MedStar Adresses Slow Response Times

Mr Eades said they are pleased with the support they have gotten from the men and women of MedStar.

I want to make it clear I do not support this mandatory overtime. I acknowledge that MedStar just gave an across the board raise to most of the employees. I thank them for that, but I would gladly return the approximately $1.00 an hour raise to not have to work 48 hours one week and 60 hours the next. The $1/hr is not enough to justify the time away from my kids.

I will work the mandatory overtime because it is mandatory. By the way, mandatory means I do not have a choice in the matter. It means I work those extra shifts, or I get fired.

MedStar tried for almost a year to lure employees into extra overtime by offering monetary bonuses for extra shifts ranging from $150 to $250 depending on time of day and day of week. This failed to get all the shifts covered, and now the mandatory overtime shifts do not come with a bonus. How can Jack Eades say the men and women of MedStar support this policy if only 40% of the employees picked up extra shifts when they were optional and with a significant bonus?

Just more spin by MedStar upper management.

Check this one out too:

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/la...

Another bandaid put on a gushing wound!!! I understand Mr. Eades has fired the Director of Operations Mr. Brunner. Another victim to the "pick a fall guy" upper management of MedStar. When is the board going see the daylight. Multiple contractors have failed, now MedStar running itself has failed. What is the common thread to all of these failures? Mr. Eades perhaps?

there will not be better response times till the public is better educated concerning the proper use of 911. It is not your personal taxi. It shouldnt be used for prescription runs because your dumb ass didnt get your meds filled. shouldnt be used so that certain individuals can go somewhere to get a smoke or some change from a nurse. It shouldnt be used when the local homeless population cant get their lazy ass in the shelters and decide they are cold or hungry so they need a ride to the county er for food and shelter. Any comments?

May 2008 we started with a priority one call for my adult son and was later moved to a priority three. It took ambulance 21 minutes from the time dispatch was issued to arrive while my son lay on the grass in very little shade with possible heat stroke. SHAME SHAME ON THE CITY AND MEDSTAR FOR NOT PROVIDING EXCELLENT SERVICE. DO NOT EXPECT THAT MEDSTAR SHOULD BE REWARDED WITH MORE MONEY BECAUSE THEY ARE WHINING THEY CAN'T FULFILL THEIR CONTRACT. WHY SHOULD MEDICS BE REQUIRED TO WORK MANDATORY O.T. WHEN WE ALL KNOW THE LIKELY HOOD OF ERRORS ARE GREATER, HOW DUMB! City Council FIX THE DAMN PROBLEM! A $1500 BILL FOR A RIDE TO THE HOSPITAL IS ABSERD!

just me wrote:

there will not be better response times till the public is better educated concerning the proper use of 911. It is not your personal taxi. It shouldnt be used for prescription runs because your dumb **** didnt get your meds filled. shouldnt be used so that certain individuals can go somewhere to get a smoke or some change from a nurse. It shouldnt be used when the local homeless population cant get their lazy **** in the shelters and decide they are cold or hungry so they need a ride to the county er for food and shelter. Any comments?

So if Med Star is getting tons of nonsense calls, no bill them. Don't transport! Tell them to call a taxi and let Medicaid pay for it! If not, those bums can walk to JPS! This would alleviate the calls so that MedStar can focus on the REAL calls.

Germaphobe Wannabe wrote:

<quoted text>medics are not qualified to make that call thats why we have doctors.
I do see your point and frustration, ehich is justifeied.

Paramedics in Dallas used to(still do) make those calls.

my husband is a retired paramedic. these ambulance companies have a hard time keeping good employees for one they don't pay crap. two, they work them to death. after working over 20 years in the profession and only making $16 an hour in the DFW area is a crying shame. and then on your few hours off having to go take continuing ed classes to keep your license. not to mention, working sometimes 36 hours straight with no sleep and sometimes no time to eat. there is always praise galore for the firemen and police, which both make more money, but little is ever said for ems. and I'm not cutting down fire and police at all, but ems should be equal!