Harvesting Organs From the Poor. The American Way.

More sophisticated than whacking someone over the head and stealing their organs.

The papers and media are full of talk about former Vice President Dick Cheney’s recent heart transplant. There was much discussion about whether at age 71 he was too old, or whether he took advantage of special privileges to jump the line of thousands of others hoping to receive this potentially life-extending procedure. I am not prepared to comment on most of that: whether you call it an organ-allocation process or rationing, some will always consider themselves lucky, and others losers. I wish Mr. Cheney well.

Organ transplantation is often considered one of the triumphs of modern medicine. It has also made a lot of money for hospitals and doctors who do the procedures. Think of all the ads and press coverage we hear as hospitals seek to enhance their prestige and to attract other customers. The year I worked in Congress, Washington was attacked by lobbyists seeking to gain advantage in the national system of allocating donated organs. As much as these highly paid armies spoke of fairness, better outcomes, more equitable distribution, and the like; all of us staffers knew they were just fighting over the money. It was a cynical business. Continue reading “Harvesting Organs From the Poor. The American Way.”

Deadline for Responses to UofL’s Search for a Partner Has Passed.

Will the public have any input? Perhaps not.

The deadline for responses to the University’s search for a new partner was Friday, March 23.  It may not be knowable, now or ever, how many responses were received, or from whom. I called the University purchasing agent responsible for the process and learned that the deadline had indeed passed and that no further submissions would be accepted at this time. I did learn that at least one response had been received and that a meeting of the Review Committee would be held on Thursday to determine the next steps. I was told that state regulations surrounding the RFP process require that no information can be released until an agreement is signed. It was also pointed out to me that a Request for Proposal is different than a request for a Bid. The former implies more of a request for new ideas. This definition is certainly compatible with what we have seen so far.

I called the one institution other than Catholic Health Initiatives that I know made a serious effort to respond. I do not know if state regulations impose a reciprocal blackout on responders, but the institution preferred that the University speak for itself. I cannot fault them for this position.

The University of Louisville has chosen a path that it believes allows it to proceed in absolute secrecy until it has finalized its plans– a fait accompli. Why am I not surprised?  Is it too much to expect that the officials of this public university might have learned some lessons about the value of accountability and transparency during last Fall’s iteration of this merger?   Is the University being too clever for its own good?  Or is the arrogance all mine?

The University of Louisville has courted and lost numerous partners before.  Many bridges have been closed if not burned. I propose that some community buy-in at the altar will enhance the prospects of a long and fruitful marriage. Sadly, what I perceive instead is a falling away of trust and support.

Peter Hasselbacher, MD
March 27, 2012

QCCT Fund for Indigent Medical Care in Play Again.

Good Time to Rethink Charity Care In Louisville Anyway?

Tom Loftus of the Courier-Journal reported last Friday that the Senate version of the state budget for the next two years would cut the amount contributed to the fund used by University of Louisville Hospital to pay for care for certain medically indigent patients by over $5 million per year– a total of $11.4 million less than the House and Governor’s versions over the the next biennium.  The QCCT (Quality Care and Charity Trust) is an ongoing agreement between the Commonwealth, the City of Louisville, and University of Louisville Hospital to fund medical care for certain medically indigent patients. Under the proposed Senate cuts, the QCCT would receive a reduced sum totaling about $15.1 million yearly. Continue reading “QCCT Fund for Indigent Medical Care in Play Again.”

University of Louisville Provides RFP Documents. Better slow than never!

ALL Public UofL RFP Documents Available Here

On March 20, ten days after I requested them, and with 3 days left before responses to its RFP are due, the University of Louisville provided the Schedules and Exhibits that are part of its Affiliation Agreement with University hospital and University Medical Center, Inc.  I had requested these under the Freedom of Information Laws.  The set of documents can be found on the Purchasing Department website of UofL.  For convenience, I have broken the document down into its components. Continue reading “University of Louisville Provides RFP Documents. Better slow than never!”