Uneblievable! I really hope there is more to this story.

Apparently, the executives at OHSU consider OHSU to be their own private piggy bank.

When these sad sacks limo down to Salem next month and start angling for more tax dollars, our wonderful legislators had better tell them what the girls used to tell me in high school: I don't do that.

Despite what the girls said they didn't do, it turns out they did.

Sadly, so will our Legislature.

In the words of Clayton Williams, we might as well just lay back and enjoy it.

So these payouts were approved by the board. That seems like a good place to express one's feelings about the whole thing.

"We can't pay what the private companies pay for malpractice--we're a state organization!"

"We HAVE to pay bonuses to the execs--it's what the marketplace expects!"

Can't have it both ways, guys.

So these payouts were approved by the board. That seems like a good place to express one's feelings about the whole thing.

Mr. Charles Wilhoite, also of the PDC board, is the brains behind this move.

cawilhoite@willamette.com

Incentives/one-time payments. Effective immediately, incentive plans and one-time payments will be subject to tight executive review and approval. This does not affect clinical staff with productivity-driven compensation.

"...clinical staff with productivity-driven compensation?" You mean, get them in, get them out as fast as possible? Nice to see that OHSU is about quality care. No compensation for providing good medical care.

I wonder how fast a patient gets pushed out the door if they have money.

I have never, ever, received a bonus working as a public employee. I'm thinking my employer should change to a semi-private non-profit so I can get one. But only if they promise to give me my bonus no matter how many other people they have to lay off or how bad the budget is.

I think OHSU management is responsible for global warming, since this kind of behavior has a strong gravitational pull toward Hell.

If you notice steam rising off of Pill Hill, it's just the rage of the employees evaporating the urine that's been sprayed all over them by the upper management.

This is why I tell people that if they have a choice, go elsewhere. But, because these attitudes filter down into the impressionable minds of health care students they are 'teaching', it tends to permeate the entire field.

Why do you think health care costs keep spiralling up?

This is all George Bush's fault.

I guess I can cross these guys off my list of people to care about if and when they lose their jobs. It will do a lot to reduce my compassion fatigue.

On the Liars show yesterday he said that the OHSU staff parties had been cut this year because of the economic hard times.

The point was also made that in their last fiscal year to June, OHSU lost $30 mio.

As we are now seeing everywhere, when it comes to high exec remuneration, a financial loss doesn't seem to be at odds with continuing "bonus" payments being made.

There is a lot more stuff going on at OHSU than this. There is a near open rebellion from the docs in the clinics (not the med students, interns, or residents, but the attendings) that OHSU is turning into a factory with more and more pushes into high volume, high productivity. Moreover, OHSU wants the clinics to cut their fees to attract more paying customers. So the management can get bonuses while the doctors' incomes get cut by lower reimbursements. Unfortunately, this seems to be the common MO in most medical practices that are hospital affiliated these days. Management isn't suffering, but the people doing the work are. Expect to start seeing some serious turnover of docs at OHSU. There is a real shortage of primary care docs out there. The pipeline has nowhere near enough students to replace the clump of boomer docs getting to retirement age. Young docs coming out of residencies are getting their pick of jobs, and OHSU isn't one of the places they're choosing. It will become harder and harder to get to see a primary care doc at OHSU in the coming couple of years.