[Villages Kahuna]

The Villages Regional Hospital is rated, using various statistics collected by Medicare, and compared to all other hospitals in the state. It has consistently been rated in the lowest quality class. If you’ve ever had the need to be treated there, particularly in the Emergency Room, you will have no reason to disagree with those ratings.

I had to visit their ER last week for the simple infusion of a couple of units of blood components. After checking in the ER, I waited 2 hours for the required “cross and match “ blood test. Then I was directed to sit in the waiting room until called. I sat there another 7 hours until finally called for the simple 30-minute procedure. The halls inside the ER were lined with patients on gurneys or beds awaiting admission to the hospital. After completion of the procedure I asked the nurse whether she had used the proper number of units ordered by my doctor. No, they had gotten that wrong during admission. Then after finally getting the proper amount of blood—at 3 AM—I had to wait another 1-1/2 hours for a doctor to sign my discharge paperwork. It turned out that there was no doctor on duty, he didn’t start his shift until close to 5 AM.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE THE VILLAGES REGIONAL HOSPITAL! When I related my experience to my doctor, he shook his head saying that he had hoped that the University of Florida’s ownership would have made a difference, but it has not. Later I had a conversation with a senior rep of a healthcare company doing business with TVRH. He said, “It’s simply a bad hospital. It’s understaffed and badly mismanaged and continues to make the same life-threatening mistakes that should have been corrected years ago. I also questioned a friend who had been a nursing supervisor at TVRH. Her reply? “Don’t go there. It’s a bad hospital—that’s why I quit.”

There are better hospital choices in Ocala. Even Leesburg Hospital, with the same U of FL ownership is better. BEWARE OF TVRH!