August 12, 2011 | Hudson - Litchfield News - 3


The Word Around Town... Letters to our Editor


A Response to Lynne Ober’s “February Words Bring July Lawsuit”


I want to convey my appreciation to Lynne Ober for her essay regarding the hospitals’ lawsuit against the state’s funding cuts to some hospitals. It came at a time when I had just sent a letter to the President of St. Joseph Hospital, as my response to his earlier cover letter with the patient survey, for my annual physical in May; during my first year of Medicare coverage. My letter to the President of St. Joseph Hospital was in regard to a number of concerns and complaints, one of which was that after my annual physical, I received seven different and separate billings from seven different medical services and practices; all under the roof of St. Joseph Hospital. Tis is a prime example of “increasing the overhead charges to patients” for the healthcare services provided. Tose seven separate billings from seven separate healthcare providers/services, are know as “Profit Centers” in business and accounting; the more little profit centers there are, the easier it is to create more profit that is not as easy to notice or trace. In addition, those seven separate billings all come in separate envelopes


with seven separate pieces of paper and seven costs for postage; all of which gets passed on to the patients or Medicare/Medicaid or private insurance companies. Now if you add in all of the costs for all of the separate office facilities, the wages and benefits for all of the employees needed to send out seven separate billings from seven separate healthcare providers; you have an enormous waste of resources through in-efficient management practices. But those in-efficient management practices are created on purpose to give the image of “bigness, professionalism, and success.” Up until this year, a minor treatment I previously received in the office of my former general practitioner, who has been replaced, now has to be done by a separate and special healthcare service; generating another separate billing and more profit at more expense. Not only is there the added costs for all of this,


there’s also seven or so separate healthcare providers submitting seven separate billings to Medicare, that Medicare then has to evaluate and make a determination on paying; when Medicare is already overloaded with more than they can handle. It’s a classic dog and pony show that we all pay for. Hospitals are expanding everywhere, just look at Southern Medical


Center, just like schools keep getting bigger and bigger, like the Nashua School system; but the education in the schools isn’t improving greatly with bigger schools and hospital care isn’t improving with bigger hospital buildings. It’s all business and profit and who is the biggest, not who is the best with what they have. Healthcare costs and insurance premiums continue to escalate, because hospitals continue to drive the escalating prices as part of their big growth campaigns. Why do hospitals advertise on TV, as Lynne Ober points out, when like in the Nashua area; there are only two major hospitals available to us. Why do those two hospitals advertise to “increase their market share”, or any hospital have to spend limited financial resources on advertising to “increase market share” by trying to influence patients on where they will chose to go for their hospital needs? It’s like a chess game being played and we the patients, are the pawns of the Kings and Queens on the chess boards; a.k.a. Hospital Boards of Directors. I concluded my letter to the President of St. Joseph Hospital by


returning all of the seven or so separate billings with a request that they all be combined into one easy to read and understand billing, under the heading of St. Joseph Hospital. I don’t expect that the President of St. Joseph Hospital will respond favorably. I would have sent the same letter to Southern Medical Center, if it had come from them.


Jerry Gutekunst - Hudson Hudson Memorial School News


As the new school year starts, the Hudson Memorial School would like to make parents aware of some important upcoming events for the 2011-2012 school year. Guidance Tours Tuesday and Wednesday, August 16 and 17. First tour begins at 10 a.m. and second tour begins at 1 p.m. each day. Sixth Grade Orientation and Schedules


Memorial will hold an orientation night for new sixth grade students on Thursday, August 25, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Students and parents will have an opportunity to meet their teachers and administrators and find out what the expectations are for sixth grade. Schedules will be distributed to all sixth grade students on the night of orientation as well as the first day of school. On the first day of school, sixth grade students will meet in the cafeteria. Students will then move to homerooms at 7:40 a.m. and receive a copy of their schedule. First Day of School The first day of school is scheduled for Tuesday, August 30


School Hours of Operation Student Day: 7:45 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Late Bell is 7:50 a.m. Student supervision begins at 7:30 am. Please do not drop off


your student before then. Main Office Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Teacher Day: 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Pick Up/Drop off is in front parking lot only. There is no parking or stopping on Memorial Drive


Picture Day School pictures will be taken for all students on Thursday, September 1. Picture forms will be mailed to each student. Open House


Open House for all parents of HMS students will be held on


Thursday, September 8, from 6 to 8 p.m. Parents will follow their student’s schedule and will have an opportunity to meet their


Listen up


student’s teachers and learn about academic expectations. Teachers will not discuss individual student progress during this time. Parent/ Teacher conferences will be held in November. Magazine Drive


Our annual Magazine Drive will be held from September 13 through September 23. Renew your magazines subscriptions through this drive. Funds


raised through this effort help defray the cost of field trips and support various student activities that benefit all students. E-Mail Information Update


As of October 1, 2010, the Hudson Memorial School began using parent e-mail addresses for school-wide information. It is very important that we have parent e-mail addresses, as this address will be used for school to parent communication such as a tardy/absent student, progress reports, report cards, monthly newsletters, school menus, along with PTO and other information updates. We are requesting that you e-mail Anne Balevre (abalevre@sau81.org), with your name and your student’s first and last name, so that we may accurately capture your e-mail address to input into our database. All of us at Memorial are excited about the start of a new school


year and look forward to meeting with you. If you have any question or concerns, feel free to call us at 886-1240.


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