Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton

Father's Day 2011: Boot camp for new dads at Robert Wood Johnson

HAMILTON — New dads go through many adjustments when a child is born, from changing their sleep schedule to changing their attitude — but for many, changing a diaper may be the scariest of all.

A group of dads-to-be learned all that and more this Father’s Day weekend, spending yesterday morning in the Boot Camp for New Dads, a three-hour program designed to acquaint expectant fathers with their upcoming duties. The camp was held at the Robert Wood Johnson Center for Health and Wellness and sponsored by the NJ Physicians Advisory Group.

Led by two coaches and two “veteran dads” who brought their own newborns along, a group of “rookie dads” got to see and hear what’s involved in being a father to an infant and what to expect those first few months after baby arrives.

But it was a diaper change that got the most attention, with a roomful of anxious eyes watching dad Scott Shone help his 10-week-old son, Jonah.

“You’ll be getting to do this a lot, soon — get used to it,” Shone joked, explaining the process step by step.

The men were also given a chance to hold the babies. Only a brave few took up the offer, despite the assurance of 5-month-old Will Alslev’s dad, Ted, that kids are “more durable than you think.”

After carefully cradling Will in his arms for a few minutes, Dustin Newborn, whose own newborn is due next week, explained that he wasn’t nervous about leaping into fatherhood.

“It’s more of a getting-ready-to-go-on-a-roller-coaster type feeling,” he said.

All of the emotional ups and downs of welcoming a new baby were a big part of the discussion, from fear of the unknown to what to expect from the new mom.

The men aired their doubts about being prepared and feeling adequate, compared to the feelings of the baby’s mother, who might seem to know what to do naturally.

Teamwork, coordination and communication were the key, the coaches said. Shone encouraged the group to work out major schedule changes and plans now, before actually caring for the new baby takes up most of their time.

“Exhaustion makes you say and do things you won’t expect, but with patience and tolerance, you can get through it,” Shone said, frequently smiling and cooing at his son.

The biggest message the coaches hoped to send to the group, however, is that fathers are an integral part of the family unit, and that being a good dad helps build a strong family dynamic, said coach Jamie Ott.

The Settlement and Conviction Round-Up: Friday Frequent Flier ...

It’s time for one of our periodic round-ups of legal settlements and convictions of health care organizations.  This time, we report on three frequent fliers, in chronologic order of the appearance of the relevant news stories.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton (UMDNJ)

We have written multiple times about the woes of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, which lead to a deferred prosecution agreement and operation under the watchful eye of a federal monitor for several years, and resulted in criminal convictions of a former Dean and the state legislative leader he hired.  Scroll through this for far too many details. 

Now, the redoubtable Newark Star-Ledger reports: , Justice Department officials said today.

The Mercer County hospital was accused of inflating charges to Medicare patients to obtain bigger reimbursements from the federal government.

‘Taxpayer dollars should go towards quality health care, not wasted on fraud and abuse,’ said Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.

The hospital denied wrongdoing in the settlement, said Skip Cimino, the facility’s president and CEO. ‘Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton has resolved the outstanding Medicare Reimbursement issue with the government and looks forward to continuing its service to the community,’ he said.

Note that Robert Wood Johnson Medical School is one of the two medical schools contained within UMDNJ.

Fresenius

I admit that we last discussed Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc, a for-profit provider of kidney dialysis services, a while ago, back in 2007. At that time, the company settled charges made by the US Federal Trade Commission that it had tried to restrain competition. Last week, the Tennessean reported: , named Renal Care Group Supply Co. and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc., as co-defendants. The federal government joined the whistleblower complaint more than two years ago.

Renal Care operated a shell billing company solely to submit claims on behalf of itself in violation of federal law that requires suppliers to be independent of the dialysis facilities where patients are treated , the government said. Even after employees raised concerns, Renal Care continued to operate the billing company because of the ‘illicit revenues it created,’ the suit said.