It's every hospital's nightmare -- a front-page story about being fined over a patient's death. The Sentinel reported the finding by the state Department of Public Health in its edition today, leaving the hospital to explain what happened and how it happened.
We all have high expectations of our hospitals. Any lapse in treatment is a serious matter -- and it doesn't matter how many patients you help or how many lives you save -- an error is not going to be forgiven.
According to the Sentinel, Dominican hasn't decided whether to appeal the ruling by the health department. But Mike Lee, a spokesman for the hospital, issued a statement saying, "Dominican Hospital would like to express our deepest regrets for the incident."
That's a good response, but what's missing from the hospital's reaction is any direct comment from the hospital's president, Nanett Mickiewicz. At a time like this, it's really up to the top person in any organization to step out front and make a statement to the community. It's unfair to Mike Lee, who works in the public information department, to take the load on his shoulders.
Running any organization has its crisis moments. That's when any CEO demonstrates leadership. The community wanted to hear from the top person at the hospital -- not the poor guy who works in the PR department.
