Letters in the Editor's Mailbag.Byline: The Register-Guard Hospital evaluating strategies Recently we participated in a series of mediated me·di·ate v. me·di·at·ed, me·di·at·ing, me·di·ates v.tr. 1. To resolve or settle (differences) by working with all the conflicting parties: conversations with representatives of PeaceHealth Oregon Region. The purpose of these meetings was to learn if there is any basis to resolve our differences with PeaceHealth short of going to court. Apparently there is not at this time. We are suing PeaceHealth to stop it from depriving members of the public of their right to choose a hospital. When a monopoly corporation uses its market dominance Market dominance is a measure of the strength of a brand, product, service, or firm, relative to competitive offerings. There is often a geographic element to the competitive landscape. to deprive de·prive v. 1. To take something from someone or something. 2. To keep from possessing or enjoying something. competitors of customers, it violates state and federal anti-trust laws. We believe strongly that a jury will agree that holding large employee groups "captive" - forcing them to pay much higher out-of-pocket expenses out-of-pocket expenses n. moneys paid directly for necessary items by a contractor, trustee, executor, administrator or any person responsible to cover expenses not detailed by agreement. to use McKenzie-Willamette Hospital - is a form of unlawful bullying Bullying Chowne, Parson Stoyle terrorizes parish; kidnaps children. [Br. Lit.: The Maid of Sker, Walsh Modern, 94–95] Claypole, Noah bully; becomes thief in Fagin’s gang. [Br. Lit. that must stop, especially when PeaceHealth already serves more than 70 percent of Lane County hospital patients. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , the McKenzie-Willamette Board of Directors is committed to doing what is necessary to continue to serve the people of our regional community. We are evaluating a variety of strategies to help ensure McKenzie-Willamette's legacy of extraordinary care continues to flourish in Lane County, and to position McKenzie-Willamette as a strong hospital competitor. We hope to share these strategies with the public as soon as possible. As a locally owned hospital, our goal is to partner with the community. We believe Lane County benefits by having more than one hospital ownership. Without the check and balance of competition, local employers have no guarantee that health insurance premiums will not continue to skyrocket sky·rock·et n. A firework that ascends high into the air where it explodes in a brilliant cascade of flares and starlike sparks. intr. & tr.v. , and patients have no guarantee that health care costs will not do the same! The goal of our lawsuit is to stop PeaceHealth from trying to eliminate competition. Many may already be able to come back to McKenzie-Willamette if their employer-paid insurance is with Providence, or with Regence BlueCross BlueShield's new DirectBlue plan, or with PacificSource's Personal Options. Those who are unsure should call the information number on their insurance card. We appreciate people's expressions of support and concern. To learn more about this lawsuit, please visit our Web site: www.mckweb.com. MAUREEN WEATHERS Chairwoman, Board of DirectorsMcKenzie-Willamette HospitalSpringfield |
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