- Slow down, sister. - I need to speed up.
Rachel woke up early with a fever
and she's been terrorizing me all morning.
I'm already late.
Sorry, stakeout went longer than I thought.
- Have you ever been to a rave? - Good-bye.
You're already late and Rachel's sick.
Neither of which can be solved by you leaving right this second.
The entire hospital is depending on a proposal I've yet to finish
and need to present at 8:30.
It's 7:30.
It's 7:37.
I'll have you on the road in 10 min.
You don't want to go into your meeting all tight
and stressed out, do you?
That's yours.
- It's House. - Ignore it.
It says "emergency page".
I said ignore it.
Sweet.
I'm sorry. It's hard to pace yourself
when you've been thinking about it for ten hours straight.
That's great.
Now I'm late, stressed out,
and frustrated.
Sorry. If you give me a minute, I can...
It'll wait.
You can do it.
Do what?
R[H]ésus AB+ Team
La Fabrique ::.
ShalimarFox
Arrow
Benj
mpm
- I thought you were coming in at 7:30. - Rachel woke up with a fever
and then I... just couldn't get here any sooner.
- There's a problem in the pharmacy. - Hey, boss lady!
You don't answer emergency pages anymore?
Tell them all I'll be by as soon as I can and tell him
I assumed it was either about the wolf again
or the procedure I refused to approve yesterday.
Turned out it wasn't a resistant staph,
but I still say that if it had been, infecting him with malaria...
- Seriously, I don't have time for this. - You're lying.
- I have a meeting in 20 minutes. - Not talking about your meeting.
- I'm talking about the phone call. - I don't care.
I was with your boy toy on a stakeout last night.
You were with Lucas?
He needed someone who could diagnose a soft injury from across the street.
Apparently he doesn't know any good doctors.
Or the ones he does know actually have lives outside of work.
Things got a little slow,
so we made some wagers.
One being whether I could get you to stop
the miscegenation
with an emergency page.
- What made you think... - He said you do it every morning.
- Everybody lies. Remember? - So you weren't actually...
Good-bye, House.
I'm gonna need a definitive answer before any money changes hands.
Sorry to interrupt, but the GRC called about the budgets,
The pharmacy is still waiting, and your 8:30 just arrived on campus.
He should be here in ten minutes.
Figured this would be the one day he comes early.
Can you proofread this for me?
- When are you gonna find an assistant? - Not today. Thank you.
I'll be back in five.
We're usually fine with two C.S. reps,
but I want a few extra hands today just in case.
And have I.T. recheck the network.
I don't want to hear later that the new lines
can only dial out or the computer crashed.
- What's going on? - Nothing.
Just make sure you're ready if people start calling.
You wanted to see me?
Yeah, I wanted to let you know there's a problem with one of the orders
that came in last night.
Which is?
They sent double the amount of meds we ordered.
- Did you call and ask why? - They insist it's not a mistake.
- So fax them the original P.O. - That's what I was planning on doing,
but I can't find it. Actually, I can't find any of them.
Oscar, I don't have time to straighten out your paperwork.
- Where's Stan? - He doesn't get in till 9:00
and it's not my paperwork.
It's Gail's paperwork, she's out sick today.
Put it on her desk and let her figure it out when she comes back.
All right, but it's not my problem if...
Not today, okay?
Was it the whole shipment or just one med?
- It's just one. - Vicodin?
No, 25 milligram ephedrine tablets.
Call Gail. Tell her I want to see her in my office ASAP.
But she's sick.
This place is full of sick people. Just get her in here.
Dr. Cuddy, your 8:30 is waiting in your office.
Now.
I got to make a quick trip upstairs.
Can you get the guy a cup of coffee? I'll be right back.
I've gotten you coffee before.
What's wrong?
It's freezing in here. I can hardly feel my fingers.
Please tell me you didn't send a 911 page
- to tell me the heater's broken. - It's not broken.
House bribed the physical plant to turn on the AC
so I'd hurry up.
- So hurry up. - This man's abdomen is wide open.
- His core temp is down to 95. - Fine.
I will deal with it.
You better or I'm gonna file...
I don't care what he told you. Turn it back up now.
- Thought you had an important meeting. - You're an idiot.
What are you gonna do the next time your patients needs a liver transplant?
Go talk to Wilson about something completely unrelated
and see what happens.
Mystery infection guy is now covered in boils
and has an abscess big enough to put your fist in.
He needs to get into an O.R. tout suite.
Hourani will be done soon.
Good. I'll have some hot chocolate waiting.
Marina, hey.
How's she doing?
She vomited?
Give her some more ibuprofen and put her in the bath for a bit.
Call me in a half an hour if it doesn't go down.
Sorry, I have another call.
Just call me in a half an hour either way.
What's up?
Tell him I'm halfway there.
He's the one who insisted on the early meeting.
All right, I'm coming.
Morning, Eli.
- Sorry about the wait. - It's all right.
I hear you got a sick kid.
Yeah, I know what that's like. Or I should say my wife does.
So you guys ready to give some ground so we can make this deal?
- Why would we do that? - We've been going at this for 8 months.
- Soon as you decide to get reasonable. - I'm the one that's unreasonable?
You've taken weeks to respond to every proposal I've presented.
Atlanticnet insurance is the largest healthcare provider in New Jersey,
and you're not the only hospital whose contracts are up.
So is your team ready to come back to the table?
We're not going to.
Our final offer.
We're willing to go with a capitated structure,
But we need at least 12% increase in reimbursements across the board.
The good news is I can give you a quick response.
Not a chance.
But as always, nice talking to you.
Say hi to your sister for me.
If you don't accept the offer, we're gonna terminate the contract.
Gonna be hard to keep this place open If all your patients have to pay cash.
Princeton Plainsboro is the smallest hospital in our entire network.
- We're also the best. - Doesn't matter.
We are responsible for covering 13 million people.
We don't have enough cash to buy them all Maseratis.
I know what you paid Bergen,
Newark Beth Israel, Robert Wood Johnson...
'Cause they have leverage.
You can be expensive or small, but you can't be both.
I've engaged Jones/Curtin to handle the P.R.,
and I'm prepared to make the announcement at 3:00 p.m. today.
First lesson every good poker player learns is don't get emotional.
You don't have the cards. And the sooner you realize that,
the sooner a reasonable contract will get signed.
You have until 3:00 p.m. to change your mind.
I always did like your style.
Gonna be sad to see you go.
They're waiting for you in the conference room.
Thanks.
Take this up to the call center
and tell Claudia to give one to each C.S. rep
and to start going over the answers to each question.
Under no circumstances is any of this info to go outside here.
The scripts are numbered, I want a list of every person she gives one to.
Got it. Anything else?
If you really wanted to make a deal, you should have ditched the push-up
and gone with a demi.
Nothing makes a guy wanna close like high beams.
- You heard? - Your meeting with the weasel
lasted less than five minutes,
which means you either agreed to a completely sensible
30-day extension
or one of you issued a completely ridiculous ultimatum.
Oh, goody. You or him?
Me.
- Way to go, boss. - You just said it was ridiculous.
Ridiculous to make. Fun to watch.
As long as it's not just a bluff. Please tell me it's not a bluff.
It is not a bluff, and it is not ridiculous.
Just because we're not some huge...
Mr. Pluta started hallucinating before we could put him under.
His B.P. is plummeting. Elevated heart rate.
- Looks like congestive heart failure. - Interesting.
I don't care how interesting it is. You are not infecting him with malaria.
Since when is malaria a cure for heart failure?
It's not.
It's not congestive heart failure.
It's gotta be...
Just got off the phone with Hourani.
Sorry, Dave. I don't really have time...
Think I had time to listen to him go for 20 min
- about the temperature in the O.R.? - I took care of it.
It's not an "it". It's a "him" you need to take care of.
You got the entire staff catering to House's every whim,
and I can't get approval to hire a replacement for the surgeon
he stole from my department?
A doctor I only took on because of pressure from you.
So you didn't want Chase, but you're pissed you can't have him?
You want to convene a search committee and look for a new chief of surgery?
Then you better stop spending all your time putting out his fires
and start doing your damn job.
There a problem with Dr. Thomas?
No, just refereeing a dispute about the O.R.
We don't yet have a contract with Atlanticnet.
We gave you an extra week
and you assured us you'd have a deal by today.
We could have a deal, just not the deal we deserve.
So what do you want, approval for an extension?
We've been at this for eight months. Extension isn't gonna change anything.
- So what's your plan? - I presented a final offer.
I told them that we would agree to a capitated structure
if they increase reimbursements by 12%.
A final offer? What does that mean?
If they don't accept it by 3:00, we're gonna terminate.
Are you out of your mind?
If we don't accept Atlanticnet insurance,
we'll lose 80% of our patients.
- We'd be lucky to last three months. - We're not asking
for anything they can't afford.
Their last offer was a 4% increase,
and you're demanding 12.
They're paying even more at some places.
Units that have lower ratings than ours.
- In a perfect world, that would matter. - Sanford, they're all about growth.
They know they don't get new customers by marketing themselves as the biggest.
They do it by claiming they're the best,
and they can't do that if their patients can't come to us.
What was Morgan's reaction when you told him?
He didn't give in, but he will.
I told him I'd make the announcement at 3:00.
He'll call back before then.
They need us.
- We need them. - We need each other.
The negotiation is your responsibility.
So we can't stop you if this is what you want to do.
But just so we're clear,
if we don't have a contract with Atlanticnet,
you're not gonna have a contract with us.
Guess who didn't show up for clinic duty?
Don't tell me.
The guy with all the boils needs a liver transplant.
His doctor needs a nap. You want me to try to find him?
- You really need him? - I need someone.
I have cancer.
- Why do you think you have cancer? - I don't think I have cancer.
I know I have cancer.
I had surgery to remove a malignant polyp
in my colon six months ago.
And now it's spread to my liver and lymph nodes.
So you're under the care of an oncologist?
He won't give me the prescription I need.
Do you need more painkillers?
I need breast milk.
Human breast milk?
It has cancer-fighting qualities.
In newborns, it's been shown to reduce future risk.
No, in adults with cancer too.
I've read studies.
Look...
I know a place where I can buy it.
I need a prescription to get reimbursed by my insurance company.
They said they'd reimburse the cost of breast milk as a cancer treatment?
They reimburse prescriptions.
If you write me a prescription, they have to pay.
Well, actually, they have a choice.
What are you, some type of shill for the insurance company?
I've been paying premiums for 30 years,
and I've never been sick in my life till this happened.
Now I can't work.
I got no money.
You wanna help them screw me over?
- I'm not. - Then give me the script.
- It won't help. - Will it hurt me?
Okay, so it won't harm me
and it won't harm you,
- It's this company... - This is not about that.
Then give me the damn script!
I'm sick.
I need help.
I need something.
I'm sorry.
Bitch.
Anyone call?
The ER. They said the vascular who's on call doesn't have privileges.
Then why is he on call?
Dowd's at a conference, got him to fill in.
Be nice if he got somebody who can work here.
Call Ereshefsky.
Ereshefsky? She's not gonna do it.
- She owes me a favor. - Still...
All right.
There's a guy in your office. A lawyer.
- In my office? - Didn't wanna sit around sick people.
I tried to stop him.
- I'm Dr. Lisa Cuddy. - Ronald Westbrook.
Thanks for taking the time to meet me.
Hard to avoid since you're in my office.
Sorry about that, I just got over a wicked cold...
How can I help you?
I represent Martin Acevedo.
He's filed a suit against PPH
and Dr. Robert Chase for performing surgery without consent.
I saw that, I also saw the consent forms. They were all signed.
Yes, but my client was assured
the procedure would be a few minor sutures.
Wait.
Your client cut his thumb off with a table saw, right?
And Dr. Chase reattached it?
He didn't want it reattached?
No, he most certainly did not.
His insurance only covered 60% of inpatient expenses.
- So he agreed to the cheapest option. - What did you tell him?
I said I'd sew up the skin over the exposed bone.
Then I put him under, got his thumb from the paramedics, and reattached it.
Is he gonna tell the judge I harmed him
by reattaching a vital digit?
He and the insurance company are suing to get out of paying the bill.
It's over $80,000.
It was his thumb.
I couldn't let him toss it in the trash to save a few bucks.
The pharm tech who called in sick is here.
She's in your office.
He barely even looks at me anymore.
We haven't had sex in months.
You don't need pills to lose weight.
There are healthier ways, legal ways.
You don't understand how hard it is.
Ever since our second child, no matter what I do.
I just wanted to lose ten more pounds and then stop.
I'm sorry.
Forging pharmaceutical orders...
- Stealing... - Don't fire me, Dr. Cuddy.
Please, I'm begging you.
If Sam finds out, he'll divorce me for sure, and my kids...
I will never do it again, I swear. Just give me a second chance.
I won't report the theft to the DEA.
But I have to fire you.
Just take a few minutes to compose yourself,
Then go down to HR and they'll give you your last check.
I've been a perfect employee for seven years.
I know, but this is too big.
I'm sorry.
How's it going?
Got three hours to save this place from bankruptcy,
I fired one of my best employees,
and the woman taking care of my child isn't returning my calls.
Rachel's gonna be fine, I'm sure whoever he or she is deserved it,
and we're not going bankrupt.
- Are we? - Don't worry.
The board will fire me before that happens.
They'd never fire you.
I just told Atlanticnet insurance I'd terminate
unless they gave us a 12% bump.
They might fire you.
Marina, it's me.
I haven't heard back from you, call me as soon as you can.
You try Lucas?
He's either sleeping or avoiding me.
- You in a fight? - Not yet, but we're gonna be.
What should I do about Atlanticnet?
You're asking a guy who paid full sticker price for his last car.
You ask House?
He's a manipulator who always gets what he wants.
This situation is out of control enough already.
House is the last person I want to get involved.
Get out of my chair.
And the answer is no.
You ever noticed how many porn sites have "mom" in the domain name?
Hot moms, hungry moms, mature moms.
That ought to make you feel pretty good.
What do you want?
Looks like boils, altered mental status,
and heart failure was called by renal cell carcinoma.
I need your signature to treat him with malaria.
- Don't worry, I'm giving him chemo too. - What is your obsession with malaria?
Trying to play my part cutting costs.
Malaria is the simplest, cheapest method of delivering hypothermia.
The only money you care about...
You bet someone you could use malaria as a diagnostic tool?
- That doesn't sound like me. - Forget it.
Let me see if I've got this straight.
A bet that puts one patient at minor risk is juvenile?
And irresponsible and dangerous.
But going all-in against Atlanticnet...
Is not a bet.
That is a carefully considered negotiating position.
I'm gonna put this in your inbox.
Hope it doesn't get lost
Underneath all the other stuff you're carefully considering.
Take a look at these schedules.
- Let me know if you see any conflicts. - Got it.
Ereshefsky actually did come in.
You catch her leaving a sponge in a guy?
- Wasn't a medical mistake. - What was it?
Can't tell you now. She came in.
Have you audited the ephedrine orders yet?
Why? She confessed.
- I will. - Today.
- He's cussing you out in there now. - As long as he does it.
- What a bitch. - What are you doing here?
You were gonna be too busy for lunch.
So my specialty, spinach lasagna.
Didn't come looking for more people you could brag about our sex life too?
From now on, I got nothing but bad things to say about that.
Or nothing to say.
What's going on with Marina? She hasn't called me.
She was gonna call. I told her I'd let you know everything was okay.
So her fever broke?
What exactly does that mean, when a fever breaks?
I'm very busy. Does she have a fever or not?
That was gonna be your lunch? And you didn't have breakfast either.
No, she doesn't have a fever,
and the rash was a diaper rash.
- She has a rash? - Little one.
Lisa, don't worry, I'm telling you.
I must've grabbed Marina's cell by mistake.
And I turned the ringer off on the home phone
so I could sleep.
- What are you doing to me? - Your deal's not done.
Not yet.
How about I take a quick look into the guy in charge of the negotiations?
Or better yet, the CEO.
If I get some dirt, you can use it as leverage.
There's no time.
How do you even find these guys?
You should have seen his face.
I thought he was gonna have a coronary in the tee box.
Excuse me, you're Keith Tannenbaum, CEO of Atlanticnet insurance, right?
- That's me. How can I help you? - I think we can help each other.
I am Dr. Lisa Cuddy, dean of medicine at Princeton Plainsboro.
- How are you? - I'm a little unhappy.
You're aware our contract with your company is up this week?
We have a negotiating team that's working all that out.
Princeton Plainsboro has the highest-rated ER in the state,
the most advanced ICU,
and the most innovative diagnostic medicine department
in the country.
Good to know.
- Now if you don't mind... - While Atlanticnet insurance
has a marketing budget that's more than our pediatric ICUs
and transplant units combined.
Your PGA sponsorship could pay for our walk-in clinic,
and the money spent on your jets could fund our air ambulance service
- for the next three years. - Your point being?
Your growth may be good for your bottom line,
but ours saves lives.
And I would rather not have to announce to the press
how selective your company appears to be when it comes to cutting costs.
Morgan was right.
You are tough.
You can portray me as a rich bastard in the press all you want.
Just as long as I stay rich.
- Stan is looking for you. - Busy.
He said it's urgent.
I don't understand how it's possible. I've checked it twice.
- How much? - Ten cases.
- Ten cases? - Going back three years.
What have you been doing? You're supposed to be managing.
The paperwork I signed was correct.
She must have altered the orders afterwards.
Didn't you ever cross-check it with the bills that came in?
I delegated it.
To whom?
Gail.
She seemed perfectly trustworthy. How was I supposed to know?
- By doing your job. - Sorry.
- Have you notified the DEA? - The DEA?
Geez, Stan. Hello!
You don't steal $50,000 worth of pills because you want to lose weight.
She's supplying a meth lab. Just get her back in here.
- All right. - Now.
You ever want a job, trust me. He'll double what you're making here.
Take it he liked my proposal.
Enough to tell me to get my ass back over here today.
Here.
He's willing to go to 8%.
- Eight? - We were at four.
Your board's gonna think you walk on water.
I want 12.
You're not gonna get 12.
- There's just no way. - 8% barely covers our cost inflation.
Capitated structure should allow you to hold down inflation.
And shifts all your risk onto us, which is why we deserve 12.
Lisa, come on. The guy who mows my lawn makes more than my kid's teacher.
The two guys whose lunch you interrupted could get fired,
and their severance would be more than most of their employees make.
It doesn't have anything to do with what you deserve.
This is it.
Take it or leave it.
What are you doing?
Know any good transplant surgeons?
Turns out his kidneys aren't the only thing failing.
And I know what you're thinking.
Malaria wouldn't destroy his liver that fast,
especially since we never infected him.
- I thought... - Foreman thinks
that he has the authority to overrule me because the FDA wouldn't approve.
Don't worry. I'll deal with him. If you could just talk to Hourani...
What would you do?
If you paged me during sex?
About the contract with Atlanticnet.
I got them to come up to 8%, but we should get at least 12.
It's all numbers. Do the math
and nothing else.
It's not about my pride. It's about the principle.
They're trying to screw us over because we're small.
- They're supposed to do. - They should be pressuring
other hospitals to be more like us, not trying to make us more like them.
It's stupid.
Putting your job on the line in an effort to stamp out stupidity isn't?
You would.
Probably.
But then I also wanted to try to cure cancer
by infecting a guy with malaria to win a $50 bet.
You really want to be like me?
As you know, for the past eight months,
we've been trying to renegotiate our contract with Atlanticnet insurance.
It's been a difficult process, but I wanted to let you all know,
before we made the formal announcement that as of 5:00 p.m. today,
our contract with Atlanticnet will be terminated.
We've doubled the number of customer service representatives
in our call center.
Current patients will still be allowed to remain in our care for 30 days,
but starting tomorrow, we will no longer
be accepting patients with Atlanticnet health insurance.
Why weren't we told about this sooner?
Come on, Marina. Pick up the phone.
I'm busy.
- We found a liver match. - All right.
Get him prepped. I'll straighten things out with Hourani.
Hourani's not the problem. House is.
Now he wants Chase to do the surgery.
To prove to Hourani he doesn't need him?
To prove to Thomas that Chase was his department's best surgeon.
- What does Chase want to do? - He wants to do the surgery.
- And you don't want him? - I don't care who does it.
- What's the problem? - To get our patient into the O.R.,
we've to get him on surgery schedule. To do that, we need someone
to put him there who neither House nor Thomas can overrule.
What?
- Would you rather I go back on Vicodin? - She's not massaging your leg.
She will... Eventually.
Why am I the only person here who cares what happens to this hospital?
Get off your ass and get your department under control.
At least for the next few days.
Gonna take longer than a few days for a company
of the size of Atlanticnet
to start feeling the squeeze of your P.R. campaign.
- If they ever do. - And you know this how?
From all the time you've spent researching them and their contracts?
- How they handle their press relations? - I know they have a nascar team.
Despite what you may have learned at Hebrew school or from Jimmy Cliff,
sometimes the bigger they are,
the harder they kick your ass.
I'm not trying to be greedy.
But he's also not interested in being forced into a medical bankruptcy.
Mr. Acevedo, I am sorry you're having financial difficulties.
But because of us, you still have a thumb.
I assume that's something a carpenter might need.
I assume you didn't ask for this meeting so you could lecture my client.
You have insurance.
But by filing this suit,
you've caused us to get paid nothing by them either.
- That's not our problem. - Actually it is, since he's responsible
for any expense we're not reimbursed.
But if you drop this suit and make it clear that Dr. Chase
was acting in your best interest when he reattached your thumb,
- we'll be able to resubmit the claim. - And you'll cover his deductible,
attorney's fees, and 50 grand for pain and suffering?
Actually, I was thinking more like we'd cover half his deductible,
which means you'd only owe $16,000.
You want him to pay you?
Do you have any idea how much it costs?
How many years it takes to train someone in microsurgery?
We gave you back your life.
You can still work. You can button your own shirt,
- hold a fork. - Martin, let's go.
I'm sorry. I know I should pay.
But,
I just can't.
I still cannot work.
I'm already underwater on my house. And I have two kids with braces.
You think you'd be in better shape without a thumb?
Right now...
Financially?
I would be.
Well, so would we.
But when you came in, we didn't think about that, we just took care of you.
Made sure we did whatever you needed to get well.
Yeah, right, all you doctors care about is healing.
That's why there's those BMWs and Porsches in the parking.
- Damn it. - Come on, we're out of here.
- We'll see you in court. - You're right, you will.
You still have a thumb because of us.
And like everyone else, we don't work for free.
We earn this money. And if we have to take your house to get it, we will.
- What's going on? - I think they're fighting.
Out of my way, now. Out of my way.
What the hell is going on?
I told them to use their words.
That pharm tech is back. She's in your office.
You, there. You, over there.
I don't wanna hear a word out of either one of you until I get back.
- You lied. - So?
What're you gonna do about it?
Well, for one... Notify the DEA.
Good. I'm sure they'll be very interested to hear
how doctor House forced me to help him steal the meds.
And the administrator who he's having sex with
has been helping him cover it up.
You think you can lie your way out of this?
Yeah, I do.
Anything else you wanna know... bitch?
- HBC wants to speak to you. - Tell him I'm busy. I did, but...
Tell him I quit.
You owe Lucas the money.
We were having sex when you called.
The breast milk guy finally found a doctor to give him what he wanted.
If it works, it's way better than malaria.
It was worth a shot.
I thought they were the ones bluffing.
No way they'd let us terminate.
They're not gonna fire you.
And you're not gonna quit.
Why not?
Because you're an idiot.
This place needs you.
And that matters to you.
What do you think of that pharm tech?
- She's a sociopath. - You knew she was stealing meds?
But have you seen the way she opens the mail?
Why didn't you ever tell me?
Figured it might come in handy one day.
Gail, I like you. I always have.
And I know you must've gotten sucked up into a situation you couldn't control.
Really, is that what happened with you and House?
I'm not gonna back down just because you threaten to smear me.
Now, if you agree to tell the truth, there are things I can do to help.
Think about your husband, your kids.
I know you're a good person deep down inside.
You can't completely hide everything about yourself in seven years.
You're an idiot.
I started stealing from here six months after you hired me.
You still don't even know the half of it, and you never will.
You wouldn't have even found out about this if I hadn't gotten sick.
And you aren't as tough as you think you are.
There's no way you'd let this job get taken away.
And if I go down...
You're going down.
Can you tell Stan to give this to the DEA agent when he comes by.
- A flower? - Yeah, Lucas gave it to me.
I thought he might come in handy one day.
I started stealing from here six months after you hired me.
Nice.
Least I came out on top once today.
Where you going?
To hand the board of my resignation.
Hopefully whoever they hire to replace me can still get the 8%.
I've been trying to get in touch with you all day.
All right, I understand.
Just how is Rachel?
And the rash?
Great.
I'll be home early.
You bitch.
I didn't think you'd actually do it.
I told you I would.
Call the dogs off.
You got your 12.
Congratulations.
You gonna get that?