Monday, June 14, 2010
Music / Post No Bills Fred Anderson Gravely Ill
Posted by Peter Margasak on 06.14.10 at 06:02 PM
Details are very sketchy, but veteran reedist and bandleader Douglas Ewart confirms that brilliant and influential Chicago saxophonist Fred Anderson, 81, suffered a serious heart attack yesterday. He's currently in a coma in the intensive care unit at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston. I'll provide updates here as more information becomes available.
UPDATE: I just spoke with Dan Melnick, programs manager for the Jazz Institute of Chicago, who spent much of today at Saint Francis Hospital. A few things in my post were inaccurate: Anderson went to the hospital on his own yesterday, complaining of pneumonia-like symptoms. He didn't actually suffer his heart attack until this morning, while on his way to have X-rays taken. While he was very lucky to be in a hospital when he was hit with cardiac arrest, he's in a drug-induced coma and listed in stable but critical condition. More details as they arrive.
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OCR enforces the confidentiality provisions of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) and the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Rule (Patient Safety Rule). The Patient Safety Rule went into effect on January 19, 2009. The Patient Safety Act and Rule establish a voluntary system for Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) to aggregate and analyze data they receive from health care providers regarding medical errors and other patient safety events so as to improve patient safety and the provision of quality health care. To encourage provider reporting, the Patient Safety Act and Rule include Federal privilege and confidentiality protections for patient safety work product (PSWP). Information submitted to, and developed by, these PSOs is protected as PSWP.
HIPAA Privacy Rule Complaint
If you believe that a covered entity violated your (or someone else’s) health information privacy rights or committed another violation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule, you may file a HIPAA Privacy Rule Complaint with OCR.
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PSWP may identify patients, health care providers and individuals that report medical errors or other patient safety events. This PSWP is confidential and may only be disclosed in certain very limited situations. See the Patient Safety Rule for a full description of the permissible disclosures. PSWP remains protected regardless of who holds the information. For more information about the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, please review our Understanding Patient Safety Confidentiality section on our web site, or the visit the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's web site.
COMPLAINT REQUIREMENTS – Your complaint must:
Be filed in writing: sent by mail, fax or e-mail;
Name the person that is the subject of the complaint and describe the act or acts believed to be in violation of the Patient Safety Act requirement to keep PSWP confidential; and,
Be filed within 180 days of when you knew or should have known that the act complained of occurred. OCR may waive the 180-day time limit for “good cause" shown.
ANYONE CAN FILE! - Anyone can file a complaint with OCR. We recommend that you use the OCR Patient Safety Confidentiality Complaint Form and Consent Form Package. You can request a copy of this form from OCR headquarters. If you need help filing a complaint or have a question about the complaint package, please e-mail OCR at OCRMail@hhs.gov.
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Thank you for posting this information, Andy. HIPAA Privacy Rules need to be taken seriously. Knowing Fred personally, I am quite certain that he would not want his medical information posted in a blog or in a newspaper. In addition, this was posted before immediate family members were able to be contacted. If the many good people who love Fred Anderson want to help---please send cards to the Velvet Lounge---even better, attend a show-- as the Velvet will remain open while he continues to recover. We remain optimistic that Fred will pull through this latest challenge and will grace us with many more years of his talent, love, and vision.
Clay Chalupa
FYI: The HIPPA privacy rules apply to information that can be disclosed by health care providers & government agencies.
Peter is a journalist. Anything that he learns from his sources he can publish. Of course, if the source is a health care provider, then that person is liable--not Peter.
According to the post, the sources are a woodwind player and a promoter. Obviously Ewart and Melnick understood that the information regarding Fred would be published. So, please, lay off the journalist for doing his job.
Let's concentrate our thoughts & prayers on Fred and wish him a speedy recovery. Patronizing the Velvet is ALWAYS a great idea.
Of course Ewart and Melnick knew what they were doing, and everyone is capable of making mistakes. Because one can publish does not mean they should. I would note that Howard Reich and the Tribune have not published anything. It is called editorial judgement.
There is precedent about how Fred like his health to be handled publicly, which is well known. It is with understatement and discretion. Knowing him personally, he would want this situation to be handled the same way. Publishing partial news is not journalism.
What is the harm in waiting?
Sometimes being a journalist involves tact and timing. We've asked Peter for his and found none.
Many of us have asked Peter to reconsider his tact and approach. We have asked that Fred's privacy be respected. There will be time enough in the coming days/weeks/months to write about Fred, his present challenge and his recovery (we hope). We've asked for some sensitivity and understanding here and gotten none, zero, zip. Fred is fond of Peter and has done a lot for him over time. The same goes for the Reader. It would be nice if both Peter and the Reader would give Fred and his family a little bit of time, space and dignity right now and pull down this terribly invasive report from this ridiculous liveblogging format.
Andy Pierce is the only person who's complained to me about this post, and while I do respect Fred's privacy, his status is such that his illness is of interest to a great many people. Thanks to CraneKenny for pointing out that I'm doing my job. My readers generally seem glad to have the info I supply them with here.
I held only Fred's interests at heart when I commented on confidentiality and privacy ethics. I am happy to see that the most private details have been removed.
My hope is that we all move beyond this blog about what information should, could, and will be printed. Let's focus on Fred's healing-- and our own healing as a community. Support our community of musicians --and those of us who are not musicians-- but have long supported Chicago's richness of deep spirit and talent. That community includes the Reader and Peter----and it includes those of us who felt the report to be invasive. We certainly deserve to have our voices taken into consideration as we deal with our very real concern and love for Fred.
Clay Chalupa
I noticed, Peter, that you DID somewhat revise your original report & update published earlier today, & have wisely & thankfully deleted some of the other exceedingly personal, unsubstantiated, & I believe, highly indiscreet details of the medical status of our good friend, Fred Anderson. Though Fred may be an iconic & public persona...he his in fact a very dignified gentleman who has earned & deserves the utmost of respect, discretion & privacy from the press & the public. Please let's all try to be creative in ways we can help to support him during this trying time. Yes, cards, letters, contributions, or plans for some benefit performances by his numerous musical colleagues might help him greatly to defray some of what will likely be an extraordinary financial challenge for his continuing care...and, of course patronizing the Velvet Lounge in his absence would be most heartening to him...
We have appealed to writer Peter Margasak to exercise better judgment and to give Fred, his doctors and his families time to deal with the present health crisis and respond. Peter refuses to delete this blog post. As it remains posted here, it is invasive of Fred's privacy, insulting as a piece of knee-jerk/point and click/ambulance chasing gossip and not representative of Fred's current condition. It is wrong of Peter and it is disappointing of the Reader. Copyediting and civility are both gravely ill and this kind of sloppy, inconsiderate work diminishes the public's trust in this kind of media overall.
Talk to me about Neil Tesser's story on the exact same subject, Andy.
http://www.examiner.com/x-26698-Chicago-Ja…
I notice your comment there is quite a bit more restrained and civil. You don't ask Neil to delete a thing! How odd.
@Phil M. - Peter and other folks gossiping about Fred's fragile state should actually take a lesson from Neil Tesser. Neil states:
"Out of respect for Anderson and those around him – several of whom reminded me that Anderson has always been a very private person – your Chicago Jazz Examiner will wait until a substantive picture of his condition emerges before any further reports."
Exactly. "Before any further reports." Peter hasn't updated his post since Monday night. He's waiting, just like Neil is waiting, for that substantive picture to emerge. We're all hoping for the best.
It seems to me that there's no difference in the substance of what the two stories relate, at least in regards to Fred's condition. Peter's is no more "gossip" than Neil's. In fact Peter names his sources, which Neil does not. Neil's item went online the next morning, not the night of, and adds an entreaty to refrain from contacting or visiting the hospital (as well as a veiled swipe at Peter's post). Otherwise they're basically the same.
Except, I guess, that Peter isn't giving lip service to respecting Fred's privacy while at the same time reporting on his medical condition. Would that have helped?
Philip, I see that you are a Reader editor. Why would someone in your position make a juvenile comment such as "lip service." If you and your less than adequate writer Peter Margasak want to be forthright in defending your sloppy liveblog journalism, then go ahead. It is your choice. The same choice Peter had when he could have exercised better judgment. In the future, can your team refrain from capturing the candid and unauthorized comments of grief-stricken musicians and Jazz Institute of Chicago employees when a jazz legend is hospitalized? The law respects a family's right to release that information to media. This was just crass and you know it.
Hassling me for saying "lip service," Andy, after you publicly called Peter a jackass on the chi-improv listserv? Give me a break.
Peter did not "capture" anything "candid." He contacted people and asked for information, on the record. I'm sure they'd be surprised to hear that their comments were "unauthorized."
This argument is depressing me. It seems very thoroughly beside the point. The story broke on Facebook and Twitter before Peter posted anything. This blog item may in fact have helped squash rumors that Fred had passed away.
To anyone who's actually been following this: Please don't attempt to contact Fred or anyone close to him, no matter how worried you are for his health. Keep him in your heart, and I'll do the same. Let's all try to look forward to the day we can see him onstage again.
I’m sorry Andy, but you’re so out of line. These comments are nasty and personal attacks, and highly offensive.
As has been stated before, Peter was doing his job – both killing the rumors that had already been circulating and reporting this information to the people who know and love Fred.
You should focus on what is important here – Fred – rather than using this blog as a public forum for your inappropriate commentary on Peter. Peter has been a huge supporter of Fred and this community for the last 15 years. Focus on what matters, please.
To bel clear: I asked if Peter is normally a jackass or if this was new thing for him.
I really don't understand this. The general attitude "you people" have is that Fred Anderson is an under-appreciated musician. You think more people should know about who he is and the contributions he's made to Chicago music. I know you think he deserves fame and fortune far more than those pop stars you read about in People magazine BUT when Margasak goes out of his way to cover his story as if he were an important musician, a celebrity, you complain. To me that seems contradictory. Do you really want people to come to the Velvet Lounge and get hip to Fred's music and all the good music that's happening in Chicago or do you actually want to be part of a small elitist group that knows SO much more about music than the "masses"? I don't think you give a shit about supporting the music, I think you want to come off as "artsy" because you're way into obscure free jazz music. Peter's doing WAY more to contribute than "you people" are.
Friends:
I never really took notice of Peter Margasak until this shortsighted blunder. Sure, I've seen him around taking up space but no big deal. His previews were lame and he "rode the tricycle" more than he talked about the subjects. In the past couple days, I have asked around. If you work with him or if you are a fan of his writing, then you know that a majority of people connected to the music scene here consider him to be somewhat of a minor douche. They tolerate him because he writes for the Reader, which has a considerable readership. The trouble is, really, that he is your douche.
Yes, Fred is fond of Peter's attention and of the Reader's support over the years. The first thing you see when you walk in the Velvet is a permanently screwed into the wall tribute to Fred of some kind from the Reader. It's really nice. That's why it is hanging there. Maybe Fred deserved a little more patience, research and discretion from the writer. When someone has doctors working on them fighting for the life, it might do well to not click and send so quickly.
The law protects the release of such specific patient information. Releasing it without the permission of a family member, attorney or trustee is actionable. I've taken time out to call you on it. I've suggested a number of remedies. You remain stubborn in your ignorance and hackery. That leaves us all to remember who was the first, worst reporter of Fred's misfortune. I hope that he doesn't waste time reading it when he recovers.
Good riddance!
In the beliefs and religious practices of many people, knowing about a loved one's medical struggle allows them to take actions such as prayer or otherwise. At the same time, everyone who knows Baba Fred knows he's private.
So the issue is how to alert folks who'd want to know so they can help -- but without interfering with his dignity. Already many have prayed and lit candles, many have dedicated performances this week to him, many have spent more time at the Velvet than usual. I'd err on the side of bringing people to support Fred at this time.
(P.S. I suggest that people trying to fight for more respect for our elder might avoid ending comments on the subject with "good riddance." Bad energy on the topic, and worse, can easily leave a bad impression on hasty readers who don't realize to whom you're referring.)
Sending Love and Light to our Respected, Revered Community Elder Baba Fred. We love you.
Andy, you either haven't read or don't understand the law you've posted here, which is entirely irrelevant to the situation.
And as someone who's worked with Peter since 1998, I find your personal attacks petty, unfounded, and disgusting. I doubt people will look back on this and remember who was supposedly the "first, worst reporter of Fred's misfortune." They'll remember who tried to make his own warped sense of grievance the center of attention at a time when Fred needed everyone's good wishes and support.
"The law protects the release of such specific patient information. Releasing it without the permission of a family member, attorney or trustee is actionable. I've taken time out to call you on it. I've suggested a number of remedies."
Andy Pierce, are you a lawyer? I'm not, but my reading of the law suggests that PM is not a "covered entity."
Speaking as one who had heard several unsubstantiated rumors---and was asked numerous unanswerable questions---about Fred's health before Peter's post, I can attest that both Peter and The Reader provided a valuable service to Fred, his family and Fred's numerous fans worldwide by delivering an accurate, timely and sensitive account of the situation.
Aaron Cohen
Associate Editor, DownBeat
Friends:
I have attempted to explain Peter Margasak's terribly poor and monumentally insulting handling of the information that Fred Anderson has fallen very ill.
A person with the power of mass communication with just a click such as Peter should know better how to practice responsible community journalism. Saying Fred was admitted with a complaint of abdominal pains and that his conditioned worsened such that he is now in intensive care would have been one sympathetic way of handling it.
Rather, he wrote something incredibly invasive and frankly wrong. Releasing the details of a patient's diagnosis without the consent of family, a trustee or an attorney flies in the face of the rules that professional journalists follow. The persons who give a journalist that information and the hospital employees who release it may be violating the law. That's why you will read in the papers or online, for example, that someone was injured in a car crash, was admitted to St. Joe's and is listed in critical condition.
Gravely ill, out for 10 minutes, drug-induced coma, etc., etc. are invasive, graphic details that do not show up in professional media.
When one puts pen to paper, types or blogs news for a living, there are a few things you learn over time about judgment calls, decency, humanity and the careful exercise of your responsibilities. And when you are wrong, you immediately write a correction or retraction. I feel that Peter and his sources were in an unfamiliar and emotional situation that they did not have the tools or experience to handle appropriately. A Reader music critic may need more careful editing and assistance to report hard, life-changing news. Or maybe it should not be entrusted to this Reader music critic at all.
The good thing about the electronic medium is that you can wipe the slate of an ill-conceived liveblog clean and publish a better-informed report. I've asked Peter and his editors to do that. Other people close to Fred have asked Peter to do that.
He has steadfastly refused and I think we are all diminished somewhat in spirit by his poor journalism as Fred, his family and his doctors are fighting for his life.
Sincerely,
Andy Pierce
"Releasing the details of a patient's diagnosis without the consent of family, a trustee or an attorney flies in the face of the rules that professional journalists follow. The persons who give a journalist that information and the hospital employees who release it may be violating the law"
Nice to see you walking it back.
Can someone tell Andy Pierce to shut the fuck up so we can concentrate on prayers and thoughts for Fred? This is truly petty and annoying. It's unfortunate that someone is using this to draw attention away from news of the well being of a Chicago legend and as excuse for his personal attack on a reporter. He is still on and on about it. And I am sure we'll hear more of his bullshit again and again ad nauseam.
Mr. Margasak, please continue to report more on Fred's condition because we care.
The post stays up, Mr. Pierce.
It's long gone from the front pages of both the Reader's main site and the blog's music sort, and exists now in the online archives. But if you continue to comment on it, or to provoke other people to comment on it, it will stay listed prominently under "most commented." Your call.
Your approach to me and to Peter has been ugly and patronizing. Your conviction that you are in the right does not change the reality of the situation.
I'm very sorry for Fred's ill health and would like the opportunity to use the Reader's public platform to spread the word about benefit concerts or other events on his behalf. You in fact are probably in an excellent position to know about such events as they develop. But what do I hear from you? Nothing constructive. Just more insults.
If you'd like to be of some help, I'll welcome your input. You know where to reach me. Until then, good night.
After reading these comments, its clear most of you are acting like douche bags. I don't have much sympathy or regard for Mr. Margasak though. I don't know him personally but his smug, self-aggrandizing writing has always been a turn-off. When I heard him say on WBEZ that 'lots of Ethiopians are Christians because Italy invaded their country', I immediately lost any remaining respect for him. What a fool!
Mr. Spellman (such a clever handle!)--you're confusing me with someone else, as I never said any such thing.
Peter, please go back and listen to yourself on Radio M. You were playing a recent Ethiopian release and talking about how many Ethiopians are Christians. Your explanation was that Christianity spread their because Italy occupied the country. If you need me to find it in the archives, I'd be glad to. But prepare yourself for further embarassment.
I've looked for such a program in the archives, but I can't find it. My only explanation would be that host Tony Sarabia may have asked me an unexpected question about Christians in the country (admittedly, not my area of expertise, and not something I'm particularly interested in), and I may have suggested that Italy's informal colonial relationship with the country might explain it. If I mischaracterized the situation--or if I totally got it wrong--I apologize, but your comment suggests that I came on the show to make this specific point, which is absolutely not something I'd do.
It is such a shame that these comments remain due to, what? free speech?
Fred has given this city so much I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude, and this comment board is full of negativity. I checked here again today to look for an update as I just don't want to imagine Chicago without Fred's light, love and horn... and instead I find myself caught up in some egoist's headtrip against a journalist. I am grateful that Fred has been in my heart these past few days and I know others feel the same way: that because they were notified thanks to this post, they can send loving thoughts. The loving thoughts on this comment board are so few and far between it makes me want to cry. I wish all of that crap would be removed so that we could have a place to commemorate Fred's gifts to all of us and our faith that he will delight us again soon. He deserves so much better than what's happened here. I know "free speech" is important but there's no need to have hateful words on a post of something so delicate, so sacred as a man's life. I, for one, wish this would get cleaned up out of respect for Fred.
The first time I went to Velvet I felt like I had found the heart of Chicago. When I met Fred, I heard that beating heart. The jazz in Chicago changed my whole life, and I know I owe so much of that to Fred. I had the honor of interviewing him almost a decade ago, and his character resonated so deeply with me, he just really is a man of class, grace and wit. I cannot wait to see him play again. Love love love to Fred Anderson.
Thank you Kali....for the wonderful words. I can tell they are words from your heart. Bless Fred and heal him.
A fan of Fred's
I am a huge fan of Fred. I don't know him at all. I don't live in Chicago. I don't know Peter at all. I was directed to this from a friend of mine who used to live in Chicago. I was very saddened to hear of his unfortunate health and just decided to check this blog again tonight to see if there was any update on his condition. Why some of you feel the need to lambast Peter for reporting something that many people DO care about is beyond me. If it weren't for this blog I would have never known about Fred's health and would not be able to keep him in my thoughts. Keep all of your personal bullshil*t to yourself, this isn't a pissing contest. All I wanted to know was how Fred was doing and all I found out is that there are a lot of sad people who, god knows why, feel the need to attack others for incredibly petty reasons. I've never even commented on a blog until now. All I want to know is how Fred is doing?
Aaron Dodd has passed away with no press mention of his illness. Maybe if someone had written an article about it, I could have donated to his health care instead of his funeral:
http://windsongpress.x-shops.com/store/product.php?productid=16527&cat=250&page=1
Howard Reich posted this piece about Fred's illness and the future of the Velvet Lounge today. There's not much about Fred's condition except a rather grim quote from his son Eugene saying the doctors don't think he'll recover. Fred has done a lot of things in his life that seemed impossible, though, so it doesn't seem crazy to hope for one more.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen…
Austintxfan: What he said.
(For those of you who actually give a damn the funeral for Aaron is tentatively scheduled for Friday, June 25 at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Zion, IL. Aaron's family needs help to bury him. There's a fund you can contact at the hyperlink above or you could see them at the service and lend a hand.)
Aaron deserves much better than this. And so does Fred Anderson.
As for Margasak, it's not like he broke in or anything:
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/…
Just saying.
Another fan of live music in Chicago
Prayers flowing to Fred and his loved ones! May light and love surround Fred. May he heal completely!
Lynn Becker did a nice piece on Dodd.
http://arcchicago.blogspot.com/2010/06/sil…
Some of the best, most fearless, primal music I have ever witnessed was at the Velvet Lounge.
Fred is one of the most pure musicians Chicago has ever known. He always has been a powerhouse and has shown great ferocity in his playing. A gentle man with no ego. He is a muse to so many great musicians. Hopefully he will regain his health soon.
He is and always be THE MAN among men and women.
Well, I'm afraid he's dead. R.I.P.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainmen…
Anderson, a virtuoso tenorist who owned and operated the Velvet Lounge at 67 E. Cermak Rd., died Thursday, June 24, at age 81, said his sons Eugene and Michael Anderson. They declined to specify where he died.
Dear Peter Margasak and Philip Montoro:
You might consider studying the current coverage of CSO conductor Riccardo Muti's illness and leave of absence. The media reports have been respectful of his privacy and quite tactful. The writers and editors have done their jobs well without relating embarrassing details and violating his rights as a patient.
Discretion. Discretion. Discretion. Sometimes we do well to not tell everything we know or everything we've been told. Sometimes a public figure deserves your careful attention to detail. Sometimes you can take a breath before publishing something online in a liveblogging fashion that is invasive and insensitive.
Fred Anderson was very ill only once and your discretion and a higher level of professionalism would have been very much appropriate and very much appreciated. It was a chance to treat him right -- as he had always treated you and the Chicago Reader. Even though you blew it famously, you can learn from your mistakes and treat the next popular Chicago musician and/or club owner better.
You would do well to learn from the current examples of reports about maestro Muti and apologize for your insulting, amateurish hackery in the past.
Sincerely,
Andy Pierce
P.S. I am sure the book described via the link below covers in detail how one should report medical conditions in media. At $12.89 on Amazon, it is probably a really good deal.
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guid…
