Because We Care: An Open Letter from NECT Doctors to the Governor and Legislators

The following letter was devised and signed by more than 60 physicians and clinicians in our community in an effort to make their voices heard on the issue of repeated cuts to hospital funding. The letter, which was personally delivered to Governor Malloy and key members of the legislature on April 27, 2016, shares their unique and important perspective regarding what the consequences are likely to be if any further cuts are made. Since the letter was originally written, the hospital funding promised for this current fiscal year was restored. We are extremely grateful for the efforts of our local legislators and others who helped to make that happen. It is our hope that the receipt of these letters will provide further insight and conviction for legislators to hold strong to those efforts and to a commitment to protect the health and well-being of the communities we all serve during this critical time in the budgeting process.

Dr. John Graham, Chief Medical Officer and VP, Medical Affairs and Quality
Robert Smanik, President and CEO

 

Cuts Creating a Hostile Environment for Healthcare

An Open Letter from Physicians in Northeast Connecticut

 

As medical professionals we understand the ultimate impact of cuts to healthcare funding better than anyone; we are the ones who must literally look it in the face. Now, as our state withholds all further funding from hospitals this year on top of a 50% tax increase and the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the nation, we feel it our professional responsibility to speak out in an effort to ensure that the public, our governor and our legislators truly understand the impact of these actions as well.

If funding is not restored now, and unless adequate funding and reimbursement are made a priority by our state’s leaders in the future, these will be the effects:

• Access to healthcare for everyone, but especially for those most in need, will be significantly decreased.
  Physicians and hospitals cannot provide care to anyone if they can’t afford to keep their doors open. With Medicaid reimbursing in some cases less than half of what it costs to provide care, physicians will have no choice but to limit the number of Medicaid patients they can see or risk the financial stability of their entire practice. Hospitals may be forced to eliminate some services altogether just to stay afloat.
• An already existing shortage of physicians will be made even worse.
  Given the choice between turning patients away in order to remain financially solvent or taking their practice out of state where reimbursement rates are more manageable, some physicians may choose to leave. Attracting new physicians is difficult for the same reasons. The end result will be fewer physicians at a time when there is already a shortage in many specialties.
• Healthcare costs for everyone - including the state - will continue to increase.
  As access to medical care for those served by Medicaid is decreased, those patients could be forced to allow chronic conditions to go untreated, eventually seeking care for a much worsened condition at the emergency department.
  
  The worsened condition and the high-tech, 24/7 environment of care that’s necessary in an E.D. will come at a significantly increased cost. Those costs will come back to the state in the form of Medicaid claims and will also increase the cost of care for those with private insurance. The Day Kimball Healthcare system has been recognized numerous times for providing low-cost, high-quality care, helping to save the state substantial Medicaid dollars over the long-term. Denying promised funding this year will only cost our state that much more in subsequent years to come.

As physicians we are called upon to care for our patients in sickness and in health. We are committed to providing the best possible care to everyone who places their care in our hands and we are dedicated to working together to support and improve the overall health and wellbeing of the communities we serve. 

These are significant and serious responsibilities to which we have dedicated our lives and upon which others’ lives depend. We will continue to fulfill these responsibilities to the best of our ability. But that ability is increasingly being limited by the penny-wise, pound-foolish approach our state is taking to healthcare, to the detriment of us all. 

That is the impact of these continuous cuts. We are struggling to provide care in an environment that is hostile to providers of healthcare at every turn. 

On behalf of our patients and the communities we serve, we ask our governor, our legislators and our state to act immediately to stop the cuts and save healthcare in Northeast Connecticut.

Signed,

Anne Amberg, CNM, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Michael E. Baum, MD, General Surgery, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Angela Boisseau, NNP/BC, APRN, Neonatology, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Joseph Botta, MD, Geriatrics, Joseph Botta MD and Associates, Putnam
William M. Bradbury, MD, Cardiology, Northeast Connecticut Cardiology Associates, Putnam
Catherine M. Breen, MD, MPH, Dermatopathologist, University Pathology, LLC at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
W. Murray Buttner, MD, Family Practice, Quiet Corner Family Practice, Pomfret
Debra Campbell, DO, Assistant Director, Emergency Medicine, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Marc Cerrone, MD, Director, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Christopher Charon, MD, Otolaryngology, Charon Sinus Center/ENT Associates of Worcester, Putnam
Garfield W. Danenhower, MD, Pediatrician, Retired, Putnam
Marguerite Davis, MD, Family Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Danielson
Sarah De Asis, MD, Psychiatry, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Gail Dickinson, MD, Internal Medicine/Chief of Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group Hospitalists, Putnam
Michael H. Ellsworth, MD, Orthopedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Associates of NE CT, Putnam
Raja Fattaleh, MD, Family Practice, Priority Family Healthcare, Putnam
Emily Ferguson, MD, Family Medicine, Private Practice, Putnam
R. J. Franzino, MD, General Surgery, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
John N. Graham, MD, Chief Medical Officer and VP, Medical Affairs and Quality, Day Kimball Healthcare, Putnam
Andrea Gutierrez, DO, Family Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Danielson
Michael J. Hallisey, MD, Vascular/Interventional Radiology, Jefferson Radiology, Hartford
William K. Johnson, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Anne Josephs, MD, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Erica Kesselman, MD, Gynecology, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Ron Klare, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Woodstock
Annette Jakubisin Konicki, PhD, APRN, BC, FNP, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Lacey Luneua, PA, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Lynda Mary Lombardi, APRN, MSN, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Plainfield
Andrew Mackenzie, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine/Chair, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Krista Matsen, MD, FAAP, Department Chair, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Paul J. Matty, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Dayville
R. David McCallum, MD, General Surgery, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Robert Moes, MD, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Timothy Monahan, MD, Dermatology, Day Kimball Medical Group, Danielson
Majaz Moonis, MD, Director, Primary Stroke Center and Sleep Disorder Center, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Daniel W. O’Neill, MD, Family Practice, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Anal C. Patel, MD, Radiology, Jefferson Radiology, Hartford
Christopher Payette, DPM, PT, Orthosports Foot Care & Surgery, Putnam
Elena Poloukhine, MD, Medical Director, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Suzanne Powell, MD, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Steven T. Raheb, MD, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Ellen Salurand, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Woodstock
Steven D. Schimmel, MD, PHD, Anesthesiology, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Catherine Shafts, DO, Family Practice, Generations Family Health Center, Danielson
Sanchita Sharma, MD, Hospitalist, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Gerald B. Sullivan, MD, Family Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Ana M. Hernandez Silen, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Susan Small, APRN, Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Richard D. Smith, MD, Pediatrics, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Ahmed Soliman, MD – Chief of Anesthesia, Sheridan Health Corp. at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
P. Subakeesan, MD, Pulmonary Medicine/Sleep Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Sara Tischer, DO, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Dayville
Sabitha Vignesh, MD, Internal Medicine/Hospitalist, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Deborah Vuillemot, APRN, CNM, OB/GYN, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Lee Wesler, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Dayville
Steven Wexler, MD, National Medical Director, NES Health and Medical Director, Emergency Department at Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Richard Jay Wilcon, MD, Internal Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Plainfield
David Wilterdink, MD, Family Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Danielson
Kristen Baum Xeller, MD, Family Medicine, Day Kimball Medical Group, Putnam
Gengsheng Yu, MD, Pathology, University Pathologists, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam
Donglin Zhang, MD, Hospitalist, Day Kimball Hospital, Putnam