It’s no secret that cancer treatment is big business, that MD Anderson in Houston is the field’s 800-pound gorilla in Texas, and that Baylor’s just-opened Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center is aimed partly at keeping patient bucks out of H-Town and right here in Dallas.
So it was interesting to see Baylor take a shot at Anderson right out of the chute, disclosing that Sammons had decided to offer free valet parking to disabled (including radiation oncology) patients instead of charging them $15, the standard valet fare. A story in the Morning News (sorry; it’s paywall-protected) said Baylor had modeled the $15 rate after the price at Anderson, but quickly switched gears “to do the right thing” … after a lymphoma patient complained to the paper.
So, in the name of equal time and fair competition, we decided to ask MD Anderson about its policy on valet parking for its sickest or disabled patients.
All patients and visitors to the Houston hospital pay $15 per day for valet parking, a spokeswoman replied. But for patients who need help, Anderson has “wheelchairs and transportation attendants stationed at the valet drop-offs … to help patients get in and out of their cars and into the buildings safely,” she went on.
“For those who wish to self-park, there is ample handicapped parking available in two adjacent garages. In addition, for patients who are getting daily radiation treatment, there is a small covered parking lot for two-hour parking,” the spokeswoman continued. “Patients getting radiation treatments may park in the lot, but they must have their names on a list to insure enough parking throughout the day.”
If scores in the Texas cancer-hospital scrap were being kept, I’d say based on the valet-parking-PR matter it’s now Baylor/Sammons 1, Anderson 0.
Of course, the game’s just started.
