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Steward Health Care Update

Aug 17, 202439 min
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Episode description

Gov. Maura Healey has announced that deals are in place to save five of the Steward Health Care hospitals in Massachusetts with the Commonwealth seizing St. Elizabeth's by eminent domain to ensure a smooth transition of ownership. The closure of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center remains unchanged. Dan discussed.

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Transcript

Speaker 1

Days Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Condon's video.

Speaker 2

Well, the beginning earlier this week, actually on Monday night at nine o'clock, we have spoken about the Stewart Hospital clothing closing. Now, we did not touch on the subject last night. We talked about it. We spent an hour on it Monday night. We spent a couple of hours on it Tuesday night, and we spent a half an hour with Congressman Laurie Trahan of Massachusetts the congressional district. And so today a deal in principle has occurred, and I'd like to try to explain it as best I can.

I know we've heard the news reports today, but there were several hospitals that were owned by Stuart Healthcare and Stewart Healthcare, and we've talked about it this week was involved in some very interesting financial arrangements that I believe will be looked at carefully in retrospect. But basically, Stewart said that it was putting several of these facilities up

for sale. And the hospitals in question of Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton, that facility as well as the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, the Lawrence to hospitals up in the Merrimack Valley area, Holy Family Hospital in mathun Holy Family Hospital in haverl also Saint Ian's Hospital

in fall River, and Morton Hospital in Taunton. These hospitals were a part of what was called Caratas Christie which the hospitals were run by the Archdiocese of Boston, and most of them were run by the Archdiocese of Boston up into twenty ten when they sold when the Archdiocese needed cash in large part for the pre pedophile scandal, and that set in motion a set of circumstances in which these hospitals were purchased by this group called Stewart.

They stayed here based in Massachusetts for five years, and then in twenty and fifteen they stopped cooperating with the regulators and they relocated the headquarters from Boston to Dallas, Texas. And of course they did not file the information that was needed, and so it's a huge mess. It's a

huge mess. But the bottom line is that the removal of these hospitals from the medical community in Massachusetts would have a devastating impact when you realize we talked last hour with a doctor from the Chan School of Public Health and making the point that it's tough just to find a doctor, never mind a hospital. So as a consequence of everything that's gone on the last few weeks, Sat Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton will continue under the

auspices of the Boston Medical Center BMC. Boston Medical Center, which of course is in Boston's South End, used to be what we call Boston City Hospital, will also take over the Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton. So Boston Medical Center will expand Lawrence General Hospital will acquire two hospitals. They're both Holy Family Hospitals. Again, these are Catholic hospitals,

formerly Catholic hospitals. Holy Family Hospital which has a facility in Mathune and one in Havel, So Lawrence General Hospital will take over those two hospitals. Congressman Laurie Trhan was very concerned about those hospitals in her in her district. There's a third hospital in her district which unfortunately will

not will be closed unfortunately. Now, a Providence based health system called Lifespan Health System will buy Saint Anne's Hospital in Fall River and Morton Hospital in Taunton, so that health system Lifespan Health System in Rhode Island will now

have a footprint here in Massachusetts. The two hospitals that apparently are going to close because I've seen nothing to suggest anything to the contrary, Cornie Hospital in Dorchester and the Shoba Valley Medical Center in north central Massachusetts in the town of Ayr which is in Congressman Trahan's district, are slightly ac by August thirty first, because Stewart said they had failed to attract any qualified bids. This has

caused a lot of consternation. The Healthy Administration says that they have worked very hard to resolve this as best they can under the circumstances. What I would like to do is open up the calls and allow you to comment on this. It is probably as good a resolution as we could possibly hope for. But my question is a more fundamental question, and I'd like to know if you agree with me, and that is, how is it that here in Massachusetts we claim to have the greatest

medical facilities in the world. I mean, you've heard that claim. I've heard that claim made often by politicians, by business leaders, community leaders, that people come from around the world to be treated medically in Boston. How is it that we could allow here in Massachusetts all of these hospitals, these community hospitals, to fall under the control of an organization

like Stuart, which obviously has failed us. Now, whether they have failed us intentionally, or whether they have failed us because they bid off, whether they could chew and it was negligent, that's ultimately going to be determined, I assume by grand juries and district attorneys and who knows, maybe even the US Attorney. But I just want to open

up the phone lines. It's been a very interesting week to watch this evolve, and the Healey administration as of tonight basically says, yeah, we've done a good job in saving five of these hospitals, but at this point, actually six when you think about it, six of these hospitals, but two two have gone down the tubes or about to go down the tubes. Here's the phone number. We all talk about medical care. We always hear the politicians. You remember the debate over Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act

are Romney here here in Massachusetts. Frankly, I think most of us hear the debate, and I don't think we understand the debate. In my opinion, we don't understand what the implications are, and we just go along with it. I think the medical system in this country is way too confusing, way too confusing, And I'd like to hear from you. Are you satisfied with the medical system that we're dealing with here in America? We are not a

third world country, ladies and gentlemen. We need more doctors, we need better control of funding, we need more responsibility from our politicians. I don't think most of these politicians understand what's going on here. Now you might say, well, if they don't understand, who is going to understand. I think the people who understand that are the corporate people for the hospitals. Here's the number six one seven, four ten thirty, six one seven two five four ten thirty

and six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. Are you satisfied with the medical care you're receiving here in Massachusetts? As I told you, I talked with a dear friend of mine today who is anything but satisfied with the medical care she's receiving. And she's a former big time nurse, so she knows the failings of the system. But the system is doing more than just failing her it fails. Lots and lots of people. We have politicians who say, hey, come one, come on, come on into the state. It

doesn't matter. Those are people who are now sitting in our emergency rooms and are tying up emergency rooms. Let's let's hear from you. Whatever your point of view is, this is one where I think all points of view should be on the table. Let's have at it for the next hour or so. Coming up at ten o'clock, I liked, I will switch topics. I'm going to raise the possibility that it's that it's possible. I'm not saying

it's probable, but it's possible. Donald Trump could find himself in jail or running for the presidency in the final weeks of this campaign. Wouldn't that be something? And then in the eleven o'clock hour tonight, I want to know what is left on your bucket list for the summer of twenty twenty four. What do you want to accomplish this summer that you thought about, maybe you've already planned. What are you going to try to get accomplished this

summer before Oh Columbus Day weekend. Back on nightside, Let's talk hospitals. Let's talk medical care. It affects us all. It may not affect you now if you're thirty five and you're not seeing your doctor every year because you're in fine health and you go to the gym and all of that, but it all it catches up with everyone. Six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty six one seven, nine, three, one, ten thirty Coming right back on Nightside.

Speaker 3

Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World Nightside Studios on w News.

Speaker 2

We're here, all right, let's go to the phones here. We have rich in Wellesley. Tough to read that screen there, Rob, but that's okay. We got rich and Wellesley. Rich going to start us off this hour talking about the apparent resolution of well for some of the hospitals of this crisis, the Stewart healthcare crisis. Go right ahead, Rich.

Speaker 4

By Dan Good Show.

Speaker 5

Two things. I had an idea that obviously the legislature is a farce and they don't know what they're doing, and you know, if they did, this wouldn't happen. But an idea that maybe we could get some business people that would volunteer five or six of them and they would look at certain programs in this state and say, you know what, We're not going to let them buy more than three because this is whether it's Enron or

all these other corporations. They come in, they take everything out, they buy it, then they turn around and sell the best pots off and now they're going into bankruptcy. First of all, they ever should have owned all these hospitals. I was actually born at Saint Elizabeth. It was a great hospital, and all these hospitals years ago ran very well. They didn't have these problems that they do. Know, and these people that are taking them over dat crooks and they ought to go to jail.

Speaker 2

Well they may, I mean you as I understand that there's some grand juries that are looking at all of this. Certainly regulators are concerned about it. So yeah, that's that's entirely possible. What my concern is that I don't remember it being this confusing in terms of getting medical care. I obviously am in the wrong side of fifty, but the idea of you know, I don't know where we went wrong in terms of medical care. I can remember

as a little boy being sick. At one point I had scarlet fever and we had a doctor who made house calls literally, doctor Lewis bluestein Nyde Park made a house made house calls. I don't know what happened to that model, Okay, I don't. Doctors tell me, and I'd love to hear from you who are doctors on this

or oh who know doctors? Doctors tell me that that they spend too much time writing reports and filling out records every every facility that now I'm associated with, you have to go into some sort of computer to find out when your uh, when your appointments are, who you are.

Speaker 5

They have they have twice the staff now that they used to. My doctor just left New Welsey's in there twenty five years and he went to Route nine and they have like nine people on the staff for I think three doctors plus two people in billings just to run that. If you go to newt Wellsey right now, it'll take you around four hours in the emergency room. And three years ago I went to Mass General with a hot condition and I was on a gurney out in the hall for eleven hours.

Speaker 2

I've heard I've heard simil I've heard similar stories, absolutely similar stories. I have at times been in the er at Wellesley Hospital and I haven't found it to be a particularly a pleasant experience. To be really honest with you, Now, maybe those hospitals are just overwhelmed on any given night that there's too many automobile accidents or whatever. Maybe maybe they're not staffed up properly. If you heard during last hour we talked with a physician or doctor from the

chan Harvard School of Public Health. My understanding is that the organized medicine in this in this country, in the person of the A m A, basically somehow is able to prevent more medical schools from being open. Do you know how many doctors are admitted? How many physician patients are admitted at the University of Massachusetts Medical School every year?

Speaker 5

Take a guess how many are admitted.

Speaker 6

I'll say one hundred and twenty.

Speaker 5

Oh, my god, that's at one hundred and twenty.

Speaker 2

Okay, you know how much money we spend here in Massachusetts. We have a state budget of fifty eight billion dollars. We can't train more than one hundred and twenty doctors.

Speaker 5

And we've got some of the best schools in the country.

Speaker 7

Oh.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, and no, no, it's extraordinarily competitive. I can tell you that that I've known young students from Massachusetts. As a matter of fact, one student, I'm not going to identify that student. It was a brilliant student at Boston College, just top grades at Boston College. His father is a surgeon. He could not get into the U mathematical school. He could not This kid was eminently qualified, with a pedigree, a family pedigree of a dad who was a surgeon.

He ended up going to a US you know, American based hospital. But there are a lot of kids who go to these hospitals that are offshore and they're learning to become doctors, not at American facilities that they're they're learning offshore. Why are we not training more doctors.

Speaker 5

We have more foreign people coming in with money that can do things. But the real thing, dan is, just comes down to a couple of things. The hospitals in the last twenty years have been run by greed, just like the insurance companies. That's why the insurance companies started taking over the hospitals because they realized they could make a profit twenty years ago. And I've had doctors tell me this. So bottom line is it's greed and money.

And then it's as I said, they buy these places, they take out the best parts and then they turn around and they file bankruptcy and they walk away with their money. But none of these guys running these places are going to lose the millions of dollars that they've lost. Where they you know, where they go to jail. As far as New Welsey, I've been there twenty times in the last fifteen years. And up until three years ago, the emergency room was really good. The problem is you

can't get the nurses. All these places just have a nursing school was Sale had one gentleman.

Speaker 2

General, Regis College and Regions has one.

Speaker 5

Yeah, then they all have them for two years and three years and four years. Former relative went to Northeast and got her degree, you know, for four years, and there's an RN for twenty five years. But they came along a few years ago and they said to her, you've got twenty five years. We'll buy you out right now for one hundred thousand on the dot in the next five days if you want to leave, why because she's too expensive to keep and her medicals too expensive

to keep. So they hire somebody else for you know, there's three years. The other thing I don't off you realize it is we have a lot of traveling nurses to come to Massachusetts because.

Speaker 2

A bunch of aspects of this story that we're just scraping the surface here, and.

Speaker 5

I appreciate it comes down to just money. Dan, if we could get some people, as they said, volunteering and in real business sense that aren't politicians, that don't have to answer to anybody. I mean, if you heard a great man just passed. He was one of the most fantastic men I've ever met. If you had five Jack Bonnets to work in the system, the whole system would change in five years. I mean, that's the kind of quality that used to be around, that was helping a lot of you know, different.

Speaker 8

Groups.

Speaker 2

Well let's let's let's I'm up in the nine thirty news. Let us continue our conversation. But I'm hoping others will join this conversation and point out some improvements that can be made, because well, the baby boomer generation is only getting older. There's more care that's going to be needed. I'm telling you, if our system here in Massachusetts is a mess, and I'm beginning to think it's more of a mess than we realize, than than what it will bad.

Speaker 4

Dan.

Speaker 5

But if you go south. To go south, it'll be worse. But I appreciate your time.

Speaker 4

I appreciate you taking the time to call it.

Speaker 2

Rick, appreciate it very very much. Rich, thank you so much. Talk to you soon. Good night. Six seven two ten thirty, triple eight nine two nine ten thirty and six one seven nine three one ten thirty. I will tell you we will talk about this until ten o'clock. At ten o'clock we will change topics, so we're not going to

go two hours on this one. Right now, I would love to hear from as many of you who might be involved in the medical community, get your reaction to the to the angst that so many people have gone through in the last month or so with the Steward crisis, which apparently for some of these hospitals has been resolved tonight, but they're two for which there is no resolution, the Cornie Hospital and the Nashoba Valley Hospital and Air both are destined to close by the end of this month.

That's a lot of hospital space here in the state of Massachusetts. Feel free if you're a nurse, if you're a doctor, and and you want to give us some suggestions as what needs to be done. So we can avoid the next crisis. That's what I'm talking about our nightside. But coming back right after.

Speaker 1

This, you're on the night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.

Speaker 2

Some strong words there from the airtowle manager, and again it's you know, I don't want to leave this at the feet of this governor because I think this predated this governor. In fairness to this governor, but somehow, some way, we got to get ahead of these problems so people don't have to deal with these problems. Let me go next to Mark in Clinton, Massachusetts. Mark, you and next on nightside. Thanks for calling.

Speaker 8

In Yallo, Dan, how are you Mark?

Speaker 2

I'm doing fine. Thank you for joining us. Go right ahead by Yeah.

Speaker 8

Yeah, it's got a few things. First off, I actually talked to my doctor about this, and he said this was maybe a month ago, and he said, he goes, this happens not frequently, but once in a while, and he goes, what's probably gonna happen is kind of like what's already happening is they're gonna they're gonna either get bought by another company or they're gonna merge with somebody, and he goes, So, so from that from that perspective,

it's you know, I guess it'll get solved. But the course there's gonna be hospitals that close.

Speaker 2

Connie and Dorchester will apparently will close end the Shova Valley up in Air, which is not that far from you, by the way.

Speaker 8

Yeah, I know, I know exactly where that where that place is. I think I might have been there once or twice for appointments or whatnot.

Speaker 2

But from the end of August, you won't be there anymore.

Speaker 8

Go ahead, Mark, But uh, I think a major part, uh part of it too is I mean, I'm not that old, but when I when I was a kid, when you went to the doctor, there was the secretary, there was a nurse that did your vitals, and then there was your doctor. And now there's like eight levels of There's a one lady checks your temperature, one lady checks your weight. Then there's a person that you talk to in the office isn't even a nurse, he's like

a nurse's assistant. And then they got there's there's too much. You know. The way I look at it is the difference between a big corporation, like say a big box store, and a small a small store is, you know, and I've worked at both types of places, and when you work at a smaller store, you know, the chain of command is right there. Whereas you work in a big location, there's people that don't know what's going on because hey,

that's that's not my department. I don't know what's going on, and I have no al.

Speaker 2

Well, it's also runs up expenses. A lot of doctors who I've talked to. I don't say a lot, but some doctors who I've talked to, and one doctor in particularly who I know who is a great doctor. I decided after the COVID situation that there was just too much paperwork. He was a doctor in his prime. And you know, we can't be losing doctors, and we cannot with an aging and a growing population. We need more

medical students graduating here in America. We don't need doctors com I mean, look, if they're going to bring people in the country, I would prefer them be doctors and nurses. I've said that all along. But given a choice between an American trained doctor and a doctor trained from anywhere else in the world, I'll take the American trained doctor, particularly the primary care physicians.

Speaker 8

Yeah, I think my opinion with d is in these countries, and I think a lot of them are coming from India and the Philippines and maybe other Asian countries, it's cheaper. It's you know that over in some of those countries it's not a great place to work or live, but education might be cheaper. Whereas over here, you want to go to medical school, well, I don't know, it's hard

to get in. It's half a million dollars and this, that and the other thing, and so we don't make it easy to become a doctor here.

Speaker 2

Right, But what I mean is who is who is choking that pipeline. My understanding is the American Medical Association does not want to see more medical schools in the United States. And all I said, well, I just said last hour. I happen to know this for a fact. At UMass Medical School, okay, which is the state's medicals. Now, there's a medical school at Boston University, is a medical school at Harvard. I get all of that. But at the State College U Mass Medical one hundred and twenty

students in the first year class. We could we should be able to train three to four hundred students qualified students right here in Massachusetts. Why is it.

Speaker 8

I mean, obviously, like the last caller said, the bottom line, it's money. But I've also I talked to another doctor just in the past and they were telling me, and this was an older doctor who's probably been a doctor since the nineteen seventies or whatever. And he goes, back, when I started, you'd get you know, half an hour with your patient, you'd really listen to them. And he goes, Now, the insurance companies want everybody in and out and in and out, and it's kind of a it's a money factory,

you know. And so I hear you, I really hear you.

Speaker 2

And I've experienced that. I've experienced that myself. I had trouble finding a doctor a few years ago when my doctors informed me reluctantly that he had decided to give up the practice. And I called a doctor that was relatively close by, you know, not next door, around the corner, and I was told, well, I couldn't get an appointment for an interview for three or four months, you know. And I guess each of you would have decided whether or not I was acceptable as a patient.

Speaker 8

I mean, it's getting ridiculous in the sense that I've noticed and we've all experienced this. You go to the doctors, you have a ten o'clock appointment, they don't see it till eleven o'clock because they're back.

Speaker 2

Yeah, well that's true too. But the other thing is if you come here as a migrant and you have a headache, go to the emergency room. It will cost you nothing and you'll get priority treatment. That's what we're doing here now.

Speaker 8

And my thing with the timing is I think it's this is my opinion. I don't have any proof of this is I think because doctors get paid per patient from insurance companies, whether it be Mass Health or exactly,

and they can say, oh, well we're gonna help. I can really see three people in our I'll pencil in twelve and I'll make an extra thousand bucks today, So what you know, And it's just not you know, it's the way I look at how care might not be good for business, but I think healthcare is first prior. They should be taking care of the patient. It shouldn't be Look, that's how much money we can.

Speaker 2

Absolutely, Mark, I got to keep running here because they got other calls. They got to get to a great call.

Speaker 8

You have a good night and maybe next trip you go on, I'll be there with you.

Speaker 2

All right, Mike, love to have that happen, absolutely, Thank you so much. Let me go next to David in San Francisco. David next on Nightside. Maybe you got to turn that radio down. Let's put David on hold. Let's go to Chris and Chelmstitch. Chris, you're next on Nightside. Go right ahead, Chris.

Speaker 6

I hope they am a philanthropy. Philanthropist to get the starts at these hospitals that are closing.

Speaker 2

Well, well, that's pie in the sky. Chris. I mean, you know, I I don't think that there's anybody out there. I don't think that Warren Buffett is going to spend a billion dollars to educate doctors to put them in Countey Hospital or the Schouba Valley Medical Center. That's realistically what we have to do, in my opinion, is we have to have more medical schools so more kids can go through medical school and become doctors here in Massachusetts

and state in Massachusetts and stay in Massachusetts. We're a state. We're a state. Think about it. We're a state of six point eight million people and our primary medical school, state medical school. The University of Massachusetts Medical School accepts our one hundred and twenty students every year. So that means at the end of three years or four years, you're turning out one hundred and twenty interns or one hundred and twenty residents for a six point seven or

six point eight million people. That doesn't work.

Speaker 6

I agree with that. I cannot believe.

Speaker 2

That it's all true. Those numbers are true. I know the population to.

Speaker 6

His staff from her last week at where I worked, and she's going to Johnson and Wales for a medical school.

Speaker 2

Well, I thought of Johnson and Wales as a you know, as a you know, hospitality school where you learn to become a great chef and all of that. I didn't realize.

Speaker 6

Yeah, that the same thing.

Speaker 2

We gotta have. Look, kids are going I'm telling you right now, there are thousands of American kids who are learning medicine, learning medicine at at what we call offshore medical schools in places like Grada. There they are huge facilities and they're turning out great doctors. But but why are they being educated offshore? Because they don't have enough seats for them here?

Speaker 6

Good question.

Speaker 8

A very good question.

Speaker 2

That's the problem, Chris. I appreciate your call and pass my break and I gotta let you run. But thanks for picking up your phone. O evening you two, Chris. Thanks man. Six one seven two Okay, have a great one six one seven, two five four to ten thirty. Got a couple of lines open. Gonna wrap this up

at ten o'clock. We're going to go to the possibility that one of the presidential candidates, and it's not Kamala Harris, uh, one of the presidential candidates, namely namely Donald Trump, might spend the last few weeks of this presidential campaign sitting in jail. Uh. You think that's beyond the realm of possibility, think again. Six one seven, two, five four to ten thirty. Six one seven, nine three one ten thirty. This is

one of those topics that affect all of us. So if you're in the medical field and you are courageous enough to call in, I'd appreciate it. If you're someone who wants to add to the conversation, I got some room for you as well. Coming back on Nightside.

Speaker 3

Now back to Dan Way Live from the Window World, Nice Sight Studios. I'm WBZ News radio.

Speaker 2

Back, we go to the phones. Let's tried David in San Francisco again, David, we missed it before you're up at back. Go ahead, David.

Speaker 7

Oh, thanks, it's good to be missed. You know, I don't know if you've ever read the.

Speaker 2

You missed us Go ahead.

Speaker 7

I don't know if you've ever read the original Hippocratic Oath. But this has been going on for I think he was twenty four hundred years ago, and this problem no hard that long.

Speaker 2

First, for those in the audience who do not know what the Hippocratic oath, it's first, do no harm? Go ahead, David.

Speaker 7

Well, that's a part of it. And if you read the original one, Richard Nixon and John Erlickman tried to change it back.

Speaker 2

And you know what, David, David, do me a favorite if you want to. It's a political Why don't you just hang the phone up on me before we give you the plank. Let's let's talk about what's going on today with medical care in this country and what we can do to turn it around.

Speaker 7

Dan, you ever hear a bout profiteering.

Speaker 2

We've talked about that. We've talked about that. David, I'm not stupid. Go to the plank Rob, put him in the water. If one we need the plank Rob. Thank you, Thank you, Davey appreciated. Let me go next to Gerald and the cap. Gerald, he's gonna he's gonna bring up Richard Nixon and John Erlickman, who have been dead now for about fifty years. Okay, Gerald, go right ahead.

Speaker 4

Oh this is Gerald. I'm certainly not going to bring up any politics. But I actually practiced neurosurgery at UMass at Saint Vincent's Hospital in for thirty years.

Speaker 2

Thank you for thank you for doing that. Doctor right ahead.

Speaker 4

So I did not go to our state's medical school. I went to Tufts Medical School. I was a jumbo. It's great medical school. And to pay for that medical school, I went to the United States Navy and paid four years, paid paid my country back for four years, which was fantastic. And there are there are there are ways to go to medical school and and not end up owing a great deal of money. And joining the military or public health service is one great, great way.

Speaker 2

To do it.

Speaker 4

But it's very interesting listening to your your people that called in earlier, because clearly there are layers of individually individuals that you now see in the system. That's both clinically, as someone said, someone takes the blood pressure, someone takes the pulse, someone runs your list of medications and puts them in the computer, and you wonder who's paying for all these people. The other fat in the system is the administrators. There's an incredible amount of fat in the

medical administrative system. So really the people that are actually out there taking care of the patients are very limited. And also in the layer is what has happened is is you're spot on. You aren't enough doctors and for some reason, we have come to a country now where we want to have quote a lot of quote providers, and these providers go to go to go to PA school, they go to nursing school and become nurse practitioners. That's very expensive for them too. So you're spot on. They

really don't have enough medical schools. Number one and number two, they don't have enough slots in these medical schools.

Speaker 2

So so first of all, again, thank you for both your military service and your service UH and urs as a neurosurgeon. And I am always amazed the quality of the calls UH in spite of the caller who preceded you that we normally receive here on our program. So I thank you for your for your for your taking the time tonight. My question is this, I know that the that the number of slots at U Mass Medical

School is one hundred and twenty. I know that I know of a young man who end up going to University of Saint Louis Medical School Washington Medical School in Saint Louis, Missouri, which is a great medical school. There was no room for him here in Boston, I should say, at U Mass even though his dad was a surgeon here in Massachusetts.

Speaker 4

Well, Dan, that's very It's one of the most highly competitive schools in the country. Yes, for a Massachusetts applicant, because of the fact that it isn't very expensive if you are a Massachusetts residence to go to medical school at UMSS.

Speaker 2

Right. But my question, I'm going to call you a doctor even though you come up here as Gerald. My question is why have we not anticipated the shortage of doctors. You know better than I do that there are a lot of really qualified potential medical students who are going to medical schools offshore in places like Grenade or and O. You know some of the Caribbean islands and they're coming

back as well trained physicians. Don't get me wrong, but why is it that someone didn't say, hey, let's increase the enrollment not five years ago, fifteen, twenty years ago. Because we have an aging population, they're called the baby boomers. This was perfectly predictable. And now you add that the influx of migrants from other countries who are bringing medical issues in their problems to the country. The medical community is overwhelmed.

Speaker 4

I think, well, it certainly is in your totally one hundred percent correct. And another question is why you know again, people I work with a great number of pas and physicians physicians as system that is, and also a nurse practitioners. They might have been able to become mds and then they can probably do more. I see a lot of

I love working with with mid level providers. They're wonderful. However, it does create that that a little bit extra communication, and I think it does create extra cost in the system too. So so it is so there's no question that that administrators have been caught making them. They made a poor decision in the past. They aren't enough medical schools and there aren't enough people. Enough slots and not

enough people directed to medical schools. And if you know that with possible systems where there are significant regulations and costs and computer costs. So these small mum and pop places are closing down. So now you have the bigger, the bigger places that you're left with that they're challenging. I mean, if you go to UMass and you go into the emergency room, at least there was one like this when I retired. I mean they have they have slots which are called you know, hallway spots where people

are on gurneys in the hallway. I think someone was mentioned that earlier in the show, and those I started in Worcester in nineteen eighty seven. And each time they open up in emergency room, believe it or not, the emergency rooms are busting at the seams, Saint Vincent's or you masked and they open up the emernsy room and they're still busting at the seams. So and so where the medical regulators? Why aren't they allowing you mass more spots more?

Speaker 2

My question is who is who is who is turning a blind eye to the crisis. My understanding is that the AMA basically approves medical school application met. When I say medical schools to build medical schools, and they they are choking the pipeline. Do you understand that to be true? Or am I missing?

Speaker 4

I wish I knew you know. My practice was was so busy because there were enough of us to go around. I spent most of my time, most of my time seeing patients and operating.

Speaker 2

Uh doctor, thank you very much for taking your time to talking again tonight. I really do appreciate it. Okay, thank you.

Speaker 4

So pleasure talking with you. Have a good evening.

Speaker 2

Thank thank you much. Katie in Westfood, We've run out of time. If you stay there, I will take you as one call on the other side because I do want to change topics. Rob, I'll take this other call as well because I think this is important. We then can get to the will Trump end up campaigning from jail issue? Next hour back on night's out After this

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