped back a little and waited to see where Obamacare was heading, to collect more cash in a society where “cash was definitely king,” and to cut back on new initiatives until things had settled down economically.  These leaders watched the markets, looked at investment activities, counted revenue versus expense results, and generally became more conservative in their leadership approaches.

What’s on the horizon:  There is an old saying that “He who looks into a crystal ball to predict the future will get crystal in his eye,” that is not far from truth.  Are we completely out of the woods?  Not by a long shot.  Will there be additional taxes, additional expenditures that are not budgeted nationally?  Yes, most assuredly, there will be, but are we certainly seeing more positive signs in virtually every economic indicator that would predict at least a somewhat more optimistic overall outlook.

Wall Street Journal: Pointing to renewed signs that the global slump is bottoming out, the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday upgraded its outlook for 2010 while slightly trimming this year’s forecast.

The overleveraged global financial system continues to cast a shadow over the economic outlook, however, and the fund urged policymakers not to become complacent about recent market improvements.

“Financial conditions have improved, as unprecedented policy intervention has reduced the risk of systemic collapse and expectations of economic recovery have risen,” the IMF said in its updating its outlook for the world economy and financial system. “Nonetheless, vulnerabilities remain and complacency…

100_on-iceSo, if we embrace those little rays of hope as a means of restarting the economic engines, if we visualize a better future for all of us, if we focus on the positive, at the very least we most likely will find a better parking space at the Mall!

Happy Holidays and here’s knowing that 2010 will be a better year for everyone.  (It wouldn’t take much!)

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What the Heck is Going On?

September 21st, 2009

Over the years it has been my aspiration to try very hard to help you laugh, and, regardless of the depth of the topic, I’ve always looked to find humor somewhere in the message. For example, potty training, Smokey the Bear, flying DVD’s, even old dogs with no tricks.

Today, however, I am writing about an issue that may inflame some of you and prove to be very troubling to others.  It’s not my goal to do either.  I’d just like to bring into focus the crazy stuff that seems to be taking us over, a kind of Bird Brain Flu that doesn’t have a vaccine and that appears to be enveloping our nation.

You see, it is my humble opinion that we as a country have reached a new low point in dumbness.  The wild, inflammatory rhetoric, a/k/a crazy talk that’s being spouted every day, appears to be pushing the fringe players out from under their rocks and their basement fortresses.  This political flu is taking us to levels of foolishness  that are so low that even a Limbo expert couldn’t fit under the broom stick.

Tomtomorrow_GlennBeck_

Have you noticed how open public hatred and outright prejudice has become?  It’s like we’re living a rap song from Gran Torino. Each and every day we hear the ranting of media talking heads leading the charge to endorse this movement.  For those of you who have read my work over the past few years, you know that I personally am repulsed by bullies, by racists, and by those who believe they are superior to other human beings.

The new accusations and sick suggestions that are the current craze are veiled as protests regarding big government, health insurance reform, and a lack of confidence in the ship of state.  What they really seem to be, however, is fear and lack of tolerance for our President.  So what if you don’t like him?  There still have to be some limits and boundaries. Are there any more lines?

I’m telling you, the crazies are coming out from their caves.  Seriously, watch out for them.  Many of these radicals are great examples of why some animals eat their young.

Just last week on a trip to Washington D.C., I had to be evacuated from the Pittsburgh airport because a passenger was carrying a defused hand grenade in his suitcase.  What is the single thought that must be in the mind of any individual who believes that a weapon, even, as it turned out, an inert one, such as that grenade, would be okay to pack for your plane ride?  Let me guess.  That thought was “Duh?”

It seems that every time some poor innocent gets shot in this country, there was some fringe individual who believed that he was not only given permission to take their life, but that there was an overwhelming endorsement of his actions that would somehow vilify him from any prosecution, and reward him with glory.  Does that sound like the Jihadi 72 virgins thing to you?

Yes, we have freedom of speech.  Yes, we have the right to bear arms, but do we have the right to just be nuts in public?  Maybe instead of statins in the water system to control cholesterol, or fluoride to prevent tooth decay, we should start putting Zoloft or some other  selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in that keep the brain from becoming unbalanced.

kids_group

What’s wrong with love, kindness, and the golden rule, of doing to your neighbor as you would have them do unto you? Can’t we look for compromise without demonizing those with opposite views?

Can’t we stop endorsing or even worse stop inflaming those with extreme views?  When is enough enough?  When will we return to civility, to compromise, and to brotherhood?  Would you rather have peace, love, and rock ‘n roll, or “Go ahead. Make my day, @#%&+^@#”?

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Happy 4th of July…(Sort of)

July 3rd, 2009

Recently, my youngest child —a wife and mom in her 30′s,  got a new job that came with a company cell phone, a Blackberry. The problem was that she had a “Friends and Family” cell Phone plan, and no longer needed her old phone.  She called the wireless company, explained the situation, and they said, “We’re sorry, but the telephone bill is in your husband’s name, and only he can change this.”  She painfully explained that he is in the Army National Guard in the middle of a war zone.  The wireless carrier’s “Customer Care” representative replied, “I’m sorry, but he must call in, give us his Social Security number and the password or nothing can be changed.  There are no exceptions.”

American soldiers with the 101st Airborne Assualt Division at Camp Pennsylvania make phone calls from a makeshift, and often malfunctioning, phone center. - Photo by Benjamin Lowy/Corbis -Image © Benjamin Lowy/Corbis
American soldiers with the 101st Airborne Assualt Division at Camp Pennsylvania make phone calls from a makeshift, and often malfunctioning, phone center. – Photo by Benjamin Lowy/Corbis -Image © Benjamin Lowy/Corbis

She explained, ”He does not have a telephone to call you from his base in the desert.” The service representative said, “ Then he must send us his Power of Attorney.”  This frustrated young army wife and mother of three said, “We’re not adopting a child or buying a house, we’re trying to change a wireless plan?”   “Let’s see, Osama Bin Laden is still making DVD’s, but you can’t change a phone plan?,” she went on.   “That’s correct,” came the icy cold reply.

Undaunted by this setback, we went to the local wireless store hoping that we would find an employee who was not the Tin Man from the “Wizard of Oz.”  The young lady patiently waited the 20 or so minutes until her name was called, went up to the associate at the counter and said, “I’d like to take this phone off the family plan and move it over to my new company.”   “I’m sorry, he said.  “The bill is in your husband’s name.”  She explained that her husband was deployed.  The mystified sales associate said, “I’ll check with my manager.”

The Tin Woodman speaks

You guessed it,” the manager said, “Just have your husband call.” “He doesn’t have a phone,” she exclaimed.  By this time everyone was listening intently.  The young man said once again, “Have him call.”  It was at that point that I lost it and said, “He’s in the war! They shot at him today.”  A few stations away, a man who was obviously a veteran yelled out, “Give me his numbers, I’ll put a war movie in the DVD and call these jerks for him.”  The next woman over just shook her head.  Undaunted, the red faced associate stuck to his guns.

Clearly corporate America was making a point.  War?  What war?  Who cares?  “Rules are rules, and they will not be altered!”  This was the third time in as many months that she was greeted with this type of callous big business attitude.  Because it was in a new location, the local cable company would not put cable into their home to provide access for the family to communicate with their dad via the internet for under $3,000.  Even when she explained the desperation of a war mom separated from her husband for a year, their reply was simple, “No, it’s $3000,  or no cable.”

She then asked that her satellite TV be discontinued, and was told that she would be assessed another several hundred dollars because the contract had not expired.  She once again explained the Iraq situation and the need for high speed cable, but they replied, “Sorry, but that’s the way it is.”

So, let’s all take this opportunity to thank our wireless company, the cable company, the satellite company, and every other United States-based company who so fervently support our troops and their families. Sung to the tune of America the Beautiful:

The magnitude of gratitude expressed by corporate greed;
Tells all our soldiers everywhere we’re grateful, yes indeed.
We’ll fleece you here and fleece you there as you protect our homes
Just watch us help your families until you all come home . . . NOT!

In the words of Stephen Colbert, you’re on notice.

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Dr. London Said it on Sept 6, 2001…Reihan Salam Said it Today

June 28th, 2009

All week my search for pertinent topics for this blog were side-tracked by the deaths of numerous luminaries: Michael Jackson, Farah Fawcett, Ed McMahon, and even Billy Mays.  We’ll miss you all.

Then, during lunch today, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reached out and grabbed me with this headline:  The End of Male Rule.The reason that this headline was so moving to me stems back to the Saturday of the week-end before 911 when Dr. Wayne London, an old metaphysical theorist friend of mine told me that:  1.) The American financial system as we know it would collapse.  2.) The center of the U.S. Military would come under attack, as would 3.) the patriarchally-controlled Catholic Church.  He then said, “All of this will happen as Mary Energy begins to lead toward the change, and women will take control of the world again.”  He went on to explain that this woman control is not a new phenomena, just one that has not been around for quite some time.

Pentagon 9/11 memorial service, September 11, 2008 - Photo credit: UPI
Pentagon 9/11 memorial service, September 11, 2008 – Photo credit: UPI

Well, after the Twin Towers were hit, our own American citizens did much more damage than anyone could have ever imagined possible to our financial system by setting up the elaborate mortgage and derivative schemes that nearly caused the entire U.S. financial system to collapse.

Of course we all remember the horrible hit that the Pentagon endured on 911, and now we face the huge financial burdens of continuing two wars and trying to rebuild a completely exhausted military that has been over-stretched and nearly wiped out emotionally by the last several years of redeploying both our all-volunteer army and their equipment over and over again.  When you begin to see more suicides than casualties of war, something is obviously very wrong with the System.

The Church went through what has come to be recognized minimally as a very difficult time with millions and millions of dollars in lawsuits and structural challenges over sexual abuse issues that had been closeted by numerous U.S. Bishops for years and years.  The celibacy thing seemed to have been much more destructive for the men of the Church than the women.

So, what was Reihan’s interpretation of this metamorphosis, this change in traditional male dominance?

PTA President Charles J. "Chuck" SaylorsPTA President Charles J. “Chuck” Saylors

Before we go there, on NPR this evening, I heard about Chuck Saylors, the first male president of the National Parent Teacher’s Association since its inception in the late 1800′s, and it all started to make even more sense, a guy in a predominantly female organization deserving to become president because so many men have assumed more house dad roles.

Reihan’s article started with the line:  “The era of male dominance is coming to an end.  Seriously.”   He went on to describe the fact that the Great Recession has turned what was a quiet evolution into a revolution…a mortal blow to the macho men’s club.  He quotes the fact that 80% of job losses or over 7 million jobs have been lost by men in this recent massacre, and the predicted number of male jobs lost by the end of 2009 is estimated to be around 28 million worldwide.  He adds to the fact that soon there will be three women for every two male college graduates in the U.S.

One of his most interesting revelations was that Iceland threw out the entire men’s club in their last election, as did Lithuania.  Could this be the beginning of a trend?

Of course the article went into much more depth, had numerous other examples to support these claims, and was compelling in its support of Dr. London’s theme.  The bottom line, however, is not easily denied.  We macho, risk-taking, aggressive guys have done a lot of damage over the years, and it will be fun watching this predicted shift in the next decades.

I’ve always felt that a world run by women might have a little better chance of having less warfare. Let’s hope that the female leaders of our future will have the attributes that will make them better than the men that they are replacing, and the world will be a better place.

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Focus on the Positive

April 29th, 2009

Okay, who wants to be the first one to have written about a pandemic?  Unfortunately, I know way too much about this stuff.  Guess it’s that old hospital CEO mindset.  Prepare for the worst, and expect it.  Well, let’s all pray that this thing settles down before more people die.  My friend, Dr. Matt Masiello wrote an E-mail today that could probably help a lot of people.  A public health message with a level of calm urgency.

Dr. Matt MasielloBased on the cumulative experience of the scientific and health promotion/disease prevention staff at WRI, we began a more active approach in  preparedness then what had been recommended by WHO/CDC and the local EMS. We feel that with WHO now raising the alert level to 5 our actions were appropriate. May I suggest the following.

1.    Prepare and distribute a letter to parents asking them to keep their children home if they have a cough, fever, headache. If someone in the family has the same signs and symptoms the children should also stay home until  the illness by the family member is confirmed not to be Swine flu.

2.    Place a small table with sanitizer bottles at the entrance ways of the school buildings.

3.    Encourage staff to carry on their person the small hand sanitizers.

4.     Instruct your teachers to review with the students advice on handwashing and use of the sanitizers. Teachers should remind students throughout the day of the importance of handwashing as well as keeping their hands away from their face and the importance of coughing into their sleeves. Wash/sanitize hands afterwards. I would encourage formal, scheduled trips to the BR to wash hands and when ever necessary.

5.    Place the attached sign in key locations and encourage staff and familes to take them and post at home as a reminder. Wash hands prior to and returning from work/school/play.

6.    Get plenty of rest, eat well and exercise.

7.    Open windows for better movement of air, when and if possible.

8.    Minimize social gatherings. The canceling of social events may come as  a formal recommendation via the CDC in the very near future.

Matt

So, that’s the official word from the United States’ representative to the World Health Organization.

Now, onto life.  Last night we completed a list of services that we are helping to provide to hospitals, schools, hotels, newspapers,  businesses and anyone else that might be interested.  Rather than list each business individually, let me list their services, products, and work, and, if you’re interested, give me a call.

  • Technology Solutions for Government
  • Sophisticated market research
  • Physician billing/Pre-certification and approval of payments for doc offices.
  • Telemedicine and medical device marketing analysis and launch
  • Food Services for hospitals and long term care centers
  • Education Programs and Leadership Solutions
  • Continuing Medical Education for physicans and nurses
  • State and Federal Lobbyists and Business Development Experts
  • Personal Healthcare and Corporate Wellness
  • Crisis Response Communications
  • Construction solutions (REIT)
  • HR and House Wide Quality System for Job Descriptions
  • Translation services (Contract pending)
  • Specialized Cancer Laboratory Services
  • Removal and disposal of hazardous waste, a green company
  • Economic Development and ECAP green initiative
  • The Doctors’ Doctor – Physician office mergers, acquisitions and general business operations consulting, and Hospital Physician strategic planning

Obviously, each line represents a company that we represent, and even more obviously, SunStone Consulting is your answer for all of the financial challenges that hospitals face.

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