Harsh Indictment of Drew/MLK in L.A. Times

WOW!

Patients fleeing ambulances to avoid being taken there?

Patients who are extubated without confirming they have respiratory effort of their own?

One can only imagine what the other 4 articles will say.

I've heard plenty of stories from patients that leave their ER and end up in mine, complaining of poor care, insensitive and rude staff, intolerably long waits (even for a county facility), etc. I had one guy recent with a closed tib/fib fracture who was kept in their ER for 2 DAYS awaiting admission. He eventually checked out AMA and had a family member drive him to my ED. I reduced the fracture and arranged followup with ortho for him. I was baffled. Closed fracture, not especially difficult to reduce, in an intelligent literate adult WITH private insurance. Follow-up wasn't a problem at all. Bizarre.

MLK is in the news pretty regularly for some mess or another. They've been politically untouchable however, because any attempts at serious reform (i.e. firing the incompetent) are met by entrenched community leaders who immediately play the race card.

Yeah...that place is pretty special. I was advised by a doc who did his ER residency there: He said that it was a free-for-all in terms of responsibilities, that attendings were non-existent, and that there was plenty of racism against non-blacks. California's malpractice limitations are great for almost everyone in healthcare...but King/Drew is screwing it up for everybody else. Even the race card couldn't save this hospital if there wasn't a limit on their liability.

It's the only Cali program (in a major city) that I would turn down to go out-of-state.

Many things said about King-Drew are true, but it's not as bad as the LA times would make it out to be. The LA times hates KDMC and makes no secret that it wants the center closed down. Yes, any attempts at change have previously been blocked by community leaders and hospital officials. However, I'm hoping that the new hospital administration will effect change.

(note I also thought that Barak and Arafat would create peace in the Middle East back in 1999. An eternal optimist, I.)

Sessamoid, I am astounded that ED residents didn't at least reduce your patient's fracture before waiting for a bed. They're quite good and very aggressive regarding procedures. I wonder if he angulated it it during transport...

Yes, people do wait days for hospital beds due to poor nursing care on the floors. That is getting better. Slowly.

Having previously worked there, I can say the hospital is in serious trouble. However, they take care of people who cannot or will not go anywhere else for their health care. It's a tough place and it breeds tough staff.

Harbor was in a similar situation years ago and it was turned around. I sincerely hope that King Drew is not closed down, and that the new policymakers will create a center that gives the care that its population desperately needs and deserves.

beyond all hope said:

Many things said about King-Drew are true, but it's not as bad as the LA times would make it out to be.

Click to expand...

I'm sure that's true from the patient perspective, but I hear it's a major nightmare to work in. My own (soon to be closing) hospital is the worst place I've ever worked including residency. I've had to deal with nurses who don't give a crap about their patients, lab techs who go to sleep at night, mis-entered orders, nurses who chronically show up late to work... crap the list seems interminable. Despite all that, it's nowhere near as bad as working at King. This fact is confirmed by one of my colleagues who graduated from the MLK EM program. I would rather drive more than an hour further than take one of my own family members to MLK, as sorry as it sounds.

Sessamoid, I am astounded that ED residents didn't at least reduce your patient's fracture before waiting for a bed. They're quite good and very aggressive regarding procedures. I wonder if he angulated it it during transport...

Click to expand...

Beats the heck out of me. As we all know, things get decided in hospitals which often have nothing to do with optimal patient care. The EM guys may not have had much say in the matter (I'm hoping). edit: BTW, he showed up at my door unsplinted as well, and from his story they hadn't yet put one on.

Harbor was in a similar situation years ago and it was turned around. I sincerely hope that King Drew is not closed down, and that the new policymakers will create a center that gives the care that its population desperately needs and deserves.

Click to expand...

Harbor was in serious financial trouble, but my impression of the place (having rotated there a few years ago) is that it wasn't necessarily a malignant and dysfunctional place to work.

doctor7 said:

It's the only Cali program (in a major city) that I would turn down to go out-of-state.

Click to expand...

absolutely agree!