To the Editor:

Mesa View Regional Hospital is nothing more than an urgent care center. Today, July 5th 2015 on a busy holiday weekend it is staffed with only a Chiropractor (D.O.) and no Cardiologist is available. Mesquite is a Senior Citizen retirement community and also draws older tourists for the Casino & Golf businesses. Mesa View has NO CONTRACT WITH DIXIE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER, the closest and highest quality full service hospital in area.
Utah’s Life Flight emergency air transport was the 7th air medical service in the United States and the 1st in Utah to be CAMTS accredited and is the only civilian air transport service in the nation certified by the FAA to conduct hoist/rescue operations. Yet Mesa View does not contract with them either. A patient needing immediate cardiac care or surgery for trauma will be transported to Rose Dominican Hospital via their medical air transport. St. Rose Dominican is FURTHER AWAY and also a low ranking hospital according to Medicare & JACHO evaluators.
These are examples of predatory healthcare system that was designed to control the patient’s RIGHT TO CHOOSE THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. Even when a Mesquite resident’s primary care MD and specialists are in St. George and connected with Dixie Regional Medical Center, all their Medical Records and family, friends and spiritual advisers are in St. George, UT – Mesa View denies them air transport to the best provider to deliver seamless care and ships them to Las Vegas Rose Dominican AGAINST THEIR CHOICE AND WILL. Why – FOLLOW THE $$$$$. I believe this practice & system is a clear VIOLATION OF TITLE 42 and HIPPA Regulations, and the system was willfully & deliberately designed this way. Mesa View Administration REFUSES to discuss or correct the situation by contracting with St. George UT healthcare providers, even though Dixie Regional is geographically the closest full service Medical Center.
SHAME ON MESA VIEW HOSPITAL AND THEIR FOR-PROFIT PREDATORY HEALTHCARE PRACTICES.

Denise Stoneman

Mesquite