ALTRU expansion

[dmksioux]

It appears as though the new "Doctors Hospital" didn't last too long. Altru has announced a major renovation and expansion for it's company.

http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/229758/

[PeterBrady]

Too bad. I think a 2nd hospital would have been competition and thats good...but you have to say Altru was really smart to write the check for WHATEVER to maintain the monopoly. Hello I'm PeterBrady btw

new here

hi

[Redneksioux]

Yeah back to square one with one choice in grand forks:/ what happpens to the nurses that were pushed out altru's doors when they gave notice to leave for the doctor's hospital?

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

Yeah back to square one with one choice in grand forks:/ what happpens to the nurses that were pushed out altru's doors when they gave notice to leave for the doctor's hospital?

From what I have heard, Altru is ruthless in their treatment of employees who don't show 100% loyalty. I hate Altru and will drive to Fargo in a second for medical care.

[wsdSIOUXfalls]

Yeah back to square one with one choice in grand forks:/ what happpens to the nurses that were pushed out altru's doors when they gave notice to leave for the doctor's hospital?

I'd think this could be a good PR opportunity if Altru were willing to hire back employees that left just trying to get a job that paid a bit more to help support their families. If someone was a good employee while at Altru, or if they were someone Altru would have hired in any other circumstance, why not give them a break and give them fair consideration for the new positions opening up!

[Cratter]

I noticed a Sanford helicopter outside Altru. Before Altru had the partnership with Mayo, my premature nephew got flown to mayo. I am wondering if people get flown to Fargo?

[82SiouxGuy]

I noticed a Sanford helicopter outside Altru. Before Altru had the partnership with Mayo, my premature nephew got flown to mayo. I am wondering if people get flown to Fargo?

The short answer is yes. I don't think it happens a lot. Sanford has some specialties and expertise that Altru doesn't, and patients that need immediate care in those specialties can be flown to Sanford or to the Twin Cities depending on the needs of the patient.

[yzerman19]

I believe Sanford has a higher level NICU and trauma center, so very sick newborn babies and traumatic injuries will be stabilized in GF and then transported to either Fargo, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis-St. Paul, or Rochester.

While competition is generally a good thing, competition in healthcare generally increases costs in a number of ways. Hospitals for example have extraordinary fixed costs, when you duplicate those fixed costs by adding another facility, but you split the patient population between the facilities, you need more per patient in order for both to break even. Medicare payments are fixed, so the result is hospitals approaching insurance companies demanding greater reimbursement per unit in order to cover costs- the ensuing negotiation drives up the cost of health insurance, as 85% of your healthcare premium dollar in ND is a pass-through that is paid to hospitals, clinics, etc. Additionally, Medicare has something called the sole community provider rule, which helps subsidize single hospitals in communities to ensure their economic viability. Adding a second hospital to GF would've ended that status and effectively pulled many millions of federal dollars out of GF and shipped them to some other state.

In many states, including MN, moratoriums on hospitals exist to prevent this increase in cost from occurring, MN lifted it for Maple Grove hospital to be built just a couple years ago as a result of tremendous population growth.

Not for profit status does not mean charity. It simply means no stockholders and a mission that is something other than maximizing shareholder value. Healthcare jobs have always been some of the best out there- don't hate on people for working that.

One big positive for Altru is that its leadership are all permanent fixtures, embedded in the community. That can not be said for many healthcare provider systems.

[82SiouxGuy]

I believe Sanford has a higher level NICU and trauma center, so very sick newborn babies and traumatic injuries will be stabilized in GF and then transported to either Fargo, Sioux Falls, Minneapolis-St. Paul, or Rochester.

While competition is generally a good thing, competition in healthcare generally increases costs in a number of ways. Hospitals for example have extraordinary fixed costs, when you duplicate those fixed costs by adding another facility, but you split the patient population between the facilities, you need more per patient in order for both to break even. Medicare payments are fixed, so the result is hospitals approaching insurance companies demanding greater reimbursement per unit in order to cover costs- the ensuing negotiation drives up the cost of health insurance, as 85% of your healthcare premium dollar in ND is a pass-through that is paid to hospitals, clinics, etc. Additionally, Medicare has something called the sole community provider rule, which helps subsidize single hospitals in communities to ensure their economic viability. Adding a second hospital to GF would've ended that status and effectively pulled many millions of federal dollars out of GF and shipped them to some other state.

In many states, including MN, moratoriums on hospitals exist to prevent this increase in cost from occurring, MN lifted it for Maple Grove hospital to be built just a couple years ago as a result of tremendous population growth.

Not for profit status does not mean charity. It simply means no stockholders and a mission that is something other than maximizing shareholder value. Healthcare jobs have always been some of the best out there- don't hate on people for working that.

One big positive for Altru is that its leadership are all permanent fixtures, embedded in the community. That can not be said for many healthcare provider systems.

I got a tour of the Altru NICU last week. They have been slowly upgrading the unit, it has been one of their points of emphasis. They are about 1 level below Sanford right now. That keeps the vast majority of newborns in town rather than making their families travel so much. There are still a few very serious cases that are sent to Fargo and the Twin Cities. It's amazing what they can do right now for babies, even those born very prematurely.