FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2008 Contact: Julie Perry RN
816.665.4746
[email protected]
HCA Watchdog Website Launched
KANSAS CITY, MO--A new watchdog website, HCAWatch.com, has been launched to monitor the operations of HCA, Inc. the largest and most profitable hospital corporation in the world. It is the first hospital website to undertake this function.
The site focuses on the performance of HCA’s 169 hospitals around the U.S., specifically as to patient satisfaction, nurse to patient ratios, and other indicators used to gage a hospital’s quality of care.
The website scrutinizes another key area-- healthcare fraud. HCA, Inc. has had the dubious distinction of pleading to fraud charges and paying $1.7 B, the largest settlement in the annals of federal government fraud investigations. More HCA fraud cases are still on trial and being monitored by HCAWatch.
John Schilling, a former HCA accountant and whistleblower whose information led the government to launch their investigation,f said:
"Transparency in hospital operations is vital to our community's safety and well-being. I applaud and encourage any effort in which ordinary citizens stand up and take a close look at hospital corporate operations--to shine the light on major concerns such as patient safety and fraud. HCAWatch should be a valuable tool toward this objective."
HCAWatch also presents stories by HCA nurses to improve nurse to patient ratios and community support for these efforts.
HCAWatch is a project of HCA Watch is a project of AFT Healthcare Midwest, which is solely responsible for its content. AFT Healthcare Midwest is a project of AFT Healthcare, a division of the American Federation of Teachers. AFT's Healthcare division represents union members who work at HCA-owned hospitals and are part of over 70,000 AFT healthcare division members in 18 states and territories.
The entire AFT comprises more than 3,000 local affiliates nationwide, 43 state affiliates, and more than 1.4 million members.
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