Hospitals these days are terrible!

[Marty]

I took a friend to the hospital. I can't beleive this emergency room. People in there hurt and bleeding, crying, gasping for air, thinking they are having a heart attack but are left to sit and basically take a number. Seems unless you come in by ambulance, you will sit and wait, even though you are ready to fall down and die.

When my mom was in the hospital and had a 5-way by pass: Here I was with two kids that had to go to school, I had to work, but yet it was my duty to live there round the clock just to be sure she was fed and taken care of because if I wasn't there, she'd starve. How come there are no nurses and nurse's aides to take care of patients anymore? Isn't that their job? Don't get me wrong I always took care of mom and I didn't mind taking off work but since when is it the full time job of family members to take up residence in the hospital and have to police the staff? I had two little kids that needed tending to also, but oh well, I'll just say heck with them and let them live on their own and raise themselves for a few days right, cause hey, daddy's still got to work? UGH!!!!!! Mom was blind, couldn't find her food even if she knew they left it there, had alzheimers and if I left for a couple of hours to go back and forth to get the kids from school, by the time I got back, sure enough there'd be a problem. I had to always get clean sheets and change the bed myself or she'd lay in a mess. Just what do we pay hospital bills for anyhow? Where's the help the patients are supposed to be getting? I made countless complaints and nothing did any good. And oh yes, mom had tons of insurance but still had no care.

Then I just heard of a lady in her 70's had a masectomy and was released from the hospital the very next day. That's horrible treatment! I have another friend having gall bladder surgery on Tuesday and they are going to throw her out on Wednesday. What on earth?????

 

[Jill]

I had to go the the emergency room recently (pneumonia), and it isn't anything like what you describe at the hospital I went to. People were seen quickly, no one was bleeding, gasping, clutching themselves, etc. Nice waiting area, plenty of staff... It was in Warrenton, VA.

Then back when I had my surgery last year at INOVA Fairfax, the hospital was exceptional. Just top notch all the way around and I was treated very well. Some of the best doctors in the world are there. It is on the list of the 50 best hospitals in the Nation, and I can see why.

 

[uwharrie]

Not all hospitals are bad.

My husband had back surgery a little over a month ago and the hospital was fantastic. Everyone, went over and beyond to make sure he was well cared for. They also took great care to make sure I stayed informed the entire time. His was out patient.

I just had surgery three weeks ago ( different hospital) and was in 5 days. Again the staff was nothing but topnotch. The nurses were compasionate and did everything they could to make sure I was comfortable.

No they don't come running the minute you push the call button but I never waited more than 5-10 minutes. And seeing that each nurse/nurse assistant is assigned multiple patients it is understandable.

Don't blame the hospital for sending folks home quickly after surgery, that is all dictated by the insurance companies.

I would have gone home on Sunday (Friday surgery) had I not had complications.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

I have to agree with Marty.

A few months ago I was having some real bad pains in my stomach. We went to the ugent care and from there I wassent to the Er.from the ugent care with a IV hooked up to me with pain meds in. when the meds was gone the pain was back to the level they was at the ugent care. I was to be taken right in and have an MRI and a CAT scan done to see what was going on. The ugent care had called and had this all set up to be done. But I had to wait a good 3 hours before I had it done. Then the doctors dont spend 5 mins with you.

But one thing Idid see was the ones that was on medicad and the ones that was in there just to get pills was taken a head of me. Yu could hear the pill users saying i am hear just to get pills.

I think it has a lot to do with drug users and the ones that is using the system that makes it a lot harder then the ones that are hurting and the ones that is sick

 

[Shari]

Is why I won't go to the hospital around here. They are the ones that tried to send me back home after I broke my back, couldn't even feel my left leg, let alone move it. They are also the ones that sent my DH home with 3 clearly broken ribs a few years back, after he came off his motorcycle.

I know much of the lack of treatment on our part is because we have Military insurance, and they will pay them less than medicare. sigh ~~ So they don't even want to see us let alone treat us.

Managed to fall yesterday, tried cleaning cob webs out of my garage and put the cane aside. Yup, that worked out well. At least this time I hurt my left foot. So much for getting any thing done around here. Should go have my foot checked out but I won't, because of that hospital. They will just send me home, saying nothing is wrong.

 

[Jetiki]

some of it also depends on the size of the area around you. I would drive 30 minutes to the hospital vs the one thats 5 -10 minutes away due to lack of care and the staff.

I was kicked in the ankle thought it was broken, they took me did an xray sent me back to the waiting room then put me in a room with an ice pack and left, my door was right next to the staff lounge they were in and out of that door constantly, while i sat in the room ignored 3 hours later i left no one had ever come in my room. then i got a bill i laughed hysterically at home called the hospital explained my situation and what happened to me. i stated to them, that I would pay for the xray only since they actually did that. But I refused to pay for anything else. on my bill was dr's, nurses and supplies that i did not receive i told them had I received those things i would pay for them but since i didnt and no one knew that i left i just walked out, people walked past me as i was leaving and didnt say a word. the head of the emergency departmentcontacted me and i never saw another bill except for the xray.

i still wont go there and my neighbors who have been here almost their whole lives wont go there either... guess that says it all.

Karen

 

[Bassett]

But one thing I did see was the ones that was on medicad and the ones that was in there just to get pills was taken a head of me. You could hear the pill users saying i am hear just to get pills.

How can you tell who is on medicaid? I don't think anyone can. You have to be really poor to be on it. My husband is on it but we can not afford to pay over $4500.00 a month for his nursing home care. But by looking at him NO ONE would know that he was on medicaid. I'm just wondering how you can tell. No offense, just want to know.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

How can you tell who is on medicaid? I don't think anyone can. You have to be really poor to be on it. My husband is on it but we can not afford to pay over $4500.00 a month for his nursing home care. But by looking at him NO ONE would know that he was on medicaid. I'm just wondering how you can tell. No offense, just want to know.

No offense to me what so ever

when you have them there showing the card and talking bout it then they are they are see the doctor before you

 

[sfmini]

I have had two hospital stays for surgeries this year and had wonderful care. There was an intercom in my room so when I pushed the nurse button someone answered right away asking what I needed. Depending on what it was I either got the nurse or aide within minutes. Both times in 4 days, the doc talked about sending me home earlier but I didn't feel ready so I stayed with no problems.

The emergency departments here have a triage system where they do a quick evaluation and then prioritize care to make sure those that are the sickest get seen first. Those who don't have life threatening problems will wait so those that do get the care they need to survive.

The congestion in EDs is caused by people without insurance coming in for routine stuff that a primary care doc should deal with. Medicaid recipients have the best insurance in the country so they can and do go to docs instead of the ED.

 

[wildoak]

Lots of differences between hospitals! We had an experience with a large public hospital in Dallas that was a nightmare but most others, esp private hospitals, have been fine. ERs though are a different story - I think the average wait in an ER now is something like 6-8 hours!! Last time I was there (not life threatening but scary yellow jacket sting that swelled up the entire left side of my face) they put me in a room within an hour and then forgot I was there. Ended up with about a $1000 tab for a quick exam and an injection....

Jan

 

[Bassett]

No offense to me what so ever

when you have them there showing the card and talking bout it then they are they are see the doctor before you

What I'm saying , how do you know it is Medicaid and NOT medicare. I don't think you can tell by seeing the card at a distance. I believe you must mean medicare. All people over 65 are on medicare. Medicaid is so different.

I feel for anyone who has to go through what you guys do. Thank the Lord we don't have hospitals like that around here. So far anyway. Don't know what will happen when Obama care kicks in. I'm afraid we are all in for quite the surprise.

 

[Matt73]

No offense to you Americans but...Thank God I live in Canada! Dont they have a triage system there? Or is it based on who has money up front lol

Just wanted to add too, that when my sister was in the hospital in Massachussetts (sp?) she had excellent care. She was there for 3 months or so. They had great insurance, but even that ran out after a while. I shudder to think what they owe; probably in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars. In Canada they would have owed $0.

 

[Miniv]

Hmmm.... I think each hospital is different.

We live half way between two towns and I know that when given a choice, I would NOT want to go to the one east of here.

 

[Katiean]

A couple of years ago I was taken to the ER with stomic cramps. They let me lay in the ER for 3 days before they did anything for me. I ended up with a colostomy and almost died. They say the longer you are in the ER the lower your life expectancy is. Then when I regained conchousness (awake and knowing it) the nurses would not let me get up and the DR cept griping I needed to walk. It also took my sister coming from OR where she is an RN, to come and gripe at the nurses to even clean me up. I had not been cleaned in over a week when she got there. The care we get really sucks and is about to get worse.

 

[Sonya]

Having been to many different E.R.'s and hospitals, I can say overall I got top notch care and quickly. Except for once. Of course I only go to the E.R. for emergency's (collapsed lungs 4 times, burst appendix, internal bleeding from operation)...I was seen quickly for all and didn't not see anyone sitting around forever waiting for care. I recieved excellent care, even when the one time I did not have insurance. The only time I had a problem was with the appendix. They rushed me out of the surgery and I was in my car on my way back home within an hour of the surgery. Had I stayed overnight, they would of noticed the internal bleeding that almost killed me.

Those of you who have had bad experiences, just wait...it's only gonna get worse.

 

[ohmt]

I am thinking that the people who are getting 'kicked out' are the people who's insurance does not cover hospital stays. Trust me, everything is about insurance and being able to pay. I am a receptionist at an urgent care and take care of the insurance side of things. There is A LOT more MA insurance out there than people realize so it doesn't make a difference because they make up 3/4 of the people that are seen. Doctors and nurses get paid the same no matter what the insurance so the care you receive does not depend on that. it could be the doctors or nurses, it could be the facilities, it could be that the hospitals are understaffed. I'm guessing it's that they're understaffed. Imagine being a provider, working 12-14 hr + shifts, being greatly understaffed and having to try to figure who takes priority. I know, it's their job, but it's a BIG one.

Also, if you're having problems with the staff, file a complaint. All health care facilities have a way to get a complaint to a supervisor, ask a receptionist how. No facility is going to keep staff that provide poor service. That's a huge liability risk and one a hospital just isn't going to want to take.

 

[~Lisa~]

I can say for the most part I have had decent doctors at the ER-the past few years I have been there more often then I would ever care to. Of course having an illness very few doctors know anything about and having to explain it to them as they look it up online doesnt always help and doesnt always equal great care but the majority of the time it is not for their lack of trying...

The only real complaint I have is they should warn you the chaplain is coming around just to say hi... Before I was diagnosed and they were all very perplexed as to what was going on with me.. enough so that they called the head of the ER in from home to check me out..all I knew is I truly felt I was close to death and then in comes the Chaplain.. I totally freaked out I was screaming OMG im dying you came to sit with me while I am dying..Bless his heart he did try very hard not to laugh while explaining he was just there to visit and pass the time.. but finally he could not take it anymore he was laughing so hard he was crying and I was trying to get my heart rate back down LOL

 

[Jill]

No offense to you Americans but...Thank God I live in Canada! Dont they have a triage system there? Or is it based on who has money up front lol

Just wanted to add too, that when my sister was in the hospital in Massachussetts (sp?) she had excellent care. She was there for 3 months or so. They had great insurance, but even that ran out after a while. I shudder to think what they owe; probably in the high hundreds of thousands of dollars. In Canada they would have owed $0.

Matt, you know I adore you...

However, I disagree so much with the point of view regarding Nationalized healthcare.

IF I had lived in Canada last July 31, 2009 when I found out via a CT scan that I had a "lesion" in my lung, do any of you think that on August 21, 2009 (3 weeks later............) I would be in surgery to take out what was lung cancer (something few people survive). Under our current healthcare system, it was just 3wks for me from finding out something horrible was wrong until I was being fixed.

In that 3wk period, under our current healthcare system, I had a bronchoscopy (out patient surgery) another CT Scan, a very expensive CT-PET Fusion Scan, lots of bloodwork, and other diagnostic scans and tests. I think that under a Nationalized healthcare system, on August 21, 2009 (surgery date), I would be scared out of my mind, knowing something was seriously wrong with me, and waiting to for the FIRST diagnostic test to get to the bottom of what it was. I do not know if I would be alive right now if I were cared for under a socialized or universal health care system .

There's a reason so many people who do live in nations that have National / Universal / Socialized healthcare who can afford to seek coverage in the USA have done so in large numbers.

Because it's such a hot topic, I asked my surgeon, my regular doctor, and my pulmonologist what would have happened to me last summer if I did not have health insurance. All three doctors told me the same thing. I still would have had the diagnostics and I still would have had the surgery. I would have had a big hospital bill, but you know... It's only money. I'd pay a whole heck of a lot of money in order to stay alive. In the situation like I had, time is of the essence. You need a rapid diagnosis and rapid action or you could die. Period. You get that kind of turn around time, for now, in here in the USA.

PS side note, I never smoked, but still got lung cancer...

 

[Jill]

Matt, btw, YES emergency rooms here DO use a triage system.

 

[Sonya]

It's not always the insurance company that dictates whether you stay overnight or not when you have surgery. I had my emergency appendectomy done at a hospital up near my camp (one I had never gone to and will never go again), they released me within an hour after the surgery. The next day we went home and the bleeding became evident so we went to a hospital that I had been to before and one where my family doctor is a member of. That hospital was shocked that they released me so quickly after the surgery. They said it is always an overnight stay for an appendectomy at their hospital, regardless of your age or condition. My insurance company pays what the hospital feels is necessary.

I am not looking forward to the govt deciding what is necessary.