It’s how you play the game...

Grappling with questions like “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” reviewing a game, Bill Priest, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Cannon Falls Medical Center (CFMC) and I “tackled” some “hard hitting” questions from folks around here.

I felt it would have been more appropriate for the incoming “coach” or new CEO, Tom Witt, M.D. to line up for this “scrimmage”, but Witt is reorganizing his practice so he can be here two days a week as he handles both the Lake City and Cannon Falls hospitals. Bill explained, this is not an unusual practice in the MAYO system.

I kicked off with a question about the recent exodus of physicians from CFMC and also the Lake City hospital which lost several too.

Bill came back with a fair catch, explaining about the play pattern of the previous CEO. “Greig Glover made tough decisions that needed to be made. They weren’t perfect but his intentions were valid. CFMC is a better place for having Glover here.”

I countered with an audible: “What about the public image of CFMC?” Bill decided to go for it: “From a numbers perspective, our volume hasn’t gone down and our surgeries are higher. Over the last year we’ve grown and added services including nine new staff members. Our goal is to provide excellent care and service to the communities we serve and earn the opportunity to provide for their future health care needs... we’re looking forward... to create a “Care Team” of the physicians, Physician’s Assistants, Nurse Practitioners, etc. Our goal is to get back up to 4-5 doctors.”

The Game Plan

The game plan, Bill continued, has their Team Based Medicine evolving... (resulting in) the enhancement of the medical personnel through the use of medical records online beginning in February. This will give more information about the patient immediately to the various medical personnel involved.

In a quick hand-off I questioned: How do the CFMC charges compare to other hospitals? Bill answered: CFMC is smaller but has some of the same costs as other bigger hospitals.

With a lateral pass I asked about CFMC’s relationship with the nursing home. Bill caught it and explained: “We partner with the nursing home and provide Dr. Simon Mittal to take care of the residents. It’s the patient’s choice if he wants his previous doctor or Mittal. It’s always the patient’s choice.”

In a goal line play I asked, what about after hours care here? According to Bill’s knowledge, “There have been very few times if at all that we would have needed an after hours surgery team and keeping that team on call. Usually the patient can be kept safely with the pain controlled until the morning. If not they will be sent to Rochester.”

“Sneak Play!”

In a sneak play I asked: Will taxpayers end up subsidizing a new hospital by paying for sewer, water hook-ups, along with the $2 million in taxes they have been collecting, etc.?

Bill took possession and explained: “It is yet to be determined how much MAYO would participate in getting utilities to any new building project. The city has been good to work with and the indication is that MAYO appreciates this.”

But in the end, we all realize this isn’t a football game. As a Monday Morning Quarterback I recognize that an incoming administration has the opportunity to call the plays as they see fit. But with MAYO’s apparent resources of psychologists, public relations people, etc., it seems like there could be a better way to handle such difficult situations.

Here's a question for the new "coach":

In the chance of going into over-time, here is a another question from a local resident for the new “coach”, CEO Tom Witt:

“What should we expect of a new administrator who comes from a clinic with five physicians who just left where he was full time? And how is he going to manage another problem clinic on a part time basis, hiring a new crew of physicians, team development and so forth, while still running his old clinic?”

I haven’t heard the whistle blow nor seen the play clock stopped. Looks like the game is still on.