View Full Version : Ex-CFO: Sonoma West Medical Center benefactor said ‘cook the books’
Barry
08-04-2016, 04:11 PM
More trouble in River City (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s60hOgqLFGg) :tear:
https://www.waccobb.net/forums/waccobb/keep90days/2015-10-04_15-56-29.png
Ex-CFO: Sonoma West Medical Center benefactor said ‘cook the books’
The former chief financial officer at Sonoma West Medical Center said a key hospital benefactor asked him to “falsely portray” the hospital’s finances to show positive net profit for the hospital, according to a whistleblower lawsuit filed this week.
The lawsuit against Sonoma West Medical Center was filed Monday by Douglas Goldfarb, who served as CFO from Nov. 30, 2015 to June 6, 2016. It is the latest legal complaint against the embattled hospital, one that echoes charges made in a lawsuit filed two months ago by the hospital’s former chief nursing officer, Cheri AnDra.
As Sonoma West Medical Center officials said with AnDra’s lawsuit, they could not comment on the legal challenge because it involved personnel matters. Both Goldfarb and AnDra are represented by the same Bay Area attorney, Daniel Bartley.
The suits allege millionaire west county software entrepreneur Dan Smith, the hospital’s largest donor and most consistent financial supporter, is using the hospital as a testing ground for his “defective” tablet-based electronic medical records system called HarmoniMD.
Smith, who is president of the medical center’s board of directors, wrote in an email he legally was unable to speak about personnel matters cited in a lawsuit. In the past, Smith has dismissed accusations he is seeking to profit from the hospital, citing the millions of dollars he has donated or loaned the hospital over the years, including a $3 million donation earlier this summer.
AnDra and Goldfarb argue the cloud-based electronic medical records system often produced serious errors that “endangered patients lives.” The two executives claim their concerns about the records system led to retaliation and ultimately their forced departures.
But Goldfarb’s complaint went farther. Goldfarb said he was asked to “cook the books” to show the financially strapped hospital was doing better than it was.
Continues here (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/5929800-181/ex-cfo-sonoma-west-medical-center)
Oh my!
And after all those predictions of success.
(https://www.sonomaindependent.org/why-the-new-sonoma-west-medical-center-will-thrive/):hmmm:
Ted Pole
08-05-2016, 05:19 PM
Sorry to see this happen, but maybe it's time to cut the losses and turn it into a tasting room/retail/hotel/tasting room/artist studios/tasting room.
:Champagne::lalalala::shaddanccouple::butterfly
luke32
08-05-2016, 11:05 PM
Clearly we need an investigative journalist to get to the truth on this one!
Clearly we need an investigative journalist to get to the truth on this one!
What a great idea! The problem is finding an impartial one interested in the unvarnished truth rather than backing into his own preconceived notions.
luke32
08-06-2016, 11:06 AM
Below is a letter from today's Press Democrat.
Does anyone know what the letter writer is referring to when he talks of a current Palm Drive Health Care District board member having been in "constant communication" with the former Chief Financial Officer and knowing about the "major problems" within the hospital, etc?
It seems like it'd sure be interesting if I could understand it.
EDITOR: How can Palm Drive Health Care District board members be proud of their recent decisions, especially the five-year management services agreement they signed with Sonoma West Medical Center and their recent approval of a second contract with Pipeline Health?
Now the public has learned of a second whistleblower lawsuit, filed by the fired CFO, which lays bare the motive of the key players in this situation (“Lawsuit: Hospital donor dishonest,” Friday). This is especially important because a current director on the health care district board claims to have been in constant communication with this CFO. He claims to have spent more time on the floor of the hospital than either the CEO or the chairman of the Sonoma West Medical Center board. He knew of the major problems within the hospital but continued to give glowing reports to his fellow board members.
The whole situation would be humorous if it weren't so serious and costly to the entire district.
GARY HARRIS
Forestville
And here's another from the "IJ " who predicted unmitigated success:
https://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/users/1813/8628/avatar92.jpg?1391653363 (https://disqus.com/by/Reasoner101/)I was shocked to see the front page of today's Press Democrat used as a shakedown vehicle for a disgruntled employee lawsuit against the Sonoma West Medical Center. The article noted that the litigant will "accept" $250,000 to make this inaccurately called "whistle blower" lawsuit disappear.
I interviewed litigant Douglas Goldfarb when he was CFO about hospital revenue. Unlike other businesses, hospitals can only estimate, not accurately predict, how their bills will be reimbursed by insurers. Reporter Martin Espinoza should have understood this, and the meaninglessness of Goldfarb's allegations that the hospital asked him to "cook the books."
Anyone can file a lawsuit. Hospitals are legally unable to respond. This meritless lawsuit is empowered by the PD’s irresponsibility in publicizing a one-sided, unsubstantiated story on its front page.
Where are the PD's professional ethics? Employers, including the areas major hospitals, are regularly hit by shakedown lawsuits by disgruntled employees. When was the last time the PD put a story about the filing (as opposed to the proof in court) of a disgruntled employee lawsuit?
West County's independent hospital, with its life saving emergency room, is struggling against a system that has stacked the decks for large hospitals in urban areas. Shame on the Press Democrat using its front page as a megaphone for a shakedown lawsuit that will make this struggle even harder.
I was shocked to see the front page of today's Press Democrat used as a shakedown vehicle for a disgruntled employee lawsuit against the Sonoma West Medical Center. The article noted that the litigant will "accept" $250,000 to make this inaccurately called "whistle blower" lawsuit disappear.
I interviewed litigant Douglas Goldfarb when he was CFO about hospital revenue. Unlike other businesses, hospitals can only estimate, not accurately predict, how their bills will be reimbursed by insurers. Reporter Martin Espinoza should have understood this, and the meaninglessness of Goldfarb's allegations that the hospital asked him to "cook the books."
Anyone can file a lawsuit. Hospitals are legally unable to respond. This meritless lawsuit is empowered by the PD’s irresponsibility in publicizing a one-sided, unsubstantiated story on its front page.
Where are the PD's professional ethics? Employers, including the areas major hospitals, are regularly hit by shakedown lawsuits by disgruntled employees. When was the last time the PD put a story about the filing (as opposed to the proof in court) of a disgruntled employee lawsuit?
West County's independent hospital, with its life saving emergency room, is struggling against a system that has stacked the decks for large hospitals in urban areas. Shame on the Press Democrat using its front page as a megaphone for a shakedown lawsuit that will make this struggle even harder.
He's referring to something that was said at a PDHCD board meeting. I guess you had to be there (unless there are further lawsuits).
Below is a letter from today's Press Democrat.
Does anyone know what the letter writer is referring to ...
beshiva
08-07-2016, 06:00 PM
if you have to Ask where are the PD's professional ethics, then you don't know the PD. they violate their own policies when it comes to ethics, language, content or any investigative journalism. they are a joke..so if we are all hoping to get some sort of story of what's going on at the SWMC, we're gonna have to rely on other forms of journalism.
...Where are the PD's professional ethics? ...
if you have to Ask where are the PD's professional ethics, then you don't know the PD. they violate their own policies when it comes to ethics, language, content or any investigative journalism. they are a joke..so if we are all hoping to get some sort of story of what's going on at the SWMC, we're gonna have to rely on other forms of journalism.
You and Jonathan can believe what you want to believe. The PD merely reported that a lawsuit had been filed by the CFO under the "whistle blower" status. I read this lawsuit and also read the one filed by the fired nursing supervisor. Very serious stuff indeed.
I hate to sound like a one trick pony, but how many people weighing in on this forum have actually attended any public meetings? I know a lot of people who have attended them for years and I'm guessing that's where the only realistic analysis of what's going on is coming from. If you have watched this play out over the years, there is no way to look at it without a large dose of cynicism and frustration. Sad the taxpayers are ultimately going to have to clean up the mess and that so many people were taken by the con.
Barry
08-07-2016, 08:08 PM
... Sad the taxpayers are ultimately going to have to clean up the mess and that so many people were taken by the con.
Is the public worse off because SWMC gave it another try?
Yes. The costs will outweigh the effort and the divisiveness it has caused, although for those who live outside the district it has all been a philosophical exercise more than anything else.
The whole "support our hospital" thing, for most, has not had any true cost attached to it, but for the taxpayers of the district -- including and especially those outside Sebastopol -- there is a real cost that will take at least a generation to repay.
And philosophically, the ends never justify the means. It has been contrived performance art from the beginning.
Is the public worse off because SWMC gave it another try?
podfish
08-08-2016, 10:53 AM
....I was shocked to see the front page of today's Press Democrat used as a shakedown vehicle for a disgruntled employee lawsuit against the Sonoma West Medical Center. T
.....
Anyone can file a lawsuit. Hospitals are legally unable to respond. This meritless lawsuit is empowered by the PD’s irresponsibility in publicizing a one-sided, unsubstantiated story on its front page.
Where are the PD's professional ethics? Employers, including the areas major hospitals, are regularly hit by shakedown lawsuits by disgruntled employees. When was the last time the PD put a story about the filing (as opposed to the proof in court) of a disgruntled employee lawsuit?
... Shame on the Press Democrat using its front page as a megaphone for a shakedown lawsuit that will make this struggle even harder.uh, it's still news. You can complain about the tone of their coverage, but it's still news. When I read it in the PD the shakedown-ness didn't escape me, and it would be patronizing of me to assume that most other readers are too unsophisticated to see that too.
Thanks podfish. Please note that I was quoting someone who is mysteriously absent from this forum.
uh, it's still news. You can complain about the tone of their coverage, but it's still news. ...
Barry
08-08-2016, 12:49 PM
So with the forgiven loans of millions of dollars and the improved assets, is the balance sheet worse off than it was before it was resurrected? Can you provide some data about that?
-- there is a real cost that will take at least a generation to repay....
The forgiven $6 million loan was for SWMC not the district. SWMC really has no skin in the game when push comes to shove. It can eventually plead poverty and walk away. I'm sure there is some way the district will be stuck with a big steaming heap of whatever debt has been run up and a default on money it has loaned SWMC and that's at least $400,000.
The district was dragged into paying for upgrades to the facility -- at least $500,000 worth -- that it couldn't really afford and would not have had to do without the drive to reopen the hospital. They are also providing $1 million a year in taxpayer dollars for operations that could be going towards paying down the debt of the district (remember they are still in Chapter 9). I'm sure the upgrades aren't going to make that much difference if (when?) the district eventually has to sell off its assets to pay down the debt.
I actually heard one of the district board members say of a $400,000 PDHCD debt that "I thought this was a gift," so things are so muddled over there no one is really sure who owes what. Most people don't know where one board stops and another begins and it's even more complicated now with Pipeline involved.
And over the course of the past few months SWMC has been re-stating its financials and they look worse and worse every time. The only thing keeping it going, i.e. payroll and the payments to the new management company from southern California is a $3 million loan from Dan. But the lines of credit have dried up and I'm sure there won't be much more coming from that direction.
The hospital lost $800,000 at last report and with all the restatements of financials, it wouldn't surprise me to see that top $1 million.
I could go on. It's amazing what you can find out by looking at the district board agendas and going to meetings.
So with the forgiven loans of millions of dollars and the improved assets, is the balance sheet worse off than it was before it was resurrected? Can you provide some data about that?
rossmen
08-08-2016, 08:23 PM
Thanks dick, you are especially well informed (and I have a guess of who you are)! Your posts will be even more powerful if you share more about your identity.
As a long time hospital skeptic, a very infrequent meeting attendee, a long time outer sebtown resident who has lots of personal experience with palm dh... I am ready to let go. Stop the bleeding, shut it Down! As far as I can tell, vultures are feeding on the carkas, and parcel owners of the district will pay for the feast, to the detriment of things like, affordable Housing! I'm not here to cast dispersions on anyone's intentions. Butt logic has been lost to this discussion for years, and that's understandable, since it's about life and death. May we all in the end chose death, since there is no other choice.
The forgiven $6 million loan was for SWMC not the district. ...
beshiva
08-09-2016, 06:53 AM
i guess if relying on the so called experts who got the ball rolling, all the money raised in good faith,(and that was no small chump change) and all the money which will never be returned and those people have to consider it a wash, all the embattled arguments now about who did what and when...all the innuendos, maybe outright lies, and deception---
if ALL of that's ok, Then i suppose the public is no worse off than before this debacle.
Is the public worse off because SWMC gave it another try?
Identity is a crutch my dear rossmen. But thanks for the props. :waccosmile:
Thanks dick, you are especially well informed (and I have a guess of who you are)! Your posts will be even more powerful if you share more about your identity.....
theindependenteye
08-09-2016, 01:36 PM
This is Elizabeth -- I just got home from SWMC after my second hip replacement, went in Monday morning at 6 AM, home Tuesday afternoon by 1:30. I don't want to address the fiscal issues here, especially since I don't have clear factual information. I just want to express my heart-felt gratitude for those who made it possible for me to once again place myself in the skilled and caring hands of the surgeon, anesthesiologist, PA, the staff MD's, the crew of PT people, and above all, the nurses and those other wonderful people who come when you need them. Yesterday afternoon I looked out the window from my bed and saw Joan Marler out in the central atrium, moving among the greenery and flowers, touching and encouraging them. There is no better metaphor for this hospital. -- Elizabeth Fuller
frlee41
08-09-2016, 03:04 PM
Your headline is horribly misleading, inappropriate and irresponsible. Nothing has been proven but your heading implies that the "allegation" is based on the known truth. This is known as defamation, not exactly exemplifying "conscious community."
By the way the cost of SWMC is only slightly born by taxpayers.
There has been serious problems with the startup including problems around billing and collection. The zeal to open may have not been matched by the expertise to manage the hospital. The new management will hopefully get everything headed down the right track.
As for "benefactor" Dan Smith. Here is a person so devoted to having a hospital for his community that he has donated incredible amounts of his wealth to the endeavor. He was at the hospital every day for at least 12 hours for months before it opened, lending support to the staff and helping out in any way possible. Why? He didn't want people to die because they were forced to be ambulance to an overcrowded, understaffed emergency room in Santa Rosa. He and his wife were truly moved by the unfortunate deaths of local people to whom this occurred. Unfortunately he has been maligned for years by those opposed to the hospital and those opposed to paying the tax for the hospital. The situation reminds me of Hillary Clinton haters who have been fed by Fox news and right wing radio hosts a steady diet of hate.
These people who are suing are disgruntled employees. The former chief nursing officer who is suing Dan Smith fired so many competent medical people from their jobs at SWMC that it was quite astonishing and unreal. She has quite a checkered history herself including possibly; changing her name to hide her history. The article in the paper may have mistakenly combined the old and new names.
Note that the two are represented by the same lawyer.
frlee41
08-09-2016, 03:33 PM
Your headline is horribly misleading, inappropriate and irresponsible. ...
Sorry, I see that you did attribute the statement to the ex CFO.
sandoak
08-09-2016, 04:32 PM
Oh for god's sake, we really need a hospital emergency room and other services right here in town! If we can't do better than supply spoiled hippies and tourists with another tasting room/retail/hotel/tasting room/artist studio/tasting room, we'd better drop our pretenses of being a progressive community that cares about our people.
Sorry to see this happen, but maybe it's time to cut the losses and turn it into a tasting room/retail/hotel/tasting room/artist studios/tasting room.
luke32
08-09-2016, 05:12 PM
The following are honest open minded questions, not designed to be biased or to further stir the pot.
1) Has SWMC"s Intensive Care Unit yet reopened?
2. Does anyone know what good medical policy says about surgery in hospitals with no ICU?
In reality the taxpayers have not been, nor will they be, obligated for any additional costs for reopening the hospital or its operation thus far or in the future. All commitments made to support the hospital have used the existing parcel tax. The tax can not be raised without a vote of the entire district. There has not been any additional debt incurred by the District (aka taxpayers). There have been large donations made by individuals who believe the hospital is needed and are hopeful that it can operate successfully.
We have a shortage of hospital beds and emergency department capacity in Sonoma County. Emergency departments in Santa Rosa at times have long wait times, in part due to the downsizing Sutter did when their new hospital was built. Without SWMC those wait times would be longer and the shortage of hospital beds more severe.
Whose reality are you referring to? You contradict your first sentence with your second sentence that states, "All commitments made to support the hospital have used the existing parcel tax." Sounds to me like obligations for the taxpayers. That is also money the district could use to pay down the debt incurred in the name of the taxpayers of the district.
Don't forget the little surprises that keep popping up like the extra money the district gave SWMC for facility upgrades that SWMC promised it would be fund. There would have been more debt if the county would have allowed the district to borrow more money on future tax revenues.
And some of those donations have mysteriously turned into loans. Somebody is going to be held accountable for all that debt eventually.
The rest of the stuff about emergency beds is a fiction. Sonoma County Emergency Services did an entire presentation about that before the district entered into the management services agreement back in 2014 if I recall correctly.
In reality the taxpayers have not been, nor will they be, obligated for any additional costs for reopening the hospital or its operation thus far or in the future. All commitments made to support the hospital have used the existing parcel tax. ...
podfish
08-10-2016, 08:41 AM
Thanks podfish. Please note that I was quoting someone who is mysteriously absent from this forum.
sorry for the sloppy editing of the [Quote] tags, leading to mis-attribution... at least I didn't get derogatory about the poster!
vlondi
08-15-2016, 03:35 PM
As for "benefactor" Dan Smith. Here is a person so devoted to having a hospital for his community that he has donated incredible amounts of his wealth to the endeavor.
Anyone that is "donating" millions towards a business that he/she has other investments in (like primary software used to run the business) has ulterior motives. It may be something beneficial to the business, it may be something beneficial only to the one with the software.
Anyone that is "donating" millions towards a business that he/she has other investments in ...
Right, Dan Smith developed and owns the software used to run the hospital. He did not tolerate any criticism of his program and will not allow another established system to take its place.He hopes to work out the bugs and sell this to other hospitals. So, in spite of his undeniable altruism, there is a big underlying financial motive.
Dianala
08-16-2016, 08:38 AM
...So, in spite of his undeniable altruism, there is a big underlying financial motive
How do you know that this is true? I don't think you understand the complexity of the software business from your statement.
I don't think one has to understand software to see that something is not quite right with this whole situation. And whatever happened to the rip-roaring success we were promised by the businessmen who were going to save the hospital from the incompetent elected officials? I can re-post Mr. Greenberg's article if anyone needs a reminder of that part of the narrative.
How do you know that this is true? I don't think you understand the complexity of the software business from your statement.
Dianala
08-16-2016, 12:36 PM
I don't think one has to understand software to see that something is not quite right with this whole situation. ...
Not all conjure and assumptions are correct. Check assumptions is what I am asking. How does he know that is true?
Maybe he's read something besides what's posted in this forum?
That would be a start.
Not all conjure and assumptions are correct. Check assumptions is what I am asking. How does he know that is true?
Perhaps Farmer Dan would care to weigh in about the business plan for the hospital software?
Gail Raborn
08-16-2016, 05:37 PM
I'm still vibrating with outrage at the incredible smear in the Press Democrat frontpage article eleven days ago, which attack both hospital benefactor, Dan Smith and our wonderful new hospital, Sonoma West Medical Center. So this is the letter I wrote to the Press Democrat. What do you all think? This is some truly dirty journalism. It's in the paper of August 5, '16. Go read the original, if you missed it. It's pretty despicable.
Open Letter to the Press Democrat staff writer Martin Espinoza
Martin - It is clear that you and your editors understand the power of newspaper articles to influence public opinion. The strategically placed title of your recent article, “Lawsuit: Hospital Donor Dishonest - Ex-official Goldfarb says Smith asked him to cook Sonoma West books” contains the damning message of your article that thousands of Press Democrat readers have imbibed. This message was carefully positioned above the fold to instantly communicate a poisonous accusation as fact, even to people who simply glance at the headlines.
The contents of Goldfarb's lawsuit and the previous suit by Autumn AndRa, promoted by the same attorney, Daniel Bartley, are completely based upon unsubstantiated allegations. However, as you have reported, Bartley is ready to drop all charges if the hospital agrees to pay $200,000 to AndRa and $250,000 plus a year's pay and legal fees to Goldfarb (who worked at SWMC for only six months). Your one-sided articles assist their attempts to extort money from our district hospital.
Do you really believe that you are absolved from responsibility for the harm your articles have caused to the hospital, as well as to Dan Smith, simply because it is not possible at this stage of the litigation for anyone named in the lawsuits to reply? Is this your idea of journalistic balance? Do you consider it ethical to present damaging accusations as facts without presenting an alternative perspective? Do you feel justified as long as the message of your articles conforms to your own bias, to the position of your editors, and to others who cheer you on?
Dan Smith does not deserve to be pilloried in public after giving everything he has worked to achieve over the past 40 years in order for our community to have a 24 hour emergency hospital so that people's lives can be saved. Moreover, our district hospital deserves to be supported rather than continually attacked in the media. The truth will come out to counter the lies but will you be honest enough to report it?
Sincerely, Gail Raborn
And maybe we could get Monsanto to weigh in on the safety of GMOs while we're at it. I'd rather hear from city council candidate Jonathan Greenberg.
Perhaps Farmer Dan would care to weigh in about the business plan for the hospital software?
Sara S
08-17-2016, 12:44 PM
from The Press Democrat, 8/17:<section class="left-right-holder">
</section>West county’s hospital
EDITOR: Sonoma West Medical Center has certainly had a challenging birth. Yet it lives today and will be more vibrant than ever under the expert guidance of Luke Tharasri and Pipeline Health (“Sebastopol hospital bringing in consultants,” July 9).
Though you would not know it from reading the paper, our hospital’s story isn’t about one person, one couple or even the many who have donated their money and time to make it a reality. It is the story of coming together and caring for one another against overwhelming odds. It is about supporting our police and firefighters, the elderly, infirm and homeless among us. It is about having an emergency room close when a child is injured on the playground, a baby can’t breathe, a young woman has a ruptured tubal pregnancy, our neighbor has a heart attack or a worker is injured in the grape fields.
All of the accusations, lawsuits and false claims printed in the paper don’t hold a candle against saving even one life, not to speak of the many who will be saved in the coming years. We are grateful for being able to participate in a better future for west county and thank everyone who has made it possible.
DAN SMITH and JOAN MARLER
Sebastopol
Barry
08-17-2016, 01:02 PM
Perhaps Farmer Dan would care to weigh in about the business plan for the hospital software?
I reached out to Dan for comment and he sent the following:
I can't comment directly on the lawsuits because they are from former employees and it is improper for a board member to do so.
Responses will be filed in the next few weeks by the hospital's legal counsel.
You might be interested to know that all of the claims against me have been dropped through an amended complaint filed by Ms. Andra's attorney.
While she is still making claims against the hospital, she has dropped the defamation claim and the claim of tortuous interference with contract and dropped me from the wrongful termination claims. This was done without a court hearing.
The amended complaint is attached.
podfish
08-17-2016, 02:00 PM
... This is some truly dirty journalism. It's in the paper of August 5, '16. Go read the original, if you missed it. ...
Dan Smith does not deserve to be pilloried in public after giving everything he has worked to achieve over the past 40 years in order for our community to have a 24 hour emergency hospital so that people's lives can be saved. Moreover, our district hospital deserves to be supported rather than continually attacked in the media. The truth will come out to counter the lies but will you be honest enough to report it?I just went and re-read it to confirm my impression. It starts with
"The former chief financial officer at Sonoma West Medical Center said a key hospital benefactor asked him to “falsely portray” the hospital’s finances to show positive net profit for the hospital, according to a whistleblower lawsuit filed this week."
the news is that there's a suit. It reports on the contents and gives a tiny bit of context. The only even marginally pejorative in the article is that it uses the adjective "embattled" when talking about the hospital. I don't think any of us disagree with that, right?
Sure, it would be nice if the media was more interested in presenting supportive articles. There aren't a lot of nice fluffy pieces about how beneficial the hospital could be in the PD. But I never have understood the feeling that they're out to destroy it either. Clearly a lot of the community has a protective feeling about SWMC, which is good if it's going to succeed. But the best way to understand a situation is to be able to see what it looks like from eyes that aren't on your side. You can't answer objections if you don't understand why some people find them compelling. From my perspective, the suit never sounded all that firmly grounded and I didn't see anything in the reporting that made the plaintiff believable. The article did nothing to dispel an impression of him as a disgruntled former employee.
nancypreb
08-18-2016, 02:18 PM
from The Press Democrat, 8/17:<section class="left-right-holder">
</section>West county’s hospital
EDITOR: ...our hospital’s story isn’t about one person, one couple or even the many who have donated their money and time to make it a reality. It is the story of coming together and caring for one another against overwhelming odds. It is about supporting our police and firefighters, the elderly, infirm and homeless among us. It is about having an emergency room close when a child is injured on the playground, a baby can’t breathe, a young woman has a ruptured tubal pregnancy, our neighbor has a heart attack or a worker is injured in the grape fields….
Sebastopol
….and it's a story about a faulty software program, developed by a major donor to the "Doc/Cop" campaign, donor to the hospital, lender to the hospital, and President of the Board. It's the continued story (not a new one) of Mr. Smith's conflict of interests.
nancypreb
08-18-2016, 02:44 PM
How do you know that this is true? I don't think you understand the complexity of the software business from your statement.
Please, tell us all about the complexities of the software business. I, for one, don't know. But since it seems to be a prerequisite for assessing this situation, and you clearly have insight, please share.
Meanwhile, I can tell you about my personal experience working with Farmer Dan Smith, his "philanthropy," and his cloud-based software business ventures. He did the same thing with the Redwood Empire Farmers Market. While he had absolutely nothing to do with the actual securing of the farmers market at the Vets Building in Santa Rosa, he was more than willing to donate monies towards much needed press and advertising, but it came with a price. He insisted on being Board Treasurer, on having his appointee as President, and proceeded to use every opportunity to leverage his "philanthropy" as he relentlessly pushed his cloud-based wholesale software program (when he wasn't off to the Philippines trying to sell his hospital program) onto the vendors, who simply weren't interested. If it didn't involve the organization needing $$ he was no where to be found. As soon as it came to needing $$, however, there he was to generously write a check and then it was about how cloud-based software was going to save the farms….till you were blue in the face.
It took us a very long time and a lot of heart-ache to finally rid Dan Smith and his ego from the market administration, but we finally did. What made us a better organization, however, than the previous one- we didn't have to ban his farm in order to do it. We actually maintained moral principles. But the Smith recipe is the same as with the hospital. Donate+ demand+ leverage= conflict of interest. And no- you don't need to know about the complexities of farmers markets in order to understand the writing when it's on the wall.
And anyone who has read the articles over the past 10 years -- both in the PD and SWT&N -- as a continuum rather than each one being a single piece in and of itself would know that, or be able to deduce it with a little thoughtful analysis.
….and it's a story about a faulty software program, developed by a major donor to the "Doc/Cop" campaign, donor to the hospital, lender to the hospital, and President of the Board. It's the continued story (not a new one) of Mr. Smith's conflict of interests.
WaterBird
08-19-2016, 11:53 AM
Dear Gail,
Thank you for posting this and writing to the PD. Somehow I doubt they will even respond.
I too am saddened by the attacks on Dan and the hospital. This seems to have been going on since before the hospital even started. I am relatively new to the area so dont know the whole history of Palm Drive, but I can tell you as an employee there now I sadly spend a lot of time defending SWMC to people who seem to hold the shadow of Palm Drive as the same as the new hospital. The bad publicity only makes this worse.The only positive press i have seen was in the Gazette. I too would use the word "embattled".
As an employee, I can say that the atmosphere inside SWMC is one of a community effort, with the small size being more intimate and frankly more friendly than the larger hospitals in the area. I personally have had some rather unpleasant encounters with Memorial Hospital and Sutter. I waited 2.5 hours in the Sutter ER last year, with level 8 back pain. Their response to the letter I wrote about my whole horrible experience was that they were sorry for my "inconvenience".
Myself and other employees at SWMC regularly hear gratitude from the patients we care for, happy that they have their community hospital back, where they can get help close to home and without all of the layers of process they have to go through at the bigger hospitals. Our ER brings people in right away, you don't see masses of people waiting for hours to be seen.
As for Dan Smith, I have encountered him walking the halls, talking with employees, and especially in the earlier days, being available essentially 24/7 to help out in anyway. I personally have never seem him pressing his supposed hidden agenda, although I am obviously not privy to any administrative goings on. I can say that compared to many hospital EMR software I have used, the Harmoni software is quite user friendly, and I am not aware of any patient care issues that are allegedly happening. It saddens me to see people attacking this incredibly generous man.
The only negative thing I have to say is that the Pipeline group, the supposed saviors of the hospital, are not contributing in any way to this community feel. They came in and made massive layoffs with no communication with the employees at all. The only information we have gotten is through the articles in the newspaper. The morale in the hospital has dropped significantly among the staff, who are working diligently to compensate for the sudden changes, for which no plan was put in place at all, and to continue to offer excellent care.
I have been so happy to be a part of this wonderful community effort, and pray that it will turn itself around and be able to keep offering quality and compassionate care to our community.
Raye Elaine
I'm still vibrating with outrage at the incredible smear in the Press Democrat frontpage article eleven days ago, ...
I realize a lot of the current hospital employees haven't been here very long, but a good way to get up to speed on what's been happening at Palm Drive (both as a district and as a hospital) is to look through the archives of both the Press Democrat (https://www.pressdemocrat.com/Search?q=palm%20drive%20district&type=news&sort=PUBLISHED&dir=DESC&days=all&pub=) and the local paper Sonoma West Times & News (https://www.sonomawest.com/search/?mode=article&q=palm+drive&nsa=eedition&t=article&l=10&s=&sd=desc&f=html&d=&d1=01%2F05%2F2006&d2=12%2F26%2F2013). Even if you believe the local press is out to get a humble philanthropist, there are patterns of behavior that emerge as you wade through the detritus of more than a decade and a half of struggles as a public entity. After you do that, talk to locals who have been watching this for years. And when you do look around, please note all the "positive" stories that have been written over the years.
....As an employee, I can say that the atmosphere inside SWMC is one of a community effort,...
SWMC sent out its July financial report late Friday and the operating loss for the month of July alone is $1,161,182. June’s operating loss was restated up by $120,716. The total operating loss for nine months through July is just over $11 million.
SWMC’s business plan predicted an operating loss of $881,000 for the entire first year of operation, with even sunnier projections of success in a very short amount of time (https://www.sonomaindependent.org/new-hospital-hits-financial-targets/).
The Palm Drive Health Care District was formed in 2000. In 16 years the hospital — Palm Drive and SWMC — has had 17 acting, temporary and permanent CEOs. That includes those introduced publicly as CEOs whose names were later withdrawn for one reason or another.
That is not an attack on the people who started this thing in good faith or the many employees that have come and gone in the past two-plus years since Palm Drive Hospital closed.
Pipeline has not only laid off 16 percent of the hospital's administrative staff (https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/news/more-hospital-layoffs-made-by-new-operators/article_fba081d4-59c6-11e6-9ccb-bf2c03c19ac5.html), it has also closed all of the much-ballyhooed institutes (https://www.sonomawest.com/sonoma_west_times_and_news/news/palm-drive-board-enters-management-deal-with-swmc/article_f074b570-c82f-11e4-a0ad-ef4af802be8d.html) as cost-cutting measures.
Those are the facts. Unless a big donor steps up, between payroll and the Pipeline contract I don't see how it's going to survive and I'm convinced the mounting losses will somehow end up on the backs of the taxpayers.
SWMC sent out its July financial report late Friday and the operating loss for the month of July alone is $1,161,182. ...
In response to those who believe there are unjustified attacks against the hospital or Dan Smith personally let me say that I have nothing against the hospital or Dan. I believe Dan is altruistic for the most part and truly believes in the hospital. The problem is that wishing it is was a successful endeavor does not make it so. It consistently loses money, has staff turnover at an alarming rate, has gone bankrupt 3 times and is now headed down that same familiar path to oblivion. All this with a large taxpayer subsidy (well, at least from property owners). As Dick shows the hospital is not viable financially, period, end of discussion. Where I live along the river corridor it is not the closest facility and many of the people in the district can't even use it due to having Kaiser or other insurance. These are the objections as I see it. I'm going to be forced to pay for this soon to be shuttered facility for how many more years?
Now, if we had single payer health care it might be a different story......
I totally agree on single-payer. The most criminal thing about what's happening at Palm Drive/SWMC is that the our national health care delivery system is designed for such "small time" endeavors to fail. PDHCD/SWMC is failing because of externalities and, unfortunately, no amount of wishful thinking will make it work. It's going to take many election cycles and the death of the modern Republican Party (yes, I said it: and the right-wing of the national Dem Party for that matter) for our health care system to ever function rationally. And getting big insurance and pharma money (well — all big money) out of our election system.
rossmen
08-20-2016, 09:25 PM
I have a different political/medical analysis on the meta picture of us health care and the impossibility of a small hospital in Sebastopol. First hospital care mostly is outdated 20th century medicine, dirty dangerous places it is best to avoid, lots of stats and studies on this which will become more clear as medicine continues to holistically advance. Yes let's continue to move away from the private insurance model, obamacare is an important first step, the government can be a backup, but it's best if we pay for the care we need as we're able.
We need to continue to shrink and consolidate the hospital strategy of health care, for sure in the developed world, because it's an expensive burden which sucks up health care dollars to the detriment of people's health while generating huge profits for large corporations unnecessary for Healthcare. Just look at the current contract the palm drive district has for managing it's hospital, vulture capitalism because the district voters are dead to knowledge, the majority anyway, and we will all pay and pay and pay, till the vulture flies away...
Well said rossmen — although being a socialist at heart, I'm all in favor of free health care for all, paid for by returning to a progressive tax system that doesn't punish people for the crime of being poor. Obamacare hits hospitals hard with penalties for recidivism and patients getting sick(er) from spending time in them. I think one of the goals of OC was to get rid of small hospitals. Here's a March 16 report (https://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/policy-dose/articles/2016-03-24/rural-hospitals-are-disappearing-after-obamacare-how-do-we-save-them) from U.S. News & World Report with some numbers. I don't think OC had that much to do with Palm Drive's demise or the current situation at SWMC, but it sure won't help should the skies open up and it starts to magically rain money and insured patients on that poor, battered facility.
I have a different political/medical analysis on the meta picture of us health care and the impossibility of a small hospital in Sebastopol. ...
rossmen
08-21-2016, 04:22 PM
Even after the vulture flies away.
In case it isn't clear I believe that people will slap their heads and proclaim, "why were we/they so stupid about that old hospital, we're still paying for it!" :duh:
Of course prediction is a dangerous game. I thought e-tard would resign after his pension was vested. Instead he's stuck it out to the end of his term for an additional 13k/yr, one tough hombre even in his underwear : )_
Did you go to any of the "Open Our Hospital" presentations?
The head-slappers should have seen it coming (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQxf4EI5xko#action=share).
...In case it isn't clear I believe that people will slap their heads and proclaim, "why were we/they so stupid about that old hospital, we're still paying for it!" :duh:...
Sara S
08-22-2016, 07:54 AM
from the Press Democrat, 8/22:
Unfair article
EDITOR: It is clear that you understand the power of newspaper articles to influence public opinion. The strategically placed title of your Aug. 5 article, “Lawsuit: Hospital donor dishonest — Ex-official Goldfarb says Smith asked him to cook Sonoma West books,” contains an intentionally damning message based upon completely unsubstantiated allegations. This headline was carefully positioned on the front page above the fold to instantly communicate a poisonous accusation as fact, even to people who simply glance at the headlines.
Do you really believe that you are absolved from responsibility for the harm this article and others have caused to the hospital, as well as to Dan Smith, simply because it is not possible at this stage of the litigation for anyone named in the lawsuit to reply? Is this your idea of journalistic balance?
Smith doesn’t deserve to be pilloried in public after giving everything he has worked to achieve over the past 40 years in order for west county to have a 24-hour emergency hospital. Moreover, this district hospital deserves to be supported rather than continually attacked in the media. The truth will come out to counter the lies, but will you be honest enough to fully report it?
GAIL RABORN
WaterBird
08-22-2016, 02:59 PM
Wow, I am sad to say I have been ignorant of how bad this is. Does seem pretty hopeless. Why hire a new management company if it is not feasible to stay open? Too bad, it really has been of benefit to the community. I brought my auntie to the ED when she went into renal failure from her cancer. I was grateful for the quick, personal and compassionate care she received.
SWMC sent out its July financial report late Friday and the operating loss for the month of July alone is $1,161,182. ...