UPDATED: Evergreen Hospital and Medical Center today added the latest generation of the da Vinci Surgical System, a robot-assisted surgery platform. At this time Evergreen is the only Eastside hospital equipped for da Vinci surgery. The technology costs ~$1,750,000.According to Sherry Grindeland, Evergreen Communications and Media official:
Annual maintenance and ~ $200,000 initial training are extra. Does the technology save resources? $9,000/ valve replacement. Find out more here. Advantages & Disadvantages?
How do we pay for this technology? According to an Evergreen Hospital executive, sick people and insurance companies pay for most of the growth of the hospital. Taxpayers pay a rate of $.24/thousand of assessed property in 2009. An average home of $500,000 in 2009 was taxed $120.
Watch Da Vinci hospital ribbon cutting ceremony video.
by Bob Yoder
"using the robot-assisted system, surgeons can perform more precise surgeries in shorter time with less pain and blood loss. The minimally invasive incision (about the size of a penny or a dime) means patients recover faster and have reduced risk of complications. The experienced surgeons at Evergreen plan to use this important technology to treat prostate and gynecological cancers and to perform urology, gynecology and general surgery." (Watch manufacturer videos here).Opinion: How much does the equipment cost? A da Vinci Surgical System costs approximately $1,750,000 for the new da Vinci SI released in April 2009.
Annual maintenance and ~ $200,000 initial training are extra. Does the technology save resources? $9,000/ valve replacement. Find out more here. Advantages & Disadvantages?
How do we pay for this technology? According to an Evergreen Hospital executive, sick people and insurance companies pay for most of the growth of the hospital. Taxpayers pay a rate of $.24/thousand of assessed property in 2009. An average home of $500,000 in 2009 was taxed $120.
Watch Da Vinci hospital ribbon cutting ceremony video.
by Bob Yoder
The Evergreen Hospital District Commissioneers aren't afraid to take what is rightfully theirs. Each Commissioner is paid $104/per full or partial day.
ReplyDeleteAs for executive pay, according to Laurene Burton, Evergreen's Public Disclosure Act Officer, CEO Brown was paid in 2008 a salary of $558,578,40 and Incentive Bonus of $261,149.61. Retirement benefits can be huge. I'm requesting them.
Mr. Brown's hospital 2008 budget is ~$490M vs. the $384M budget for Dr. Kimball's LWSD. Brown's salary and benefits are ~4X higher than the CEO's of LWSD and the City of Redmond. Why so much?? Not being an elected official helps. Lots of lawyers around to back him doesn't hurt. It's got to be those insuurance companies again! Cities and School Districts don't count on that cash cow!!!
Of our three local government's which CEO has the most public scrutiny? MAYOR MARCHIONE, the lowest paid. Which CEO has the least public scrutiny? EVERGREEN CEO BROWN, the highest paid.
RE public participation and scrutiny - it's a tight ship. Evergreen Hospital's Board of Director's meetings are not video taped or audio taped and meeting packets (with Minutes)weren't available at the meeting I attended. Public Records Request Forms are not available online or from the hospital. The Evergreen website posts rudimentary monthly balance sheet information and scant governance guidelines; no code. They hold their budget close to their vest. I've been waiting weeks for a copy.
Finally, Evergreen's website levy data report is flawed. One is lead to believe the average, 2009 assessed home in the District is $300K).
I hope some Readers and their friends will watch-over their governments by attending board meetings, "back-room" public meetings and viewing web-site videos; and especially writing Letters to local newspapers and sharing news with your neighbors.