advocate
Joined: 25 Apr 2003
Posts: 20
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 9:36 am Post subject: THIS IS HOW THEY ROOK PATIENTS INTO SENDING IN LETTERS
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5 dupilcate page letters to congressman were passed out at my unit by a bossy tech who threw them at patients and said,"We need you to sign these, all 5 copies, because the govt. doesn't pay enough for your dialysis!". <
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>Here is what it says:<
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>June 2003<
>subject: Medicare Inflation Update Formula for Dialysis/H.R. 1784<
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>The Honorable Darrell Issa<
>U.S. House of Representatives<
>1725 Longworth Building<
>Washington, D.C. 20515<
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>Dear Representative Issa:<
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>I am a kidney dialysis patient. To stay alive I have to travel to a dialysis center three times a week to get treamtment for three to four hours at a time.<
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>Medicare payments are not keeping up with the rising costs of dialysis treatments. Only Congress can fix this problem so that I can continue to get access to quality care.<
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>I am writing to ask you to please support an annual inflation update for dialysis. Every other health care sector except dialysis already has an annual update formula to keep up with inflation increases and other rising costs....<
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>I saw with my own eyes and ears how they coerced the patients into signing. Look at the wording of the letter--it makes patients feel indebted to them so that they must sign. Most, including many very sick and elderly don't even know what the issue is about. This is preying on the patients as is their usual style when they want something. Yes, this is how they do it!!!
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Joker
Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Posts: 1
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2003 10:10 am Post subject: Letter
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Davita did this to me also. I took the letter home and called my congressman and explained how the clinics are making millions and the money would be better spent on a drug benefit for Medicare recipients. He wholeheartedly agreed. Dialysis patients are a captive audience for the providers for 3-4 hours having to put up with any antics they employ just so that we may continue life a few more days. What the fat cats need to do is a management reorganization to cut the fat out of their budgets at various management levels.
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Former DaVita Facility Ad
Joined: 11 Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2003 12:45 am Post subject: Letter Writing Campaigns
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DaVita is the master of letter writing campaigns. As a former facility administrator it was one campaign after another. The patients and the staff get really tired of the same old crap. Let's face it, if dialysis wasn't profitable companies like DaVita would have been out of the game long ago.<
>These for profit companies use their financial wizards to play shell game tactics with the financial sheets, load up their board of directors with well connected lobby groups and prey on the patients for scare tactic support with these letter writing games.<
>Utilizing a corp of bottom-feeder medical directors they can increase a patients' drug intensitiy and increase bottom-line revenues to whatever level they wish, if that doesn't work they go to the next area of control called controlable expense (salaries and wages) and cut the staffing ratios of patients per tech to 5:1 and tell everyone how safe and good they are as companies.<
>That's why I left DaVita, the majic still continues. Maybe DaVita should give each patient a shovel when they first come into the facility as a new patient. That way the patients could fling the same dung back at them.<
>It's past the time to wake up patients, ask your doctor what he/she is doing to control your disease by going over your monthly lab results with you. You might be surprized at the answer they give you. Some don't even have a clue.<
>Good luck and God bless you all!!
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Simply Amazed
Joined: 12 Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 2:17 am Post subject: Davita's latest acquisition
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They just went on a letter writing campaign with the patients sounding like they were about to head to the bankruptcy judge, lo and behold they just purchased 12 outpatient vascular access clinics from Baxter by the name of RMS Lifeline.
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ANOTHER former Davita Fac
Joined: 12 Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 4:10 am Post subject: Drinking the Kool-Aid
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I echo the sentiments of the other former administrator.<
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>Aside from the letter-writing campaigns, I could not stay with them and put up with the lip service given to "the patient first" "quality care". Ratios of 5:1 do NOT put the patient first, nor the staff that is stretched to the limit. The shareholders come first....those in the trenches (patients and staff) are not in the equation.<
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>It is sad that a life-sustaining treatment for a chronic illness should come to this. I got out....too bad that our patients don't have that choice.
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patient
Joined: 29 Oct 2002
Posts: 137
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 4:34 am Post subject: Chinchy Davita
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After 6 yrs of having the same ear chord for the personal tv at dialysis, I forgot to
ing it one tx. I asked for a replacement and they wouldn't give it to me unless I paid them a dollar
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An Advocate
Joined: 12 Jul 2003
Posts: 1
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2003 11:42 pm Post subject: Please
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They can't afford a buck for a ear cord!!! How cheap can you get??? How much have they made off you over the past 6 years? Sorry, it just gets on my last nerve. It's like the $4.00 aspirin in the hospital!
