First order of business.

I want to send a message to every physician and general staff member of Midwest Regional Medical Center that is thinking about hanging up their hat here in Midwest City for good.

Please keep up the good work. The turmoil that is currently going on at the hospital is not your fault, so chins up and ride it out for as long as you can. I sincerely hope your futures at the hospital are brighter than they are right now and one day, the hospital returns to its former glory at the top.

I hate hearing about all of the doctors and staff that have left the hospital over the past five years; all that talent and expertise that has gone other places for various reasons.

No, I’m not in anyone’s pocket when I say these things, like someone has previously implied. I’m speaking of the facts, which overwhelmingly point out that MRMC is not performing like it should. Yes, not everyone that goes there has a bad experience. I’ve spoken to a few people who declare this, but I’ve spoken to a lot more with plenty to say about the medical care they received there.

With all of this said, the question stands: who is to blame for what’s going on with our Midwest City hospital? Who has caused the hospital’s reputation to tarnish? Who is responsible for people saying don’t take me to that hospital?

Is it CEO Paul Jenson? Health Management Associates’ CEO Gary Newsome? Or someone else?

Paul Jenson has only been here for less than a year and he is one of four CEOs in the last five years. Then there have reportedly been another three CFOs and four directors of nursing in five years. Talk about turnover.

Now, I am not trying to point any fingers. That’s not my job.

My job has been and continues to be to report the facts, as best as possible, about what’s going on with this situation. On front page this week, you read about Monday’s general staff meeting that sent a pretty clear message to HMA.

Get the heck out of dodge, a.k.a. Midwest City.

The way I see it, HMA, who leases the hospital, has some options in front of them. They can wave the white flag and not see their lease fulfilled, which by the way goes all the way to 2048 instead of the original 2026. (It was extended by hospital authority members in 2009 after HMA requested to be able to recoup their investment from adding on two floors to the hospital, per City Attorney Kathy Bolles.)

Or HMA can stay and things remain status quo. But as a result of Monday’s meeting, attendees said it loud and clear they are not interested in drinking the HMA Kool-Aid anymore.

They don’t have any faith that HMA is ever going to turn things around at Midwest Regional. If this option were to come to be, my fear is that more staff and physicians will leave the hospital.

Another option is for HMA to be bought out by another hospital corporation. If this were to happen, Bolles said the Midwest City Hospital Authority would have to approve the new third party as the owner of the hospital, as stated in the lease contract.

Over the last month or so, I’ve been following the company, Community Health Services, who is owner of Deaconess Hospital in Oklahoma City, two other hospitals in the state and 135 hospitals in 29 states total.

CHS is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. and is one of several companies that are reportedly circling HMA, estimated at this time to be worth $4 billion, according to a FoxBusiness.com article. CHS appears to be a good suitor for HMA, but only time will tell what happens with this.

Meanwhile, the picture at Midwest Regional is getting gloomier while decreased patient satisfaction ratings are being reported.

According to HealthGrades.com, the hospital scored below the national average on 10 different questions like whether or not they received help from staff like a patient wanted (40 percent rating while national average is 66 percent). Another rating was on a question asking patients if they would recommend the hospital (47 percent rating while national average was 70 percent).

During Monday’s staff meeting, attendees were provided a survey they could anonymously fill out. A few of these survey results were provided to EastWord News.

On the question "Is HMA meeting the healthcare needs of this community with acceptable standards of quality and safety?" the results were 100 percent "no."

Then when asked if there are any frequent violations of Joint Commission standards and/or Center for Medicare and Medicaid regulations that are occurring at MRMC, the answer was 60 percent "yes" and 40 percent "no."

Finally, a question asking attendees if they felt HMA can and will make a positive change to improve the conditions at MRMC, this yielded a 96 percent "no" vote and 4 percent "yes."

As I read over everything I just wrote in this column, I realize that I’m sounding like quite the "Debbie Downer" with all this talk of doom and gloom and that’s not my intention. Instead I want resolution.

All certain people are asking for is that everyone - all patients, all physicians and all staff - be treated fairly and received the best medical care possible, because in case you didn’t know it, staff have to also utilize MRMC for their medical care.

Ladies and gentlemen, as far as I know, I have only written the facts involving MRMC and until someone brings me documentation that shows otherwise, I stand behind each and every word I’ve written so far about Midwest Regional Medical Center. I will gladly print a retraction when facts are provided proving me wrong.

Setting the record straight is my mission and if I ever falter in this mission, I want to right that wrong.

In closing, I want to invite anyone with questions about the hospital and HMA to call me and I’ll do my best to find the answer. If you have a complaint and think I’m outta my mind with these hospital facts, I’ll take your call too. 

If you ask me, perhaps we all need to take a pointer from the wise ol’ Will Rogers, who once said, "All I know is what I read in the papers."