Action Alert: Save Primary Care at St. John’s

Dr. George Randt and his colleague are board-certified internists who have had a contractual relationship with St. John Medical Center covering some 2,500 patients for several years. These two doctors have excellent records with the hospital, high patient satisfaction and retention rates, and have never had an unfavorable review.

This past month they were notified by the president of their hospital, Mr. Cliff Coker, that their contracts were being terminated because they were not sufficiently profit-driven and “volume oriented,” i.e., not seeing enough patients quickly enough.

Again, these cuts would leave 2,500 patients without their trusted primary care physician!

If you can, please join us in a rally at St. John Medical Center, 29000 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, Ohio, this Sunday, May 2, at 1:00 p.m. to call for the reinstatement of these two physicians and for the elimination of policies which are justified solely on the basis of maximizing the profits of a health care system.

Call Mr. Cliff Coker today and demand that these physicians be reinstated to their position. His office number is (440) 827-5008. He can also be reached by e-mailing cliff.coker@csauh.com. Go here for a pre-written email and form.

Dismissing these physicians without cause, merely to maximize hospital revenues, is the embodiment of the derangement of our system of health care finance. These issues would be greatly alleviated under a single-payer health financing system that places value on health outcomes, continuity of care, and quality.

Please join us in calling for the reinstatement of Dr. Randt, a longtime PNHP member, and his colleague and an end to health care practices that place the goals of profitability over the care of patients.