Thanks for your prompt response. As you no doubt have guessed I am in a state of high dudgeon myself. No, the Flagstaff Medical Center is a privately owned, or should I say corporately owned, citadel which dominates the medical care of our growing town of about 50,000. A medical cabal within the community owns and operates "The Big House." My friend was told that he couldn't have hot water because he was on the third floor. His private physician demanded that he be brought down a floor so he could have a shower after my friend's wife and I announced that we were moving him to the VA hospital in Prescott before he began to supurate. I don't mean to sound hysteric about this but in the last 10 years I have seen two friends die of mysterious, undiagnosed infections in beds in the place after minor surgeries. I've stayed on the 20th floor of hotels and had no trouble with hot water. Basically, it is a grossly underpaid staff and a grossly greedy management team which has resulted in a situation where the accounting department calls the shots. Frankly, if I were sick, I would rather lie out in the city park and receive the ministrations of the winos. I know of at least a couple of competent physicians who have resigned their privileges over too many incidents like this at this hospital.
I'm very sorry to hear of the state of affairs there. It seems to be a severely mismanaged place, but as you have indicated there are better places nearby and you have the option of getting better care, something that our British Friends may not have available if they only have access to NHS services.
I'm sure that if you were to relate your story to healthcare workers at other hospitals they would tell you that the incidents you experienced are not representative of State or Federal standards and are not what any hospital in the United States would consider a "Cadillac Facility".
That's the difference....the standards related in this article are to be the NATIONAL STANDARDS for Great Britain's National Health Service.