The Rural health clinic maybe losing long time doctor, Jack Nadler, as word around the hospital is the busy employee of the Kern Valley Healthcare District maybe moving out of the valley and onto new challenges.
Nadler, MD., has been the mainstay of the clinic, but recently patients have complained of long waits to get appointments with the doctor, and difficulty refilling prescriptions in a timely manner, as well as the attention needed for the more complicated patients.
(According to the Federal Government, anyone on Medicare or Medi-cal is due health care equal to those on private insurance. Can a short staffed office really take proper care of the patient?)
Cuts to staff, and the loss of Stacey Bohn, Nurse Practitioner, last month, leaves the clinic short handed and with a long list of patients to care for, the transition may not be smooth for the district or their customers, or actually I should say just more rugged than usual.
Rumors flew as Bohn left suddenly, and the talk was she was unhappy with her pay and schedule, but recently it was noted by someone on the inside that she may have been in disagreement with the recent vote to remove KVHD surgeon, Dr. Kent Skoegerson.
Where did Skoegerson come from?
Skoegerson, who was a specialist in bariatric weight loss surgery, and may have done at least four lap band procedures at the Kern Valley hospital late last year, according to the administration, research shows the surgeon was involved in a serious lawsuit due to the death of a patient in Nevada.
Records from Nevada show the surgeon had lost his license in the state prior to his arrival at the Kern Valley Hospital.
Skoegerson was second choice due to liability problems
Former CEO, Pamela Ott, and CFO, Chet Beedle, were searching desperately for a surgeon in 2005, and prior to Skoegerson, brought in another surgeon who had a background that prevented him from working at the hospital as the liability would have been too great.
Somehow Skoegerson, who according to state records easily brought up in a google search, had some serious licensing issues, but he got by the liability company used by KHVD, called Beta group, and was hired on.
With these new revelations as to the past of Dr. Skoegerson, it certainly warrants an investigation and a phone call to Beta group as to their standards, and Dr. Skoegerson should be allowed to comment if he so desires. The offer is open here.
We have seen the resumes from some of the past employees, but also current in some cases as the Human resources department, the administration and the board let all of these things slip and the only excuse is denial.
There have been diploma mill education, claims to have expertise in areas that are being contracted out like strategic planning, a new program which has allowed them to school a person who needs credentials to properly hold an important administrative position, so it's no surprise that more digging is necessary.
Dr. Skoegerson and Dr. Gross
Currently, there has been word there is a potential for a lawsuit, as Dr. Skoegerson was voted out in a 3 to 2 vote.
One of those votes was cast by Dr. Robert Gross DO, who is a board member, hospitalist, and owner/operator of the Sienna Wellness Institute.
Gross, who at one time was hiring his own attorney to fight KVHD over their "handshake" agreement that the district would utilize his new business, Sienna Wellness, for specialists, and even an urgent care.
As is common with KVHD none of that happened. Dr. Gross did get his clinic, and won a board seat which was recently contended, as certain community members contacted the elections office to begin a "recall" election against the ambitious DO.
Positive report from CFO on Rural clinic
With so many numbers being crunched as the economy crumbles on top of the hospital which spent the last five years giving raises to the upper crust and paying millions as if they have it and more on registry employees, who by the way, leave, start their own business and come back, contract, such was the case with the pharmacy and it's "Gray Matter" which will soon be addressed.
This has been standard practice at KVHD, as money was spent with no concern as valley homeowners are the ones who will pay with property taxes if the hospital cannot pay off their out of control deficit. In fact, they were ready to take your money last year on Measure G rather than do the jobs they are paid more than adequately for.
How the rural health clinic somehow is making money according to CFO Chet Beedle, as the volume was down, but somehow Beedle reported they made money. He just didn't elaborate on how that happened, in fact, Beedle looked at the audience at the last meeting on July 6, 2011, showing surprise as to the amazing feat that happened.
So, with no surgeon and only a potential lawsuit, the rural health clinic sliding behind the scale as Nadler makes his departure, major changes should be expected...
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