Your Community. Your Business.
At Bluewater Health it is take a number and wait
"I'm on it".
And that's a good thing.
Sue Denomy, president and CEO of Bluewater Health says she will resolve the issue of wait times at the blood clinic in her new $400 million hospital. The problem arose after I waited 80 minutes to have my blood taken.
My doctor wanted same day service after the viscosity of my blood went out wack and most of the private clinics in Sarnia do not offer same day service.
Bluewater Health does but my doctor's assistant failed to warn me that I would have to bring a newspaper, a coffee, breakfast and be prepared to camp out most of the morning.
While I spend my week on the road, Fridays I work at the printing plant meeting clients and suppliers. And on this particular Friday I had arranged to meet a magazine publisher from Oakville for an 11 am plant tour.
I got up at 7, had a shave and shower and headed out thinking I had plenty of time. I wandered over to Tim Horton's where I got a coffee for myself and the staff at the doctor's office. Once there the discussion centred on my blood problem and the private clinic downstairs.
The decision was I would head over to Bluewater Health, which is steps away and my doctor would have the results that afternoon so medication adjustments could be made for the weekend.
My friend Joel on Sanibel Island had a similar problem last February. He had stroke and his life has changed dramatically.
My doctor is trying to avoid a similar fate for me.
Which brings me to Sue's hospital and Sue's blood clinic.
I arrived just before nine. Took ticket number 75 and headed to check in. I handed the young lady my health card, which led to a discussion about Dalton McGuinty, the Ministry Health and the fact I have a very old health card. It is still good but it is old, much like its owner.
The young clerk said, "You need to get that replaced". I asked if the card was still good and she agreed that it was.
So, what's the problem?
I'm sure Dalton will tell me when he wants it replaced.
I took a seat in Sue's very crowded waiting room and waited. I read three very old magazines that Sue had left for me and waited.
I waited and waited.
Have you noticed there is a recurring theme here?
The fellow next to me looked to be in his seventies. Like me he had been waiting and wasn't pleased. "For $400 million you'd think there would be better service" is how he started the conversation.
He went on to his triple heart bypass, (no I didn't want to see the scar), lousy hospital food, wait loss, (my ears perked up) and what to hell is taking so long to extract blood.
A former neighbour showed up. He owns the largest Canadian Tire in Windsor. We discussed the economy, his fancy new car, the upcoming forced retirement of Dalton McGuinty, and how we could do a better job running Sue's blood clinic.
It's a bureaucracy, not a business but it is a bureaucracy that needs to be run like a business.
"Now serving number 98" the automated announcer announced. What we quickly discovered was the announcer and blood extraction are two different things. The announcer announcing the number calls outpatients to the counter to present their health card and after that the wait is long and tedious. .
By now I had waited 40 minutes and most the chairs in the waiting room had been taken. We were heading for standing room only.
My customer had called twice to confirm I would be at the printing plant for the 11 o'clock meeting. It had been arranged for a week, his drive was two and a half hours and he was anxious not to waste his time or mine.
By now I was getting anxious.
I had been waiting an hour when the announcer announced "now serving customer 112".
The gap between serving and actually serving the customer was widening.
An elderly lady popped out from nowhere with a sign informing the us that the wait was no longer 30 to 45 minutes but an hour to an hour and a half.
After waiting 75 minutes I called my doctor's office from the lobby of Sue's blood clinic. I told his assistant I couldn't wait much longer. Not being retired, actually owning a business, doing business and having a $4.5 million payroll means I have little time to sit around watching a dysfunctional bureaucracy be dysfunctional.
Eighty minutes and my name was called.
Relief.
I complained to the nurse extracting blood. She explained that Bluewater Health is a critical care facility and isn't in the business of providing lab services to outpatients. She added that all doctors have known about this for two years and the hospital has been encouraging outpatients to use private labs.
I told her my doctor sent me in for same day service. He apparently doesn't want me falling down and becoming a critical care patient.
I suggested that way I would likely get better service.
She wasn't amused.
On the way out I complained to Sue's employee Liz Kenny. Two hours later Sue called at the printing plant. She reiterated the discussion I had with the nurse.
I suggested she attend at the blood clinic, watch and then do something about it.
Making elderly people wait up to an hour and a half to have their blood taken is just wrong.
If the hospital is an acute care facility and the blood clinic isn't for outpatients make it clear. Establish a date, notify the public and set a deadline forcing outpatients to use private clinics.
Don't make people, all of them financial contributors to the hospital wait up to 90 minutes because it is a bureaucracy that should be run like a business. Businesses look after their employees who look after their customers who look after their profits.
Based on my experience that isn't happening at Bluewater Health.
Sue, the president and CEO is paid more than $300,000.00 a year to run the place. For that kind of coin she needs to be on top of her business.
I suggest she take a number and wait.
I suspect she will only do that once.
September, 2010
Be seen in Sarnia-Lambton's premier business publication!
For advertising or editorial information, contact Holly Mayea.
519-490-4373 | Email