Thursday, November 30, 2023

"Non-profit" Hospitals (see Ascension) Shift Mission from Community Service to $erving Corporate $elf.

There's an interesting op-ed in the NYTimes today on the failure of non-profit hospitals to live up to their mission required by the IRS in order to maintain their non-profit status.  

My own experience with the non-profit Ascension St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville has convinced me that their mission is focused on building a corporate empire that pays massive salaries to execs, while providing the Church with funds, perhaps, to, um, settle lawsuits?

I spent the better part of a year trying to talk with someone in billing about inflated bills that my insurance company assured me and Ascension that I did not owe. Every time I found a different number to call in hopes of getting my billing questions answered, I ended up talking to poor underpaid English language learner employee in the Phillippines.  I found out after repeated attempts that Ascension St. Thomas has entirely dismantled their billing department in the Nashville area since becoming part of the Ascension corporate chain of hospitals.

After writing numerous letters threatening legal action to stop the fake statements, the bills finally stopped.  Will they begin again?  Who knows. 

I do know that I have had my voluminous medical records moved to another medical provider with different doctors.  I regret leaving some of my old docs, but what can a person do who is trying to preserve his sanity?

1 comment:

  1. See Ascension in the second half of this post: https://wrenchinthegears.com/2019/06/19/big-brother-blockchain-babies-coded-religion-and-good-behavior/

    Also Providence, another Catholic Health System on West Coast: https://wrenchinthegears.com/2022/06/21/market-alchemy-and-illuminated-wellbeing-synthetic-pretenders-part-8/

    Blockchain identity and repressive data-analytics extend equally to health monitoring and education outcomes - value-based payment model tied to impact markets (and control of biology / consciousness): https://wrenchinthegears.com/2019/06/21/doctrine-of-discovery-redux-the-vaticans-plans-for-impact-investing/

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