Unrestrained PA. Medical Conglomerate bans sale of Post-Gazette newspaper, cancels ads in paper

[JPZenger]

Last edited Wed Jun 24, 2015, 10:19 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/pittsburgh-company-news/2015/06/24/UPMC-hospitals-ban-sale-of-Post-Gazette-from-their-gift-shops/stories/201506240066

http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2015/06/24/Covering-UPMC-The-PG-stands-by-its-reporting-and-commentary/stories/201506240070

UPMC (which has a virtual monopoly on health care in western PA) has banned the sale of the main Pittsburgh newspaper in many of its hospitals and has cancelled advertising in the paper, because of UPMC's unhappiness about press coverage in the paper and editorial cartoons.

'The Post-Gazette is edited without regard to any special interest, and our news columns are not for sale, at any price,'' said John Robinson Block, publisher of the newspaper. ''We have been here since 1786, and have as our purpose the same goal that UPMC was established for -- to serve the public's interest, not a narrow purpose.''









And the brutal war continues between the owner of most of the hospitals in western PA and the largest health insurer in western Pa. The latest battle occurred when UPMC refused to provide service to Medicare Advantage customers of Highmark.

http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/8441084-74/upmc-highmark-decree#axzz3dzNPZ7WZ

[malthaussen]

1. Given said "virtual monopoly,"

... I doubt newspaper advertising is one of their major concerns.

-- Mal

[Divernan]

12. It's all about the megalomaniacal ego of UPMC President/ CEO Jeffrey Romoff

He considers himself a god. He looks down on the world (literally & figuratively) from his top floor suite of offices in the tallest (and priciest) building in Pittsburgh. Taller than the Highmark Building for sure - Hey! Mine is longer(taller) than yours. He had a reputation as an irascible, arrogant man back in the 70's - and people like that tend to worsen with age.

So those personality types get enraged when anyone publicly ridicules them, as per the award winning political cartoonist, Rob Rogers.

[femmocrat]

2. This is a dreadful situation in western PA.

Watch out, everyone else. It could come your way.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10746867

[Curmudgeoness]

3. Every time I read about this battle,

I am shocked that it has been allowed to continue unabated. Is no one willing to step in and put their foot down?

First, there should be no ability of medical centers to also be insurers. And that applies to both sides in this battle. I hate that I have to choose between one or the other when both behave badly.

Second, when you have an organization as huge as UPMC, with an enormous profit center, there is no way that it should be able to call itself "not for profit".

It is such a silly thing for them to get their anger up toward a newspaper....if I were in a UPMC hospital, I would have someone bring me the Post Gazette just to let them know that their tactics would not work on me. I am disgusted with the trends in this country toward bowing to all these companies, at the expense of the people.

[JPZenger]

4. Is a recent consent decree

There was a recent consent decree signed that was supposed to reduce the problems. Among other provisions, UPMC and Highmark agreed to stop spending a fortune to attack each other in ads. (The local TV stations were making a fortune from that fight). However, as noted in the last link in the OP, a judge accused UPMC of already violating the new agreement.

The next step could be for the PA. Attorney General to require the replacement of some of the boardmembers of UPMC. She has that authority because they legally are considered to be a "charity." If so, she would probably try to install boardmembers who would clean house, including the CEO.

Meanwhile, UPMC tried to do a full court press with the legislature to get a constitutional amendment that would help them stay 100% tax exempt. The PA. Legislature used to be a tool of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Now it is a tool of UPMC and the frackers. The UPMC name towers over western PA. from the top of what used to be called the U.S. Steel headquarters.

[blue neen]

5. From the editorial at the above link:

"This vexing and troublesome UPMC is not a Post-Gazette creation, but that of UPMC’s $6.4 million man, Jeffrey Romoff. All a good news organization does is hold up a mirror. Some UPMC chiefs can’t bear that the reflection looks nothing like Mother Teresa. So out go those vile copies of the Post-Gazette. Not content with just Life Changing Medicine, the empire is bent on UPMC Changing Journalism."

"Sorry, Mr. Romoff. It’s not going to happen."

"For those of you visiting a loved one during a long day at a UPMC hospital, there will be no more “I’ll take a candy bar, a bottle of water and a Post-Gazette” at the gift shop."

"But that’s OK. We’ll continue doing the same kind of fair and thorough reporting and commentary that has served Western Pennsylvania for 228 years. Those gift shop customers can buy the Post-Gazette at CVS or Walgreens. Or maybe we’ll just add some news boxes near the hospitals."

[blue neen]

6. Kudos to the Post Gazette.

We should all call them tomorrow and buy subscriptions. This family will reward the PG for telling the truth about UPMC.

[JPZenger]

7. Two MORE UPMC hospitals ban the Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2015/06/25/Two-more-UPMC-hospitals-ban-sale-of-Post-Gazette/stories/201506250195

Not exactly coincidence.

"We're all powerful. You'll never be read in this town again."

[Divernan]

8. Non-profit tax status subsidizes luxury care for international patients

Yes, as UPMC advertises on its website, in addition to the for-pay medical services, it offers other FREE, yes, F-R-E-E, services to patients from around the world: UPMC Global Care offers a wide range of free services to ensure that international patients and their families receive coordinated care throughout their stay. We are committed to making your experience at UPMC as comfortable as possible.

Where has this "non-profit" come up with the funding to offer these FREE pampering services to non-Pennsylvania, non-USA citizens? From it's tax-free status, obviously. Not to mention the funding necessary to build multiple medical centers in:

China: Pathology consults and health care collaboration
Ireland: Cancer center
Italy: Transplantation, radiotherapy, and biotechnology centers
Japan: Education in primary care and family medicine
Kazakhstan: Oncology center consults
Singapore: Transplantation and clinical management
United Kingdom: Information technology and cancer care

http://www.upmc.com/Services/neurosurgery/patient-services/Pages/a-world-of-patients.aspx
​Neurosurgical International Patients
UPMC provides world-class medical care for patients from across the United States and around the world. Patients from five continents have traveled to UPMC in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for world-class neurosurgical care.

UPMC’s surgeons have pioneered and refined techniques that allow them to care for patients with an array of tumors, lesions, and other neurological conditions of the brain and spine.
We have treated thousands of international patients from:
Argentina,Australia, Bahrain, Barbados, Bolivia,Canada,Chile,China,Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador,France, Greece,Guatemala,India, Ireland, Israel,Italy,Jordan,Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico,Netherlands,Oman,Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru, Philippines,Poland,
Portugal,Qatar,Saudi Arabia, Singapore,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Syria,Trinidad, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Venezuela & Yemen.
​
Global Care Services: UPMC Global Care offers a wide range of free services to ensure that international patients and their families receive coordinated care throughout their stay. We are committed to making your experience at UPMC as comfortable as possible.

Prior to your journey to the United States, a Global Care representative will be assigned as your contact. Your Hospitality Care Manager will work closely with you to assist with any housing, transportation, administrative, translation, religious, or cultural concerns.

Global Care Services Include:

Hospitality Services
Visa Assistance
Transportation Coordination
High-Quality Care from Expert Clinicians
Discharge Planning and Follow-up

For information and assistance, please contact UPMC Global Care at:

Phone: [phone]
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[JPZenger]

9. Strange

There have been many news reports of Americans flying to Asia to get affordable medical care. Some people also travel overseas if they need large amounts of dental work. There are some hospitals in other countries that cater towards Americans.

I can understand a US hospital providing some free care to serious injured war refugees, etc. I also have seen some US universities opening up branches in rich Middle Eastern countries to cash in on their name. I can maybe understand a US hospital catering towards really rich foreigners who want better care than they can receive in their home country.

However, this UPMC approach seems really strange. Why would UPMC want to run facilities in Kazackstan?

[Divernan]

10. Lots of oil money, for one thing. UPMC follows the $$$$.

Kazakhstan has the largest and strongest performing economy in Central Asia. Supported by rising oil output and prices, Kazakhstan’s economy grew at an average of 8% per year over the past decade.[59] Kazakhstan was the first former Soviet Republic to repay all of its debt to the International Monetary Fund, 7 years ahead of schedule.[60]

Buoyed by high world crude oil prices, GDP growth figures were between 8.9% and 13.5% from 2000 to 2007 before decreasing to 1–3% in 2008 and 2009, and then rising again from 2010.[61] Other major exports of Kazakhstan include wheat, textiles, and livestock. Kazakhstan predicted that it would become a leading exporter of uranium by 2010, which has indeed come true.[62][63]

Kazakhstan’s economy grew by 4.6% in 2014.[64]

I met an Italian chef in San Pedro, Belize who ran what I would consider a 5 star restaurant - except San Pedro is too laid back to worry much about stars. He had been paid what he described as a fortune to run an Italian restaurant in a luxury hotel for foreign businessmen in Kazakhstan's capitol (Astana?). But he hated the weather and loved to scuba dive in Belize on vacation, so decided to stay there and opened an ocean front restaurant. So great to sit outdoors under the palm trees and see the moonlight on the ocean. One happy man, and the food was sublime.

[JPZenger]

11. From UPMC's global website.

I'm not an expert in health care, but these international facilities are new to me for a US hospital chain.

"Ireland

UPMC Whitfield Cancer Centre addresses the need for radiation therapy services in the Southeast region, offering equal access to state-of-the-art treatment and imaging services for public and private patients.

Italy

UPMC's Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione (ISMETT) in Palermo, Sicily, is a leading organ transplant center in Italy and the Mediterranean. UPMC has maintained a strong presence in Italy for more than 10 years, and recently opened one of the region's only stereotactic radiosurgery centers in Rome, the UPMC San Pietro FBF Advanced Radiotherapy Center.

Singapore

UPMC has a collaboration with the Asian American Medical Group (AAMG) in Singapore, which operates Asia’s first private Comprehensive Transplant Centre (CTC), to share its medical expertise and technological innovation (such as second opinion pathology). Currently the CTC comprises the Asian American Liver Centre and Asian American Blood & Marrow Transplant Centre."