ER at The Villages Hospital

[Sky14]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

[Taltarzac725]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

I have heard stories like this too. If you have an arrow sticking out of your belly you will get immediate assistance, but those with lesser injuries have to wait. I have heard that if you go in by ambulance you go to the head of the line but they charge quite a lot per pick-up. Welcome to Rural/Metro of Sumter County - 911 Emergency Medical Transportation, Patient Care, Certified Paramedics - Rural/Metro South (http://www.ruralmetrosouth.com/locations/florida/sumter-county-florida.html)

[graciegirl]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

The Villages built the building and leased it to a hospital business. You just can't open hospitals like you do restaurants. They must be permitted.

We are in the middle of a rapidly growing area and we have a population that is fraught with health issues. It would be wonderful if we had a large teaching hospital that specialized in geriatric issues. But like all things that cost money, it has to be funded and supported by greenbacks and has to have a medical community of some standing and merit willing to back it.

I give credit to the Morse family who has tried to fix this deficit by attempting to provide a health organization but it was quickly abandoned by both Moffit and USF.

Health care and insurance are not combatible and the costs, although sometimes warranted are often a football for a not quite as altruistic business as we once thought health care to be.

I am a strong supporter of capitalism. Socialized medicine provides care for all, but not the kind of care that we are used to here in the U.S. It isn't pie in the sky....and talk about waiting..........people diagnosed with breast cancer in Holland and Austria and England often have to wait months for surgery. It is for all, but it isn't as good as we have it here.

Just don't blame the developers. They tried. They failed to fix health care because health care is hard to fix. Scares me. They are good at just about everything.

[skip0358]

I know this isn't the answer but go to the new ER on 441 just before Marion Market on the right hand side as your going North. Have heard nothing bad about that one. Leesburg & TV are connected and as others have said if you don't have arrows sticking out your going to wait period.

[OldManTime]

As one said "I give credit to the More family? even knowing they get a cut of it all. I personally have gone to Ocala in a life or death emergency, willing to take that risk as time mattered, I am alive today.

[graciegirl]

As one said "I give credit to the More family? even knowing they get a cut of it all. I personally have gone to Ocala in a life or death emergency, willing to take that risk as time mattered, I am alive today.

They rent to the business. They don't get a percentage.
That happens in certain retail businesses if they meet a very high plateau.

If you want to know how common waiting in an E.R. is across the whole continent. Just google "wait in the E.R.

Here, look.

had to wait hours in the e.r. - Bing (https://www.bing.com/search?q=had+to+wait+hours+in+the+e.r.&form=EDGHPT&qs=PF&cvid=604a1cf70c7342838bf602592d3a9b56&cc=US&setlang=en-US&elv=AXXfrEiqqD9r3GuelwApuloqDYYEiGZKWo%21lyIXa00Y7 7knDF*qvXsSFiQWCx2TWlIQ1W%21wWQw*lETSkrpF6O0Sknf4C rPxDoGtdBltAoht3)

[Bonny]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.
It seems to me that this wasn't a real emergency requiring a trip to the Hospital ER if someone could just decide to go home because it was taking too long. Maybe a better choice would have been to go to Urgent Care.
I'm thankful we have a hospital here. I have been in the ER a few times and have had several stays in the hospital. Wonderful care.

[Taltarzac725]

An ambulance has had to pick up my Dad a few times because of bad falls. Once with a rather heavily bleeding head wound. He got in right away that time. They took good care of him. The other time he had to wait quite a while. They triage the patients coming in. They do need more nurses IMHO. My nursing friend also used to work there and she seemed to agree that they are understaffed.

We usually go to Urgent Care unless they are not open.

[MrGolf]

Plain and simple. The coverage and response time at The villages Hospital emergency room stinks. People go there because it's convenient. Then they wait, and wait, and wait. If you have an option, get someone to tanke you to Shands. A UF teaching hospital. After 8 hrs. In the emergency room and finally being transported via ambulance to Shands I can say first hand, I won't go back to The Village Hospital for anything. This is not a Morse issue, it could be a life and death issue. They built a good city but the medical piece of it got lost in the shuffle. Agreed privatization takes over and so do economies of scale. And above all good old fashioned profit. The king of privatization

[bagboy]

It seems to me that this wasn't a real emergency requiring a trip to the Hospital ER if someone could just decide to go home because it was taking too long. Maybe a better choice would have been to go to Urgent Care.
I'm thankful we have a hospital here. I have been in the ER a few times and have had several stays in the hospital. Wonderful care.

Very true on both counts.

[Bogie Shooter]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

The place to send your letter:
Contact us | The Villages Regional Hospital | The Villages, Florida (https://www.thevillagesregionalhospital.org/contact-us/)

[Sandtrap328]

The Villages hospital ER relies on triage to see patients. A suspected heart attack will be seen before a broken wrist. The broken wrist does hurt but is not life threatening.

The OP did not say what illness her daughter had but is it something that suddenly appeared after Urgent Care hours or her own physician office hours? Was an EMERGENCY room required? Did she take her daughter to another ER or go home and to the family physician in the morning or what? What was the final outcome?

In order to know if the ER was faulty in letting her sit, more info is needed.

[justjim]

An ambulance has had to pick up my Dad a few times because of bad falls. Once with a rather heavily bleeding head wound. He got in right away that time. They took good care of him. The other time he had to wait quite a while. They triage the patients coming in. They do need more nurses IMHO. My nursing friend also used to work there and she seemed to agree that they are understaffed.

We usually go to Urgent Care unless they are not open.

"She seemed to agree that they are understaffed". That seems to be the biggest problem with the ER and health care in general in The Villages. I believe it can be fixed by recruiting and marketing nationwide for these needed medical nurses and doctors. JUST DO iT!

[ColdNoMore]

"She seemed to agree that they are understaffed". That seems to be the biggest problem with the ER and health care in general in The Villages. I believe it can be fixed by recruiting and marketing nationwide for these needed medical nurses and doctors. JUST DO iT!

While an excellent suggestion, it must be recognized that it will cost them more money.

From what I've seen, the powers-that-be...seem to be allergic to that. :shrug:

[John_W]

I know this isn't the answer but go to the new ER on 441 just before Marion Market on the right hand side as your going North. Have heard nothing bad about that one. Leesburg & TV are connected and as others have said if you don't have arrows sticking out your going to wait period.

Skip is right, someone made a post last month about how quickly they received medical attention. They had gall stones or something similar and was in an operating room in 30 minutes. It has a full setup just like a hospital. It's in the entrance to the Del Webb Community and looks like this.

http://ocalahealthsystem.com/util/images/gallery/er/Summerfield-er-3.jpg

[Boudicca]

I go to Leesburg ER and seen promptly- separate trips for TiA, trouble breathing and heart issues . Great service and caring staff

[golfing eagles]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

A lot of this has been posted before, but I guess it is time to write another novel in response.

It seems the main thrust of your post is the waiting time, no mention regarding quality of care, so let's focus on that. Also, it would be nice if DB, a retired hospital administrator and frequent poster on TOTV would weigh in as well

ER waiting times are determined by many factors:
The number of beds in the ER
Staffing
Speed at which ER staff works
Bed availability for admissions
Number of patients that show up
Also, keep in mind, it is not a "first come, first serve" endeavor. I'm truly sorry your daughter was quite ill, but that means different things to patients than it does to healthcare professionals, hence the triage process.

My wife was quite ill last year, probably within hours of leaving us, and was admitted for 2 weeks after coming in through the ER and then spent another month in rehab, so I have first hand experience with TVRH. I also have 30+ years of experience as a board certified internist, professor of medicine at State University of New York, Chairman of our Quality Assurance Committee, and Chief of Staff at our community hospital, so I do have some "vague" idea of what I'm talking about.

At the time my wife was brought to the ER, all the ER beds were occupied and there were about 10 patients in the waiting room. Despite that, it took less than 5 hours from the time she arrived until she was in a bed on the floor, so no complaints from me as to time. Many others have been satisfied with waiting times, many others completely dissatisfied. And then there are the ludicrous posts about 90 year olds waiting 22 hours in pain to be seen by a doctor---you decide if that is credible.

I thought the number of beds in the ER were adequate, and the NUMBER of physicians and extended providers could handle the workload if the were diligent. Unfortunately, ERs tend to get bogged down by the "walking wounded"----patients who would be better served for their minor complaints in an urgent care setting or their doctor's office, but we all know THAT doesn't happen. As I looked around at the 10 patients in the waiting room, 8 of them could obviously be handled elsewhere, so triage was probably appropriate.

So far, so good, but now for the bad news:

From what I observed, the PACE at which work was being done seemed to be pretty slow. There did not appear to be any great rush to get admissions to the floor or get the remainder treated and released. My impression was that myself and one of my ER friends could clear that place out pretty quickly. Apparently the ER is staffed by a sub-contracted group out of the Miami area, and many of their ER docs are locum tenens---temporary employees that travel and generally work 3 months at a given location. My opinion of this situation is pretty low---they have no vested interest in our community, they are essentially nameless, faceless individuals who will soon be moving on, don't have a strong desire to work hard, and in general are just punching a time clock (My apologies to those dedicated locum tenens physicians out there) As a result, the ER tends to back up. Believe me, a stable group of ER docs who live in the community and are treating their friends and neighbors makes a WORLD of difference.

But they are not the sole reason. Getting admissions out of the ER depends on bed availability on the floors, which is not a monolithic problem either. The attending physicians need to discharge patients as early in the day as possible and in a timely manner. The nurses need to do their discharge paperwork and review it with the patient. The discharge planners need to finalize their plan and explain it. And housekeeping needs to clean the room after the patient leaves. Some of these groups are more motivated than others as well.

Here's how we fixed the problem in NY:
First we asked all attending physicians and hospitalists to do as much discharge paperwork as possible the evening before. Then we had them write a simple order: "Plan for AM discharge". This triggered the evening and night shift nurses to do as much discharge work as possible as well, and the discharge planners to get their ducks in a row.
We also spoke with the nursing homes, rehab facilities, home care agencies and medical transport companies and asked them to help by staggering shifts in such a way that more planning could be done the day and evening before discharge. We were able to get the medical community on the same page and work together to get more beds available earlier so the ER could get their patients to the floor. Believe it or not, the main resistance came from housekeeping. In general these are less educated minimum wage employees, many of whom had the job as a requirement of continued public assistance, with less motivation to put out extra effort.

So, a few final thoughts:

The one thing the hospital cannot control is how many patients show up at a given time. No restaurant, no retailer can staff for peak volume all the time, so sometimes the wait will be longer than others.

I think the ER wait issues are completely fixable, although it could be difficult. If I were in charge I'd be looking at a different ER group. It is probably not possible to build our own ER group with a top notch director and physicians who live here, due to recruiting difficulties. However, I would have the QA committee sitting on the ER and monitoring both wait times and quality issues. Probably 30-40% of the staff in that ER needs to experience "alternative career opportunity enhancement" . I would then try to address the issues surrounding discharges.

Lastly, to the individual who drives 30-70 miles to go elsewhere, even if sick, be careful---your luck may eventually run out.

[MrGolf]

Good post.

[Madelaine Amee]

Once again Golfing Eagle writes a great post, as he should because it is his business. Unfortunately, the people that need to read his post and to digest the contents will not do so, they will keep right on complaining.

[PennBF]

I will not go through the details but I have been a care taker for 3 cancers with my wives. One was sucessfully cured the other after 2 cancers was not fortunate and passed away. In the process of these I have been to a number of famous cancer treatment centers: Lahey Clinic, Mass, MD Anderson, Huston Texas, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville Florida Westchester Medical Center, NY,
Cleveland Clinic, Fl.,Moffit, Tampa Florida, Etc. In rating I would give Mayo, Jacksonville as #1, Lahey #2, Moffit#3. and so on.Now to the originial subject. I would guess the Physician that wrote in probably gained some advantages by the sheer fact he was a Dr. That does not distract from his assessments just adds some balance to the input. In one case I had a relative who was held in the Ft Lauderdale Hospital ER for 18 hours in terrible pain. I ordered an ambulance, had her discharged and drove about 2-3 to Stuart Florida Hospital who said she had about 24 hours to live if she was not operated on immediately. She was and she is fine today. The bottom
line is that you are responsible for your care and taking action in the case of neglect. Mayo at Jacksonville is 2 1/2 hours away and has an ER. Rather then tolerate such terrible treatment go to a teaching hospital. I believe Sand's is one although never been there. I have heard some terrible things about the Villages ER and am at a loss why, if someone has 3 hours does not go to Sands or Mayo and get the best treatment?? It is not just the ER but the support team these locations have to ensure more than just bascic treatment. In closing I will add that I just don't understand why the Developer who may not be the final authority but carries a lot of weight in this area does not have a team to study the problems and ensure we have the best medical policies and practices and doctors to treat or to refer difficult cases to the best for treatment. Just some thoughts on a subject that I have spent many years involved in. :cold:

[golfing eagles]

I will not go through the details but I have been a care taker for 3 cancers with both wives. One was sucessfully cured the other after 2 cancers was not fortunate and passed away. In the process of these I have been to a number of famous cancer treatment centers: Lahey Clinic, Mass, MD Anderson, Huston Texas, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville Florida Westchester Medical Center, NY,
Cleveland Clinic, Fl.,Moffit, Tampa Florida, Etc. In rating I would give Mayo, Jacksonville as #1, Lahey #2, Moffit#3. and so on.Now to the originial subject. I would guess the Physician that wrote in probably gained some advantages by the sheer fact he was a Dr. That does not distract from his assessments just adds some balance to the input. In one case I had a relative who was held in the Ft Lauderdale Hospital ER for 18 hours in terrible pain. I ordered an ambulance, had her discharged and drove about 2-3 to Stuart Florida Hospital who said she
had about 24 hours to live if she was not operated on nimmediately. She was and she is fine today. The bottom
line is that you are responsible for your care and taking action in the case of neglect. Mayo at Jacksonville is 2 1/2 hours away and has an ER. Rather then tolerate such terrible treatment go to a teaching hospital. I believe Sand's is one although never been there. I have heard some terrible things about the Villages ER and am at a loss why, if someone has 3 hours does not go to Sands or Mayo and get the best treatment?? It is not just the ER but the support team these locations have to ensure more than just bacic treatment. In closing I will add that I just don't understand why the Developer who may not be the final authority but carries a lot of weight in this area does not have a team to study the problems and ensure we have the best medical policies and practices and doctors to treat or to refer difficult cases to the best for treatment. Just some thoughts on a subject that I have spent many years involved in. :cold:

1) Not at all, I never tell anyone there who I am, I prefer to stand back and observe their normal functioning. Only if I spot an impending error do I have a "discussion" with the doctor.

2) I agree----it probably falls to the corporation that runs TVRH as well as Leesburg rather than the developer. This is what QA committees and hospital administrators SHOULD be doing.

[NotGolfer]

A lot of this has been posted before, but I guess it is time to write another novel in response.

It seems the main thrust of your post is the waiting time, no mention regarding quality of care, so let's focus on that. Also, it would be nice if DB, a retired hospital administrator and frequent poster on TOTV would weigh in as well

ER waiting times are determined by many factors:
The number of beds in the ER
Staffing
Speed at which ER staff works
Bed availability for admissions
Number of patients that show up
Also, keep in mind, it is not a "first come, first serve" endeavor. I'm truly sorry your daughter was quite ill, but that means different things to patients than it does to healthcare professionals, hence the triage process.

My wife was quite ill last year, probably within hours of leaving us, and was admitted for 2 weeks after coming in through the ER and then spent another month in rehab, so I have first hand experience with TVRH. I also have 30+ years of experience as a board certified internist, professor of medicine at State University of New York, Chairman of our Quality Assurance Committee, and Chief of Staff at our community hospital, so I do have some "vague" idea of what I'm talking about.

At the time my wife was brought to the ER, all the ER beds were occupied and there were about 10 patients in the waiting room. Despite that, it took less than 5 hours from the time she arrived until she was in a bed on the floor, so no complaints from me as to time. Many others have been satisfied with waiting times, many others completely dissatisfied. And then there are the ludicrous posts about 90 year olds waiting 22 hours in pain to be seen by a doctor---you decide if that is credible.

I thought the number of beds in the ER were adequate, and the NUMBER of physicians and extended providers could handle the workload if the were diligent. Unfortunately, ERs tend to get bogged down by the "walking wounded"----patients who would be better served for their minor complaints in an urgent care setting or their doctor's office, but we all know THAT doesn't happen. As I looked around at the 10 patients in the waiting room, 8 of them could obviously be handled elsewhere, so triage was probably appropriate.

So far, so good, but now for the bad news:

From what I observed, the PACE at which work was being done seemed to be pretty slow. There did not appear to be any great rush to get admissions to the floor or get the remainder treated and released. My impression was that myself and one of my ER friends could clear that place out pretty quickly. Apparently the ER is staffed by a sub-contracted group out of the Miami area, and many of their ER docs are locum tenens---temporary employees that travel and generally work 3 months at a given location. My opinion of this situation is pretty low---they have no vested interest in our community, they are essentially nameless, faceless individuals who will soon be moving on, don't have a strong desire to work hard, and in general are just punching a time clock (My apologies to those dedicated locum tenens physicians out there) As a result, the ER tends to back up. Believe me, a stable group of ER docs who live in the community and are treating their friends and neighbors makes a WORLD of difference.

But they are not the sole reason. Getting admissions out of the ER depends on bed availability on the floors, which is not a monolithic problem either. The attending physicians need to discharge patients as early in the day as possible and in a timely manner. The nurses need to do their discharge paperwork and review it with the patient. The discharge planners need to finalize their plan and explain it. And housekeeping needs to clean the room after the patient leaves. Some of these groups are more motivated than others as well.

Here's how we fixed the problem in NY:
First we asked all attending physicians and hospitalists to do as much discharge paperwork as possible the evening before. Then we had them write a simple order: "Plan for AM discharge". This triggered the evening and night shift nurses to do as much discharge work as possible as well, and the discharge planners to get their ducks in a row.
We also spoke with the nursing homes, rehab facilities, home care agencies and medical transport companies and asked them to help by staggering shifts in such a way that more planning could be done the day and evening before discharge. We were able to get the medical community on the same page and work together to get more beds available earlier so the ER could get their patients to the floor. Believe it or not, the main resistance came from housekeeping. In general these are less educated minimum wage employees, many of whom had the job as a requirement of continued public assistance, with less motivation to put out extra effort.

So, a few final thoughts:

The one thing the hospital cannot control is how many patients show up at a given time. No restaurant, no retailer can staff for peak volume all the time, so sometimes the wait will be longer than others.

I think the ER wait issues are completely fixable, although it could be difficult. If I were in charge I'd be looking at a different ER group. It is probably not possible to build our own ER group with a top notch director and physicians who live here, due to recruiting difficulties. However, I would have the QA committee sitting on the ER and monitoring both wait times and quality issues. Probably 30-40% of the staff in that ER needs to experience "alternative career opportunity enhancement" . I would then try to address the issues surrounding discharges.

Lastly, to the individual who drives 30-70 miles to go elsewhere, even if sick, be careful---your luck may eventually run out.

Great post from someone who is more experienced (being a former health-care provider) than most of us who post here. Thank you Golfing Eagles!!!! :BigApplause: Gracie also made some great points!!!

I wonder how many folks actually contact the "powers that be" at TVRH to complain of their experiences??? We've had several stops to the ER since moving here---all were different. Only one was, should I say, not the best? BUT I made it known both to the staff AND later in an e-mail to the director. I've heard 2 times that "they are working on it"...meaning trying to make it better. The hospitals here are like small-town hospitals but with LARGE city needs. I have to wonder if there aren't people in management who read these posts. I still say though...folks need to talk to the source and not keep complaining on social media!

[fw102807]

A lot of this has been posted before, but I guess it is time to write another novel in response.

It seems the main thrust of your post is the waiting time, no mention regarding quality of care, so let's focus on that. Also, it would be nice if DB, a retired hospital administrator and frequent poster on TOTV would weigh in as well

ER waiting times are determined by many factors:
The number of beds in the ER
Staffing
Speed at which ER staff works
Bed availability for admissions
Number of patients that show up
Also, keep in mind, it is not a "first come, first serve" endeavor. I'm truly sorry your daughter was quite ill, but that means different things to patients than it does to healthcare professionals, hence the triage process.

My wife was quite ill last year, probably within hours of leaving us, and was admitted for 2 weeks after coming in through the ER and then spent another month in rehab, so I have first hand experience with TVRH. I also have 30+ years of experience as a board certified internist, professor of medicine at State University of New York, Chairman of our Quality Assurance Committee, and Chief of Staff at our community hospital, so I do have some "vague" idea of what I'm talking about.

At the time my wife was brought to the ER, all the ER beds were occupied and there were about 10 patients in the waiting room. Despite that, it took less than 5 hours from the time she arrived until she was in a bed on the floor, so no complaints from me as to time. Many others have been satisfied with waiting times, many others completely dissatisfied. And then there are the ludicrous posts about 90 year olds waiting 22 hours in pain to be seen by a doctor---you decide if that is credible.

I thought the number of beds in the ER were adequate, and the NUMBER of physicians and extended providers could handle the workload if the were diligent. Unfortunately, ERs tend to get bogged down by the "walking wounded"----patients who would be better served for their minor complaints in an urgent care setting or their doctor's office, but we all know THAT doesn't happen. As I looked around at the 10 patients in the waiting room, 8 of them could obviously be handled elsewhere, so triage was probably appropriate.

So far, so good, but now for the bad news:

From what I observed, the PACE at which work was being done seemed to be pretty slow. There did not appear to be any great rush to get admissions to the floor or get the remainder treated and released. My impression was that myself and one of my ER friends could clear that place out pretty quickly. Apparently the ER is staffed by a sub-contracted group out of the Miami area, and many of their ER docs are locum tenens---temporary employees that travel and generally work 3 months at a given location. My opinion of this situation is pretty low---they have no vested interest in our community, they are essentially nameless, faceless individuals who will soon be moving on, don't have a strong desire to work hard, and in general are just punching a time clock (My apologies to those dedicated locum tenens physicians out there) As a result, the ER tends to back up. Believe me, a stable group of ER docs who live in the community and are treating their friends and neighbors makes a WORLD of difference.

But they are not the sole reason. Getting admissions out of the ER depends on bed availability on the floors, which is not a monolithic problem either. The attending physicians need to discharge patients as early in the day as possible and in a timely manner. The nurses need to do their discharge paperwork and review it with the patient. The discharge planners need to finalize their plan and explain it. And housekeeping needs to clean the room after the patient leaves. Some of these groups are more motivated than others as well.

Here's how we fixed the problem in NY:
First we asked all attending physicians and hospitalists to do as much discharge paperwork as possible the evening before. Then we had them write a simple order: "Plan for AM discharge". This triggered the evening and night shift nurses to do as much discharge work as possible as well, and the discharge planners to get their ducks in a row.
We also spoke with the nursing homes, rehab facilities, home care agencies and medical transport companies and asked them to help by staggering shifts in such a way that more planning could be done the day and evening before discharge. We were able to get the medical community on the same page and work together to get more beds available earlier so the ER could get their patients to the floor. Believe it or not, the main resistance came from housekeeping. In general these are less educated minimum wage employees, many of whom had the job as a requirement of continued public assistance, with less motivation to put out extra effort.

So, a few final thoughts:

The one thing the hospital cannot control is how many patients show up at a given time. No restaurant, no retailer can staff for peak volume all the time, so sometimes the wait will be longer than others.

I think the ER wait issues are completely fixable, although it could be difficult. If I were in charge I'd be looking at a different ER group. It is probably not possible to build our own ER group with a top notch director and physicians who live here, due to recruiting difficulties. However, I would have the QA committee sitting on the ER and monitoring both wait times and quality issues. Probably 30-40% of the staff in that ER needs to experience "alternative career opportunity enhancement" . I would then try to address the issues surrounding discharges.

Lastly, to the individual who drives 30-70 miles to go elsewhere, even if sick, be careful---your luck may eventually run out.

I so agree with this. My husband went to the ER in an ambulance for chest pain and was seen right away. He was admitted and had a stent put in the next day. The following day he was cleared to leave by the Cardiologist in the AM and had to wait until 6PM to be discharged by the admitting physician so he occupied a bed all day for nothing.

[Taltarzac725]

Is there not some kind of Villager Survey going on now? We should bring this all up. Survey Login (https://32.selectsurvey.net/thevillages/Login.aspx?SurveyID=p2KH4n4)

[NotGolfer]

Is there not some kind of Villager Survey going on now? We should bring this all up. Survey Login (https://32.selectsurvey.net/thevillages/Login.aspx?SurveyID=p2KH4n4)

:BigApplause::BigApplause::BigApplause: I agree. Maybe we can contact "Powers that be" and ask about that!!!!

[Fast Freddy]

I agree that all these good posts need to go to several departments and several different people at the hospital; remember about the squeeky wheel. Generally only by many squeeks will the wheel get better. Don't rely on the hospital to read and act upon this.

[Aloha1]

I think the ER wait issues are completely fixable, although it could be difficult. If I were in charge I'd be looking at a different ER group. It is probably not possible to build our own ER group with a top notch director and physicians who live here, due to recruiting difficulties. However, I would have the QA committee sitting on the ER and monitoring both wait times and quality issues. Probably 30-40% of the staff in that ER needs to experience "alternative career opportunity enhancement" . I would then try to address the issues surrounding discharges.

Absolutely agree, Doc. Well put. Hope someone from TVRH monitors this site.

[Bambi]

Last week I went to the new free standing ER (it is not a Urgent Care) on 441 next to Spruce Creek - across from Camping World.
From the moment I walked in until discharge, I was treated promptly and with great courtesy by all the staff members. The doctor explained everything and spent quite a bit of time with me reviewing the results of the tests.
It is owned by Ocala Regional Hospital and is an extension of the ER on the main campus. Ocala Regional is the level two trauma hospital for our area. If you have to be admitted, if possible they will send you to your hospital of choice although they generally admit to their hospital. Again, it is not an Urgent Care but an actually well staffed and equipped ER with scanning capacity, etc.
I asked if they were busy when I walked in and it was affirmative with apologies because I waited about five minutes to be taken to a bed. Within ten minutes I was hooked up for an EKG, Dr in the room, chest X-ray and labs drawn even tho my main complaint was not chest pain.
I am a retired RN and have never seen a unit run as efficiently as this ER. I didn't count them, but it looked like they had at least 10-12 private rooms. It is a large building. Highly recommend.

[rubicon]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

Poster: It takes better than 3-4 weeks after you are contacted by the Daily Sun before a letter is published, if it is published at all. The Daily Sun mimics much of what goes on in TV meaning the powers want tight control.

The frustration you express as to the TVRH emergency room has been expressed ad nauseam for the 11 years I have lived here.

I can't speak for others but in my humble opinion if the ER was any other business it would have gone out of business long ago.

Personal Best Regards:

[golf2140]

Some folks may remember that The Villages wanted to build a second hospital near Brownwood on CR 44 but were denied a permit. They tried to fix the problem. Give them some ctredit for building the hospital in the first place !!!!!

[CFrance]

Last week I went to the new free standing ER (it is not a Urgent Care) on 441 next to Spruce Creek - across from Camping World.
From the moment I walked in until discharge, I was treated promptly and with great courtesy by all the staff members. The doctor explained everything and spent quite a bit of time with me reviewing the results of the tests.
It is owned by Ocala Regional Hospital and is an extension of the ER on the main campus. Ocala Regional is the level two trauma hospital for our area. If you have to be admitted, if possible they will send you to your hospital of choice although they generally admit to their hospital. Again, it is not an Urgent Care but an actually well staffed and equipped ER with scanning capacity, etc.
I asked if they were busy when I walked in and it was affirmative with apologies because I waited about five minutes to be taken to a bed. Within ten minutes I was hooked up for an EKG, Dr in the room, chest X-ray and labs drawn even tho my main complaint was not chest pain.
I am a retired RN and have never seen a unit run as efficiently as this ER. I didn't count them, but it looked like they had at least 10-12 private rooms. It is a large building. Highly recommend.
Please, what is the name of this place so I can look it up and put it in my GPS? If my husband were within hours of leaving us, I would not wait around in an ER for 5 hours.

This new ER sounds like a very viable alternative.

[rubicon]

Last week I went to the new free standing ER (it is not a Urgent Care) on 441 next to Spruce Creek - across from Camping World.
From the moment I walked in until discharge, I was treated promptly and with great courtesy by all the staff members. The doctor explained everything and spent quite a bit of time with me reviewing the results of the tests.
It is owned by Ocala Regional Hospital and is an extension of the ER on the main campus. Ocala Regional is the level two trauma hospital for our area. If you have to be admitted, if possible they will send you to your hospital of choice although they generally admit to their hospital. Again, it is not an Urgent Care but an actually well staffed and equipped ER with scanning capacity, etc.
I asked if they were busy when I walked in and it was affirmative with apologies because I waited about five minutes to be taken to a bed. Within ten minutes I was hooked up for an EKG, Dr in the room, chest X-ray and labs drawn even tho my main complaint was not chest pain.
I am a retired RN and have never seen a unit run as efficiently as this ER. I didn't count them, but it looked like they had at least 10-12 private rooms. It is a large building. Highly recommend.

Thank you so much. I have been promoting the Ocala health Care network for the 11 years i have lived here.

[Dan9871]

so I can look it up and put it in my GPS? .

Lookup Summerfield ER on Goggle Maps

But check the reviews there too... 4 of the 10 there are about poor service.

Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Summerfield+ER/@29.0153902,-82.0132645,998m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xeee1c5218153496a!8m2 !3d29.0153902!4d-82.0110787)

[PennBF]

We just spent 6 weeks at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville and have absolutely NO complaints ! When you have an appointment with a Dr. or other (e.g. Blood work,etc,) you can go to the bank that you will not wait more than 5 minutes regardless of the need. You can be assured you have a "team of Dr's" evaluating your med needs and getting the best professional treatment. If you call your Dr. at 12 midnight from home you can be sure that within an hour they will call back. If you go to Urgent Care you will be seen within 1/2 hour by a Physician. :mornincoffee:

[golfing eagles]

Last week I went to the new free standing ER (it is not a Urgent Care) on 441 next to Spruce Creek - across from Camping World.
From the moment I walked in until discharge, I was treated promptly and with great courtesy by all the staff members. The doctor explained everything and spent quite a bit of time with me reviewing the results of the tests.
It is owned by Ocala Regional Hospital and is an extension of the ER on the main campus. Ocala Regional is the level two trauma hospital for our area. If you have to be admitted, if possible they will send you to your hospital of choice although they generally admit to their hospital. Again, it is not an Urgent Care but an actually well staffed and equipped ER with scanning capacity, etc.
I asked if they were busy when I walked in and it was affirmative with apologies because I waited about five minutes to be taken to a bed. Within ten minutes I was hooked up for an EKG, Dr in the room, chest X-ray and labs drawn even tho my main complaint was not chest pain.
I am a retired RN and have never seen a unit run as efficiently as this ER. I didn't count them, but it looked like they had at least 10-12 private rooms. It is a large building. Highly recommend.

Sounds pretty good. They do have several advantages that make it (and places like it) a more attractive and efficient place

1) They do not have to hold patients waiting for a bed on a floor to open up----just make an ER to ER transfer in accordance with COBRA laws and pack them off in an ambulance.

2) National ER admission rates average 13%, their admission rate is probably less than 2%, so less work messing with admissions

3) They do not have ambulances arriving every 10-15 minutes

4) The REALLY, REALLY sick patients tend not to go there, so the severity of illness is less

5) As far as staffing goes, as long as they are running it as a separate entity, they do not have to worry about less than optimal workers with a lot of seniority bidding for the jobs there, which tend to be more desirable, so they can pick and choose who they hire.

6) They are NEW, so the equipment and facility are modern, they can write policies and procedures that suit the place, and there hasn't been enough time for the staff to develop its own "culture", which far too often is a culture of laziness.


As an aside, I've always favored eliminating the solid walls and doors between the waiting room and the ER treatment area. Yes, you need to keep the patient rooms out of sight, but I think the common areas should be in view. If you think the people are angry when they wait in the ER now, just imagine if they could see the staff talking, giggling, sitting with their feet up on the desk, reading a book, surfing the web or even napping while they wait. If you don't think those things happen, think again.

[NotGolfer]

Some folks may remember that The Villages wanted to build a second hospital near Brownwood on CR 44 but were denied a permit. They tried to fix the problem. Give them some ctredit for building the hospital in the first place !!!!!

:BigApplause: Totally agree! Think if we didn't have TVRH at all....we'd still be hearing complaints but most likely more because the community has grown since it was built.

[dbussone]

Great post from someone who is more experienced (being a former health-care provider) than most of us who post here. Thank you Golfing Eagles!!!! :BigApplause: Gracie also made some great points!!!

I wonder how many folks actually contact the "powers that be" at TVRH to complain of their experiences??? We've had several stops to the ER since moving here---all were different. Only one was, should I say, not the best? BUT I made it known both to the staff AND later in an e-mail to the director. I've heard 2 times that "they are working on it"...meaning trying to make it better. The hospitals here are like small-town hospitals but with LARGE city needs. I have to wonder if there aren't people in management who read these posts. I still say though...folks need to talk to the source and not keep complaining on social media!



Excellent post. And since GE asked, I will weigh in.

Having observed, used, and survived some ERs, not all are equal. Once one is seriously broken, as is TVRH's, it can be very difficult to turn around. I've turned around a couple in my career so I speak from experience.

What I'm posting here has been written and told to the hospital leadership. There are a number of issues that are easily noted for someone like GE so let's see if he agrees with my analysis.

First problem, the ER docs are lazy. They have no skin in the game and act like they really don't give a darn. They certainly aren't oriented toward productivity. SOLUTION: hire a new ER group, and make sure the contract speaks to quality and productivity standards.

Second problem, the hospital employees have a terrible attitude. It shows in the way they interact with each other and patients. I believe the attitude has rubbed off from the docs. SOLUTION: Replace the docs, and have all employees take a mandatory course on customer relations. Disney offers these, and they will teach it on site.

Third problem (and this one is literally a killer), best practice protocols are not being followed. When a patient arrives at the hospital with chest pain, there are practices that must be put in place immediately. Although anecdotal, there is sufficient evidence to believe cardiac and other protocols are not always followed. SOLUTION: Replace the ER group. There should also be a medical staff committee that reviews records to assure QA. I'd recommend that the committee investigate certain protocols to be sure they are being followed. Where appropriate it may be necessary to require education, or restrict privileges.

Fourth problem, they invested millions to the expand the ER...most likely hoping construction would resolve many of the issues discussed here and in other threads. The problems have remained. And IMO, the ER docs are the bottleneck. SOLUTION: fire the ER docs, and bring in a consultant to assess patient flow and staff work patterns.

That's enough for now. What do you think GE?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[kstew43]

When I needed them, They were there....But in retrospect I should have taken him to Ocala...

But..... we got a bill the other day from the ER doctor, that charged us $150 extra on his bill because we got to the ER at 11pm.....

We called him and had it removed, which they did....but the nerve.....

We didn't call him from home, he was on 11-7 shift.....wow.....

[golfing eagles]

Excellent post. And since GE asked, I will weigh in.

Having observed, used, and survived some ERs, not all are equal. Once one is seriously broken, as is TVRH's, it can be very difficult to turn around. I've turned around a couple in my career so I speak from experience.

What I'm posting here has been written and told to the hospital leadership. There are a number of issues that are easily noted for someone like GE so let's see if he agrees with my analysis.

First problem, the ER docs are lazy. They have no skin in the game and act like they really don't give a darn. They certainly aren't oriented toward productivity. SOLUTION: hire a new ER group, and make sure the contract speaks to quality and productivity standards.

Second problem, the hospital employees have a terrible attitude. It shows in the way they interact with each other and patients. I believe the attitude has rubbed off from the docs. SOLUTION: Replace the docs, and have all employees take a mandatory course on customer relations. Disney offers these, and they will teach it on site.

Third problem (and this one is literally a killer), best practice protocols are not being followed. When a patient arrives at the hospital with chest pain, there are practices that must be put in place immediately. Although anecdotal, there is sufficient evidence to believe cardiac and other protocols are not always followed. SOLUTION: Replace the ER group. There should also be a medical staff committee that reviews records to assure QA. I'd recommend that the committee investigate certain protocols to be sure they are being followed. Where appropriate it may be necessary to require education, or restrict privileges.

Fourth problem, they invested millions to the expand the ER...most likely hoping construction would resolve many of the issues discussed here and in other threads. The problems have remained. And IMO, the ER docs are the bottleneck. SOLUTION: fire the ER docs, and bring in a consultant to assess patient flow and staff work patterns.

That's enough for now. What do you think GE?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I agree 100%, I think I touched on most of this as well. ER culture tends to manifest itself from the top down. I don't know about all the ER docs here, but the one we had , gave at least the impression of laziness. He also seemed to have the knowledge base I expected from my interns and 2nd year residents. Did he do the right thing---yes. Was he happy about being there---no. Did he do it anywhere near as quickly as I could have---not even close. I agree QA needs to be stepped up, as well as a review of admission protocols.

[dbussone]

I agree 100%, I think I touched on most of this as well. ER culture tends to manifest itself from the top down. I don't know about all the ER docs here, but the one we had , gave at least the impression of laziness. He also seemed to have the knowledge base I expected from my interns and 2nd year residents. Did he do the right thing---yes. Was he happy about being there---no. Did he do it anywhere near as quickly as I could have---not even close. I agree QA needs to be stepped up, as well as a review of admission protocols.



Thank you GE.

I think one additional point I would make is we (TV residents) should not put up with such mediocrity. It's important to speak up - to hospital leadership, first. If you are the recipient of inadequate or dangerous care, and reported it to the hospital (but did not receive satisfaction), then report it to the State Department of Health and The Joint Commission. Both will investigate if you have a legitimate complaint.

Finally, there are really good ER physicians and companies out there, so don't settle. If enough people speak up it will help. I think we all want TVRH to be an excellent hospital. We need it to be one.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[CFrance]

Lookup Summerfield ER on Goggle Maps

But check the reviews there too... 4 of the 10 there are about poor service.

Google Maps (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Summerfield+ER/@29.0153902,-82.0132645,998m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xeee1c5218153496a!8m2 !3d29.0153902!4d-82.0110787)
Thanks. Good to have choices.

[NotGolfer]

Excellent post. And since GE asked, I will weigh in.

Having observed, used, and survived some ERs, not all are equal. Once one is seriously broken, as is TVRH's, it can be very difficult to turn around. I've turned around a couple in my career so I speak from experience.

What I'm posting here has been written and told to the hospital leadership. There are a number of issues that are easily noted for someone like GE so let's see if he agrees with my analysis.

First problem, the ER docs are lazy. They have no skin in the game and act like they really don't give a darn. They certainly aren't oriented toward productivity. SOLUTION: hire a new ER group, and make sure the contract speaks to quality and productivity standards.

Second problem, the hospital employees have a terrible attitude. It shows in the way they interact with each other and patients. I believe the attitude has rubbed off from the docs. SOLUTION: Replace the docs, and have all employees take a mandatory course on customer relations. Disney offers these, and they will teach it on site.

Third problem (and this one is literally a killer), best practice protocols are not being followed. When a patient arrives at the hospital with chest pain, there are practices that must be put in place immediately. Although anecdotal, there is sufficient evidence to believe cardiac and other protocols are not always followed. SOLUTION: Replace the ER group. There should also be a medical staff committee that reviews records to assure QA. I'd recommend that the committee investigate certain protocols to be sure they are being followed. Where appropriate it may be necessary to require education, or restrict privileges.

Fourth problem, they invested millions to the expand the ER...most likely hoping construction would resolve many of the issues discussed here and in other threads. The problems have remained. And IMO, the ER docs are the bottleneck. SOLUTION: fire the ER docs, and bring in a consultant to assess patient flow and staff work patterns.

That's enough for now. What do you think GE?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I so agree with you DB....."stuff" filters down from the top. I could give a seminar on how to be an effective front desk person in an office (medical or otherwise) as I've been there. They are the 1st people to be seen and represent the facility they work for. IF they aren't exhibiting a professional manner...then they should be fired! Bottom line. I can't speak to laziness of the doctors/nurses from our experiences at TVRH...we felt they were doing the best they could (for us) under the circumstances. What we see at the ER also happens in clinics across The Villages as well. Haven't seen it at T.V. health-care however but the others could use some training for sure. Again I say there it's their dr's and management who control that!!

[rjm1cc]

Fortunately I have no experience with the ER facility.
Up north the hospitals I used gave ER priority to those who arrived by ambulance. We were at a doctors office and were told to go to the ER. According to the Doctor and his experience we could take an ambulance from his office and be seen when we arrived. If we drove ourselves it could take several hours. We drove and it took longer to be seen that those arriving by ambulance. It seems that the ER is being used over its capacity.

The problem is that when you go to the ER you might not be sure how serious your problem is and if you should go to a more remote facility for treatment. For starters I would learn where other facilities are located and how long the average wait is. Then when an emergency occurs you have to make a judgment on where to go. I know one or more hospitals in Ocala let you make an emergency room appointment before you leave home. Of course they still take the most serious person first. Guess we all have to do a little home work and some postings on experience with other ER's would helpful.

[Suecorn]

It is not just The Villages hospital. Took my dad to Leesburg for choking and ended up getting admitted for high potassium. We waited 8 hours for a bed in the emergency room. There were stories of people waiting 17 hours and we were prepared to wait that long. Hoping they can come up with a solution with such a growing population of elderly patients. After living in the North (and thinking the wait times were bad) 1 hour or so this was quite a shocker!

[dbussone]

It is not just The Villages hospital. Took my dad to Leesburg for choking and ended up getting admitted for high potassium. We waited 8 hours for a bed in the emergency room. There were stories of people waiting 17 hours and we were prepared to wait that long. Hoping they can come up with a solution with such a growing population of elderly patients. After living in the North (and thinking the wait times were bad) 1 hour or so this was quite a shocker!



Leesburg and TVRH are both run by the same organization- the Central Florida Health Alliance. So I wouldn't expect a significant difference in the two ERs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

[dillywho]

My husband went to the Leesburg hospital on Tuesday morning. Our doctor works out of there since he no longer has privileges at TVRH because the powers that be decided that he lived too far away. Nothing to do with him or his abilities. Also, hubby's other doctors have offices in both Leesburg and The Villages. My husband was getting weaker and was sleeping more than usual. The doctor wanted to check him into the hospital to see just what was going on. I had called him on Monday evening and he suggested that I wait until early Tuesday morning, if I felt ok about it, because they would not be so busy. I did. Still don't have any answers, but we do know what it isn't.

For those who are constantly complaining (to use nicer wording) about the Villages Hospital, I have news for them. The wait is just as long in Leesburg. We got to the ER at 8:15, and my husband was triaged. There was one other person there, who was taken in first. They took us back to a room in the ER pretty quickly, but it was 7:30 that evening before he went to a room. Their ER filled up pretty quickly, and yes, they had to put some in the hallway to wait as the day progressed, starting around 9.

I found out that doctors are sending patients in through the ER (except for scheduled surgeries, procedures, etc.) to get the initial testing, etc. done. This is especially true for admission for observation.

There are some real as****** around and they, I am sorry to say, are Villagers. One guy was in a wreck and came into the ER room right next to us. The paramedics warned the nurses that he was a jerk to them, so to watch out. They said he refused to get off his phone so that they could check him, cursed them, etc. Sure enough, the first thing he did was start trying to throw his weight around the ER, making demands. He cursed at the first nurse, telling her she was treating him like a child and that he was XX-years old, for her information. (No child of mine would act like that without getting their butt busted, for sure.) She was treating him no differently than any other patient, my husband included. He told her to get out of there and go home, since SHE was apparently having a bad day. He DEMANDED she call her supervisor, which she did. He told her supervisor that he demanded that they bring him to Leesburg because the hospital at The Villages was so bad and that apparently Leesburg wasn't any better, from the way he was being "treated". He DEMANDED that they check to see if the ER doctor was part of his insurance and if not, get him one that was. This whole time, he was on his blasted cell phone, just as he was when they wheeled him in. Security finally had to be called to deal with him. I told the nurse that I had heard EVERYTHING and that if he got any money-making notion of filing suit, I would back THEM up. One-hundred percent total jerk!!!:censored:

Funny part of it, though, when his wife got there, he suddenly became Mr. Nice Guy. (Must know better than to mess with her!) That was hysterical!! :1rotfl::1rotfl: After going through being checked, x-rays, blood work, etc., AND the ER doctor on duty, he was dismissed and walked out with his wife and their friend. And on his phone again, almost as soon as his feet hit the floor!:sigh:

We finally got a room around 7:30 that evening. They do have to wait until someone has been dismissed and the room cleaned. Personally, I could see NO DIFFERENCE in going to the ER in Leesburg and going to TVRH. Both have been outstanding!

The best thing about going to Leesburg was their new Short Stay Wing, which is all private rooms. I could stay with him around the clock and not have to travel back to The Villages at night.

[dillywho]

Fortunately I have no experience with the ER facility.
Up north the hospitals I used gave ER priority to those who arrived by ambulance. We were at a doctors office and were told to go to the ER. According to the Doctor and his experience we could take an ambulance from his office and be seen when we arrived. If we drove ourselves it could take several hours. We drove and it took longer to be seen that those arriving by ambulance. It seems that the ER is being used over its capacity.

The problem is that when you go to the ER you might not be sure how serious your problem is and if you should go to a more remote facility for treatment. For starters I would learn where other facilities are located and how long the average wait is. Then when an emergency occurs you have to make a judgment on where to go. I know one or more hospitals in Ocala let you make an emergency room appointment before you leave home. Of course they still take the most serious person first. Guess we all have to do a little home work and some postings on experience with other ER's would helpful.

Contrary to popular belief, you are not seen quicker if you go in by ambulance. The only difference is that they are in contact with the hospital and it seems that ER triage is the only thing you by-pass. The last time my husband fell, I called 911. When we got to the ER, we waited a very long time in the hallway. The paramedics explained all this to me. They also told me that there is 511, which is a non-emergency paramedic call. They said that if he experienced another fall and I was certain that he was not having a heart attack, unconscious, etc., to call that number and tell them the situation and ask for a lift assist. The bad part about going in by ambulance just to be seen sooner, which you aren't, it still ties up paramedics until you are seen. This keeps them from responding to truly life-threatening emergencies. I really appreciated their telling me about the non-emergency number.

Hope this helps.

[crabbyannie1]

It seems to me that this wasn't a real emergency requiring a trip to the Hospital ER if someone could just decide to go home because it was taking too long. Maybe a better choice would have been to go to Urgent Care.
I'm thankful we have a hospital here. I have been in the ER a few times and have had several stays in the hospital. Wonderful care.

I agree. The problem is that Urgent Care is not a 24 hour operation, so people who would definitely benefit cant get sick after hours. It's off to the ER with you, where you are triaged and wait. As for ambulance patients being seen first, let me assure you that this is not the case, ad I was taken by ambulance to TVRH thinking I had a stroke. I spent 5 minutes in the ER bay, was triaged, decided it was not a stroke, and sent into the ER waiting room, where I waited an additional 7 hours. When I was finally seen by a Dr., I was sent for a CT scan and admitted. Once I was in a bed, everything was fine. My hubby, however, was sent from the doctor's office to the ER by ambulance and had an excrutiatingly horrendous experience, even after he was admitted. Our doctor was furious and had him discharged.

[dillywho]

GolfingEagles: Could part of the problem be that the ER does not have its own lab, etc., and has to use the same lab for tests as the remainder of the hospital? Could this be part of the reason why wait times are so long, and it seems that nobody is doing anything? Could that be because they can't do anything until the results are back? I don't know if this is the case, but it looks to be. I know we have had to wait quite a while to find out what blood work, x-rays, etc. have shown. Then, the doctor would come in with a decision as to treatment or admit for further testing, etc.

Thanks

[dillywho]

Plain and simple. The coverage and response time at The villages Hospital emergency room stinks. People go there because it's convenient. Then they wait, and wait, and wait. If you have an option, get someone to tanke you to Shands. A UF teaching hospital. After 8 hrs. In the emergency room and finally being transported via ambulance to Shands I can say first hand, I won't go back to The Village Hospital for anything. This is not a Morse issue, it could be a life and death issue. They built a good city but the medical piece of it got lost in the shuffle. Agreed privatization takes over and so do economies of scale. And above all good old fashioned profit. The king of privatization

When my husband had his first heart attack, the paramedics told us that he was in the throes of a heart attack, immediately making contact with TVRH. It was a little after 1:00 a.m. when he was loaded and we were off to TVRH. When we got there, they were waiting for him, had already called in the cath team, got him ready to go up, he got a stent, and was in ICU by around 4:30 a.m..

In all probability, he would never have made it to Leesburg, much less Shands.

[dbussone]

GolfingEagles: Could part of the problem be that the ER does not have its own lab, etc., and has to use the same lab for tests as the remainder of the hospital? Could this be part of the reason why wait times are so long, and it seems that nobody is doing anything? Could that be because they can't do anything until the results are back? I don't know if this is the case, but it looks to be. I know we have had to wait quite a while to find out what blood work, x-rays, etc. have shown. Then, the doctor would come in with a decision as to treatment or admit for further testing, etc.



Thanks



Even if it uses the same lab, ER results are usually given priority over other patients. It would be unusual, in my experience to see a duplicate lab just for the ER. A stat lab might be nearby though.

Radiological exams, for the most part, can be done in the ER with portable equipment. In some hospitals there is a dedicated CT and/or MRI adjacent to the ER. I don't know about at TVRH. Usually this is done at larger hospitals, especially trauma centers - which TVRH is not.


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[dillywho]

Even if it uses the same lab, ER results are usually given priority over other patients. It would be unusual, in my experience to see a duplicate lab just for the ER. A stat lab might be nearby though.

Radiological exams, for the most part, can be done in the ER with portable equipment. In some hospitals there is a dedicated CT and/or MRI adjacent to the ER. I don't know about at TVRH. Usually this is done at larger hospitals, especially trauma centers - which TVRH is not.


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Thank you. I was just wondering and looking for possible explanations for wait times.

[golfing eagles]

Even if it uses the same lab, ER results are usually given priority over other patients. It would be unusual, in my experience to see a duplicate lab just for the ER. A stat lab might be nearby though.

Radiological exams, for the most part, can be done in the ER with portable equipment. In some hospitals there is a dedicated CT and/or MRI adjacent to the ER. I don't know about at TVRH. Usually this is done at larger hospitals, especially trauma centers - which TVRH is not.


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Quite true. And it only takes 3 min to run a CBC and 15 min to spin and run a chem profile

[mikeritz53]

My wife was bitten by what we were told later was probably a Marion County Brown Scorpian. She started to have problems with breathing so we went to The Villages Emergency. We stood at the front counter while a Nurse came and went 3 times without acknowledging us. I finally stopped her to ask what the process was and without her asking what was wrong said, and I quote "you're not dying so go sit down and wait like everyone else". We of course walked out and got to an Urgent Care unit and they rushed her into a room and gave her shots immediately as they could see she was in Crisis. Needless to say we will drive to Leesburg before we ever would visit the Village Hospital Emergency again.

[Roberta Forcina]

That is not good to hear. For all the positive and wonderful advertisements about the Villages, to me, this is of great concern and must be addressed.

[Jdmiata]

Since moving here ten years ago I have been to this emergency room three times ( twice for myself ). My waits were ALL in excess of eight hours. Two of these visits required being admitted to the hospital. Once I was put in what looked like a storage room , awaiting a bed in the hospital. Horrible experiences.

[dillywho]

Since moving here ten years ago I have been to this emergency room three times ( twice for myself ). My waits were ALL in excess of eight hours. Two of these visits required being admitted to the hospital. Once I was put in what looked like a storage room , awaiting a bed in the hospital. Horrible experiences.

Hopefully, hospitals will begin constructing new ones and additions to existing ones with all private rooms. Even though that might be more costly in the beginning, it should alleviate some of the problems such as you describe. Unfortunately, I have seen the same thing over and over in other hospitals, so it is just not TVRH or Leesburg. It also occurs in other cities/states.

Sometimes the wait for a room can be lengthy because they cannot and should not be co-ed. I am sure you understand that they cannot send someone home just because there is another patient still in ER waiting to get to a room. Getting patients out of the ER and into a room is beneficial both to the ER staff and other patients needing ER assistance.

[PennBF]

It is amazing that some are making excuses for the bad treatment or timely attention in the ER at the TVRH! It is a disgrace this is happening and if there is a problem that has 1-3 hours (which is what it is taking + in the TVRH) that the patient does not go to a good facility?? Does it concern anyone that if the ER is so badly organized and/or the treatment that the medical care, (e.g. diagnosis) may be suffering the same problem. I am sure the care of the house, or the car does not exceed the body and how many are concerned they have the right mechanic or landscaper while settleing for whoever appears in the ER? I also think the Developer who takes great pride in the homes and growth of The Villages should take more time to understand the alleged bad medical treatment and do something!!!:popcorn:

[lakeoscawana]

My grandson came for a visit when he was 3 yrs old. He had a seizer and we rushed him to the Villages hospital where we waited 5 hours. We never saw a doctor; only an n.p. I witnessed a man pressing against his chest clearly in pain who also waited. there was NO ONE IN ATTENDANCE WHEN WE GOT THERE....only volunteers who could only tell you to take a seat.
Months later, I spoke to a woman who is a nurse who WORKS THERE, and asked her about this experience whether it was the norm and she told me if her family needed emergency help, she would go to Leesburg, NOT to The Villages!
Where are The Villages standards??? Why is this tolerated in a place with such High Standards for so many other things?
Is there anything more important than our HEALTH?

[golfing eagles]

Hopefully, hospitals will begin constructing new ones and additions to existing ones with all private rooms. Even though that might be more costly in the beginning, it should alleviate some of the problems such as you describe. Unfortunately, I have seen the same thing over and over in other hospitals, so it is just not TVRH or Leesburg. It also occurs in other cities/states.

Sometimes the wait for a room can be lengthy because they cannot and should not be co-ed. I am sure you understand that they cannot send someone home just because there is another patient still in ER waiting to get to a room. Getting patients out of the ER and into a room is beneficial both to the ER staff and other patients needing ER assistance.

Sounds good in theory, but you cannot just start building hospitals.

ALL new hospitals, all expansion of hospitals, adding rooms, or even changing rooms to private REQUIRES STATE GOVERNMENT APPROVAL. I may think we need more beds, YOU may think we need more beds, THE HOSPITAL may think it needs more beds, but none of that matters, only if THE STATE agrees can it be done. Welcome to the bureaucracy !

[golfing eagles]

My grandson came for a visit when he was 3 yrs old. He had a seizer and we rushed him to the Villages hospital where we waited 5 hours. We never saw a doctor; only an n.p. I witnessed a man pressing against his chest clearly in pain who also waited. there was NO ONE IN ATTENDANCE WHEN WE GOT THERE....only volunteers who could only tell you to take a seat.
Months later, I spoke to a woman who is a nurse who WORKS THERE, and asked her about this experience whether it was the norm and she told me if her family needed emergency help, she would go to Leesburg, NOT to The Villages!
Where are The Villages standards??? Why is this tolerated in a place with such High Standards for so many other things?
Is there anything more important than our HEALTH?

News flash-----TVRH and Leesburg hospital are run by THE SAME entity. It's like saying I wouldn't go to Walmart on 466, I'd go to Walmart on 441. I suspect the nurse who said that is somewhat unhappy for whatever reason.

[NotGolfer]

My grandson came for a visit when he was 3 yrs old. He had a seizer and we rushed him to the Villages hospital where we waited 5 hours. We never saw a doctor; only an n.p. I witnessed a man pressing against his chest clearly in pain who also waited. there was NO ONE IN ATTENDANCE WHEN WE GOT THERE....only volunteers who could only tell you to take a seat.
Months later, I spoke to a woman who is a nurse who WORKS THERE, and asked her about this experience whether it was the norm and she told me if her family needed emergency help, she would go to Leesburg, NOT to The Villages!
Where are The Villages standards??? Why is this tolerated in a place with such High Standards for so many other things?
Is there anything more important than our HEALTH?

Not to negate that you had a bad experience but both hospitals are run by the same organization. Also for other posters, the developer isn't involved in the management of the hospitals here...I think, only that Harold Schwartz was responsible, back in the day for bringing TVRH here.

[Taltarzac725]

Many of my dog park friends would head up to Shands for treatments of various kinds. UF Health Shands Hospital | UF Health, University of Florida Health (https://ufhealth.org/uf-health-shands-hospital)

[golfing eagles]

Many of my dog park friends would head up to Shands for treatments of various kinds.

Human or canine?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[Taltarzac725]

Human or canine?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Both actually. Bare probably went looking for that lobster. :)

[rivaridger1]

Human or canine?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Actually the UF School of Veterinary Medicine is excellent. We had a cat we took there to be treated by a small animal Cardiologist until it passed away. The UF Orthopedic Center which I go to since I have not yet passed away is also a world class facility.:coolsmiley:

[dbussone]

Human or canine?????:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:



Both. In addition to the Med school and Shands Hospital, they have a great vet school and both large animal and small animal hospitals. Believe it or not, they also have vet specialty residencies. Harry's cavalier predecessor (Winston) had a cardiologist there.


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[Taltarzac725]

Actually the UF School of Veterinary Medicine is excellent. We had a cat we took there to be treated by a small animal Cardiologist until it passed away. The UF Orthopedic Center which I go to since I have not yet passed away is also a world class facility.:coolsmiley:

That's where my dog park friends would often take their cats and dogs. And to the UF Dental School too as I hear they have good rates.

[LittleDynamo]

Even if you get seen in the ER, the service is horrible. My mother went in, and then was made to wait, as an admitted patient, 6 days before they actually heard our concern, figured out she had 2 broken vertebrae in her spine, treated her, and released her that day. She died 2 weeks later. They don't care, they seem to have the mentality that everyone here is dying and can't be helped. Unfortunate.

I also had a golf cart accident, was taken in by ambulance with a broken wrist, had horrible, bleeding cuts all over my face and arms. They set the wrist, without ever even wiping off the blood (and I was concerned for infection) or wiping any blood from my face or anywhere else. So sad. I recommend when possible, going into Ocala for care.

It is reasonable to think, in an elder community where healthcare is of utmost importance, that the hospital system here should be of world class standards, rather than sub-par performance. Can't understand it, and people's lives depend on it. Just don't know where to start to get it changed.

[Stitch42]

Spent 9 hrs in ER waiting room on the Friday before Memorial Day. Finally made in back, but had to wait another 6 hrs before I had a bed upstairs. After I was finally admitted the care was good, really liked some of the nurses. The food was not much. they did not give me any choices on my limited diet.
The longest we waited back in Maryland was 4 hours.

[skip0358]

Here's my question ? Over 5000 people have commented on this post. We all know there's a problem there and bitching on here isn't going to fix it. WHY do so many continue to go there then? Go elsewhere for your care. If your going to wait 3 to 9 hours for care hell you could drive to another state. If you don't like the place don't go. It might not be the best but it's EMERGENCY care if that's what you need and you will be treated quickly. Find an urgent care that's open late or go to one of the other Hospitals in the outlying areas.

[Taltarzac725]

Here's my question ? Over 5000 people have commented on this post. We all know there's a problem there and bitching on here isn't going to fix it. WHY do so many continue to go there then? Go elsewhere for your care. If your going to wait 3 to 9 hours for care hell you could drive to another state. If you don't like the place don't go. It might not be the best but it's EMERGENCY care if that's what you need and you will be treated quickly. Find an urgent care that's open late or go to one of the other Hospitals in the outlying areas.

Actually 70 have commented on it. 5172 have looked at it.

[skip0358]

Actually 70 have commented on it. 5172 have looked at it.

My bad you're correct. Your right the other TVRH discussion has 143 posters and 20,588 views

[OhioBuckeye]

A few weeks ago, I submitted a Letter to the Editor, Daily Sun, but I have given up hope that it will ever be printed, so I'll share it here...

How is it that in The Villages, where everything is so wonderful, the ER service at its hospital, The Villages Regional Hospital, is so poor? Recently, my daughter was quite ill and waited four hours until the stress of sitting in the waiting room became worse than the stress of being sick at home. We left without having been seen. So did a man and woman sitting across from us. They were in their 80s and had been waiting six hours. And this was when the seasonal residents were gone! Since then, in telling our story, I have come across Villagers who said they spent eight hours or longer in the waiting room. This is appalling. If a business operated like that, it would have no customers. But The Villages Hospital has no competitors, so it does not have to care how long the ill and injured have to wait. With large parcels of land being purchased by The Villages, and the subsequent increase in population, the ability to obtain emergency care in a timely manner should be a huge concern for residents. This is about providing more than just amenities and shopping. This is about meeting life’s emergency needs.

I agree with you 100%. One month after having a 5 way heart bypass I had an issue that needed attention, I sat in the waiting room 5 1/2 hrs. I was told by my heart Dr. to be careful not to get the flu or any other kind of virus. There were 3 people in the waiting room with vomit buckets. It didn't mean nothing to the receptionist or the TV hospital what I was told about what my heart Dr. said. Not going to get into a long story but TV hospital to me isn't a place where you want to go. found out TV hospital can't treat heart issues, they can only stabilize you & send you on to another. You would think with 100,000 + elderly people they would be equipped to do these kind of things since that's one of the things that happen to people when they get older. Guess if TV hospital was as great as some people think the state medical board would make TV hospital one of the best in Florida!

[rivaridger1]

With respect to all of the posters who to their good fortune have not been exposed to this ER and whose typical response is " if you don't like it go elsewhere ", I suspect you are elderly, or getting there, just like the rest of us who do not enjoy good health. Your turn is coming, just give it a couple of years ! Then we await your reaction to callous medical staffers who really do not care that much about you since you are approaching the end of your days anyway.

[skip0358]

With respect to all of the posters who to their good fortune have not been exposed to this ER and whose typical response is " if you don't like it go elsewhere ", I suspect you are elderly, or getting there, just like the rest of us who do not enjoy good health. Your turn is coming, just give it a couple of years ! Then we await your reaction to callous medical staffers who really do not care that much about you since you are approaching the end of your days anyway.

I have had the experience and I feel this way. If it's an emergency that requires an Ambulance I'll go. If it's a Walk In situation and it's standing room only I'll go elsewhere. 3 times admitted and had great treatment, wanted for nothing. Emergency Room I'll go elsewhere unless by Ambulance.

[PennBF]

Our plan is if we have something that is not critical we go to the Lake Sumter Urgent Care (near Winn Dixie) where you can be sure you will see a Dr. and the treatment is outstanding. If it is critical we first go to this Urgent Care and then on to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville in 2 1/2 hours. I wonder if anyone who manages the Villages (Developer,etc,) actually uses the Villages Hospital. I wonder if they do are they ever left to sit in the waiting room for 5+ hours? Of course not!! It's the old story of the Company that pays its employee's well and with good medical coverage. When they retire the Co. cuts the benifits since they no longer "need" them. Once you purchase a house in The Villages you are subject to alleged poor Hospital medical coverage since you are no longer needed??:bowdown:

[Bonny]

Our plan is if we have something that is not critical we go to the Lake Sumter Urgent Care (near Winn Dixie) where you can be sure you will see a Dr. and the treatment is outstanding. If it is critical we first go to this Urgent Care and then on to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville in 2 1/2 hours. I wonder if anyone who manages the Villages (Developer,etc,) actually uses the Villages Hospital. I wonder if they do are they ever left to sit in the waiting room for 5+ hours? Of course not!! It's the old story of the Company that pays its employee's well and with good medical coverage. When they retire the Co. cuts the benifits since they no longer "need" them. Once you purchase a house in The Villages you are subject to alleged poor Hospital medical coverage since you are no longer needed??:bowdown:
I am thankful to have a hospital here! I have been a patient there several times and have had wonderful care!!

[perrjojo]

I am thankful to have a hospital here! I have been a patient there several times and have had wonderful care!!
I agree. We moved from the Atlanta area and ER wait times were similar. I often think of that saying, "failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Too many in the ER should be seen in Urgent care. Too many in the ER should have gone to their doctor YESTERDAY. When I went to the ER I waited 6 hours to be seen and then was admitted. Yes, it was a long wait. Yes, I needed to be admitted but I wasn't dying. Yes, I received excellent care.

[skip0358]

I agree. We moved from the Atlanta area and ER wait times were similar. I often think of that saying, "failure to plan on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part." Too many in the ER should be seen in Urgent care. Too many in the ER should have gone to their doctor YESTERDAY. When I went to the ER I waited 6 hours to be seen and then was admitted. Yes, it was a long wait. Yes, I needed to be admitted but I wasn't dying. Yes, I received excellent care.

Couldn't agree more. 100% on spot !

[dbussone]

I am thankful to have a hospital here! I have been a patient there several times and have had wonderful care!!



Bonny - I only disagree partially. My point is, and I believe GE agrees with me, is that the ER is a disaster. The care may be wonderful and perfect once you get past the ER. IF you get past the ER.

My wife, an RN, has had great care during her two inpatient stays. But she has had two horrible experiences in the ER - and both were true emergencies.


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[Bonny]

Bonny - I only disagree partially. My point is, and I believe GE agrees with me, is that the ER is a disaster. The care may be wonderful and perfect once you get past the ER. IF you get past the ER.

My wife, an RN, has had great care during her two inpatient stays. But she has had two horrible experiences in the ER - and both were true emergencies.


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Yes, I have gone through emergency and there has been a long wait. With that being said, I worked in a very large hospital in Michigan and remember long waits then as well.
So many say, go to Ocala. A friend of mine went to the ER in Ocala a few months ago. They waited so long, they decided to come back to the Villages. She did end up getting admitted and spent 5 or 6 days in the TVRH.
The waiting rooms are a nightmare at most hospitals. Definitely agree they have to try and get a better system going.

[dbussone]

Yes, I have gone through emergency and there has been a long wait. With that being said, I worked in a very large hospital in Michigan and remember long waits then as well.

So many say, go to Ocala. A friend of mine went to the ER in Ocala a few months ago. They waited so long, they decided to come back to the Villages. She did end up getting admitted and spent 5 or 6 days in the TVRH.

The waiting rooms are a nightmare at most hospitals. Definitely agree they have to try and get a better system going.



It wasn't just the unnecessary wait. It was also inadequate care. Her Orthopaedic surgeon, who was chief-of-staff at the time, was so upset about the lack of care she received in the ER that he went to see the hospital CEO.


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[golfing eagles]

And one more thing: TVRH ER has approx. 47,000 visits each year. Just where should all those people go??? If we didn't have the hospital, probably 40,000 would land in Leesburg. Just imagine what a nightmare 110 more patients/day would create in their ER.

[Taltarzac725]

And one more thing: TVRH ER has approx. 47,000 visits each year. Just where should all those people go??? If we didn't have the hospital, probably 40,000 would land in Leesburg. Just imagine what a nightmare 110 more patients/day would create in their ER.

That's an awful lot of visits GE. And they could not get permission for a hospital close to 466A???

[dbussone]

That's an awful lot of visits GE. And they could not get permission for a hospital close to 466A???



I may be wrong, but I believe some property had been set aside in Brownwood for a second hospital some years ago. The recent expansion was likely done as an alternative.


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[dillywho]

I agree with you 100%. One month after having a 5 way heart bypass I had an issue that needed attention, I sat in the waiting room 5 1/2 hrs. I was told by my heart Dr. to be careful not to get the flu or any other kind of virus. There were 3 people in the waiting room with vomit buckets. It didn't mean nothing to the receptionist or the TV hospital what I was told about what my heart Dr. said. Not going to get into a long story but TV hospital to me isn't a place where you want to go. found out TV hospital can't treat heart issues, they can only stabilize you & send you on to another. You would think with 100,000 + elderly people they would be equipped to do these kind of things since that's one of the things that happen to people when they get older. Guess if TV hospital was as great as some people think the state medical board would make TV hospital one of the best in Florida!

Then something must have changed. All of my husband's heart issues have been successfully treated through TVRH. He has received numerous stents, coded once after being admitted for elevating troponin levels (troponin is one of the indicators in heart issues). It took them 10 minutes to stabilize him enough to get him into the cath lab, where he received 2 more stents. Thanks to TVRH and their ER, he has survived 2 heart attacks with great outcomes.

I had a stent placed in September there. Maybe they just don't deal in open-heart surgeries?

[Miles42]

i think it is terrible, uncaring and dumb staff

[Bonny]

i think it is terrible, uncaring and dumb staff
Dumb staff ? :confused:

[golfing eagles]

i think it is terrible, uncaring and dumb staff

They're not dumb, I have heard some of them speak:a20::a20::a20:

[FosterMomma]

We have been to the Villages ER twice and both times had excellent care.

[sandyg]

I was released from TVH yesterday after Falling at home and taken tto TVH and immediately triaged and admitted. The care and treatment was great and my only complaint was the lousy food. All in all a satisfactory experience.

[Taltarzac725]

I was released from TVH yesterday after Falling at home and taken tto TVH and immediately triaged and admitted. The care and treatment was great and my only complaint was the lousy food. All in all a satisfactory experience.

Good to hear that.

[golfing eagles]

To paraphrase our 40th president:

The closest thing to eternal life on Earth is a Villages Regional Hospital ER thread

[Taltarzac725]

To paraphrase our 40th president:

The closest thing to eternal life on Earth is a Villages Regional Hospital ER thread

That and lobster on the Three Word Thread.

I ran into a friend named John who threw out his hip a few days ago and said he had had a seven hour wait at the Villages Regional Hospital while in intense pain. I did not ask if they had offered him anything for this agony while he was waiting.

[NotGolfer]

I was released from TVH yesterday after Falling at home and taken tto TVH and immediately triaged and admitted. The care and treatment was great and my only complaint was the lousy food. All in all a satisfactory experience.

YUP....the food is pretty bad! We've experienced great care otherwise if you do get admitted! ER needs a bunch of re-vitalizing too I will admit!!

[Bonny]

YUP....the food is pretty bad! We've experienced great care otherwise if you do get admitted! ER needs a bunch of re-vitalizing too I will admit!!
I actually liked the food. I figure as long as I don't have to cook it, it's good. LOL
Don't want to bite the hand that's feeding me! ;)

[ceguider]

Whether it's an industry-leading "Company", a high-end "Development" or a acclaimed senior "Community" with over 100,000 residents - there are certain issues which are non-negotiable. And in this case Healthcare for The Villages' residents is one of them. There is no viable reason, financial or otherwise,for not having world-class facilities. Period. Forget the golf courses. Forget the recreation centers. For quality of life, Healthcare should be Paramount. "Losing money" is NO EXCUSE ! The most simplistic solution, while allowing for more complex remedies, is to raise the Maintenance Fees a small amount. With 50,000 residences, an increase of TEN DOLLARS a month would bring-in an additional SIX MILLION dollars a year. I suspect, but am not sure, that this would get things improved significantly. CEG - Santo Domingo

[Jersey Girl]

I had one occasion to use Metro Ambulance and hope I never need them again! I requested transport to Munroe Hospital in Ocala. The driver took the longest route possible, traveling Morse Blvd. rather than Buena Vista and going very slowly, not even at the speed limit, but under! It was like he was a taxi driver running up the meter! Meanwhile inside I was bleeding, an IV could not be started, and because of the slow moving ride, I had to accept going to The Villages Hospital, which was not my intention. With no medical assist inside, I could have gotten where I wanted to go had my husband driven me instead.

[dbussone]

Whether it's an industry-leading "Company", a high-end "Development" or a acclaimed senior "Community" with over 100,000 residents - there are certain issues which are non-negotiable. And in this case Healthcare for The Villages' residents is one of them. There is no viable reason, financial or otherwise,for not having world-class facilities. Period. Forget the golf courses. Forget the recreation centers. For quality of life, Healthcare should be Paramount. "Losing money" is NO EXCUSE ! The most simplistic solution, while allowing for more complex remedies, is to raise the Maintenance Fees a small amount. With 50,000 residences, an increase of TEN DOLLARS a month would bring-in an additional SIX MILLION dollars a year. I suspect, but am not sure, that this would get things improved significantly. CEG - Santo Domingo




First of all, 6 million would be an unnecessary drop in the bucket. TVRH, based on its 2015 Form 990, had revenue of $161 Million. And this does not count revenue from Leesburg, its sister hospital. It had cash of $54 Million, and other liquid assets of $10 Million. It had a good balance sheet.

In addition, executive pay is very significant for a non-profit. The system ceo's compensation was $885 Thousand.

There is no reason for Villagers to be burdened by a tax, fee, or other assessment, so let's not even go there.

Since this is your second post, I would be pleased to help you understand any other issues that may concern you about hospital management and operations.


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[windylou]

I have heard this from others and would like to share my story. Our neighbor was taken by EMS to ER and of course, was put in a room quickly. When I arrived at 8 am there was no one in the waiting room. However, as the day went on, we watched as rooms were emptied and filled immediately. Constant turnover. When I left at 8 pm ( after my neighbor was finally admitted. ) the ER waiting room was full . I believe too that we need more ER service ... and often wonder if this can't be handled by Urgent Care facilities ??? Never quite understood why they close so early, as I think it would be helpful for them to pick up the "lighter" cases that dont' need a hospital stay. The Villages Hospital has an Urgent Care .. which, to my thinking , could be that place where peope with non-hospital type cases could go... and if it was then decided that they needed hospital .. they would be in the right place.

[NotGolfer]

Maybe a committee should be formed to approach the hospital officials with their complaints and concerns. NOT much will happen without some action. Doesn't seem beneficial to come on social media sites and complain.


Addendum to the above: I was just reading a letter to the editor of my home-town newspaper in the midwest. It could have been written by many on this site (only insert the names where applied). The writer tells of her elderly dad who went to the ER (a Mayo sattelite hospital) and was there for 10 hrs before treatment. It's a long story of ambulance rides, transfers to other Mayo facilities then back to the nursing home over days/weeks. It was a sad commentary that probably is happening all over our country and not just here in The Villages! People continually say..."I won't go to TVRH but will go instead to ___insert hospital's name____". Then you hear a story from someone or several someone's whose experiences in those hospitals are equally not positive. My point is...medical care is changing very rapidly! What we remember from "back home" probably isn't like that anymore. But still what I stated in my original 2 sentences might be an option for us here.

[Bonny]

Maybe a committee should be formed to approach the hospital officials with their complaints and concerns. NOT much will happen without some action. Doesn't seem beneficial to come on social media sites and complain.


Addendum to the above: I was just reading a letter to the editor of my home-town newspaper in the midwest. It could have been written by many on this site (only insert the names where applied). The writer tells of her elderly dad who went to the ER (a Mayo sattelite hospital) and was there for 10 hrs before treatment. It's a long story of ambulance rides, transfers to other Mayo facilities then back to the nursing home over days/weeks. It was a sad commentary that probably is happening all over our country and not just here in The Villages! People continually say..."I won't go to TVRH but will go instead to ___insert hospital's name____". Then you hear a story from someone or several someone's whose experiences in those hospitals are equally not positive. My point is...medical care is changing very rapidly! What we remember from "back home" probably isn't like that anymore. But still what I stated in my original 2 sentences might be an option for us here.
I worked in a very good large hospital in Michigan. These stories are the same every where. I have several friends who work in hospitals and these same stories are told.

[NotGolfer]

I worked in a very good large hospital in Michigan. These stories are the same every where. I have several friends who work in hospitals and these same stories are told.

Thank you Bonny! You reinforce exactly what I was trying to share. It's not a happy thought, is it?? As we age and with the Medicare and supplemental ins. we all carry (differing but similar)...well it's just not a positive thing to think upon.

The folks who live in my former home-town remember the hospital, clinics and health-care they all had, like 20 to 50 yrs ago...maybe less. What's happening in my home state is like a monopoly and the patients are who are affected. It's not about "care" anymore, but about profit and money!

[Challenger]

When I was 15 (1953), I was injured in a baseball game requiring a lot of stitches . Taken to Siani Hospital in Baltimore at about 7:30 pm. Was not seen by Dr until 3 hrs later and was discharged at around Midnight. Often our memories of better places and quicker times are mistaken or greatly exaggerated. Not saying that there is no chance for improvement.

[Bonny]

When I was 11, 1952, I was at a hospital in Michigan and had my tonsils out. My bed was in the hallway for about 2 hours after surgery because there were no rooms.

[graciegirl]

I worked in a very good large hospital in Michigan. These stories are the same every where. I have several friends who work in hospitals and these same stories are told.

I agree. This is happening right here in The Villages. AND it is happening all over the country. Just type in any combination of these words into your browser;

Long Emergency room wait.

Left to suffer in ER

Complaints about Emergency Room in...............(fill in the area, hospital or city)

Had to wait for six hours in Emergency room.

My wife allowed to suffer in E.R.

Personally I think it is possibly worse here because many people do NOT have their own physicians to consult because of not being full time. Things then become serious and painful and acute and dangerous.

[dbussone]

I agree. This is happening right here in The Villages. AND it is happening all over the country. Just type in any combination of these words into your browser;

Long Emergency room wait.

Left to suffer in ER

Complaints about Emergency Room in...............(fill in the area, hospital or city)

Had to wait for six hours in Emergency room.

My wife allowed to suffer in E.R.

Personally I think it is possibly worse here because many people do NOT have their own physicians to consult because of not being full time. Things then become serious and painful and acute and dangerous.



I don't want to rain on everyone's parade, but the issues in the ER go beyond long waits.


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[Blessed2BNTV]

Maybe a committee should be formed to approach the hospital officials with their complaints and concerns. NOT much will happen without some action. Doesn't seem beneficial to come on social media sites and complain.


Addendum to the above: I was just reading a letter to the editor of my home-town newspaper in the midwest. It could have been written by many on this site (only insert the names where applied). The writer tells of her elderly dad who went to the ER (a Mayo sattelite hospital) and was there for 10 hrs before treatment. It's a long story of ambulance rides, transfers to other Mayo facilities then back to the nursing home over days/weeks. It was a sad commentary that probably is happening all over our country and not just here in The Villages! People continually say..."I won't go to TVRH but will go instead to ___insert hospital's name____". Then you hear a story from someone or several someone's whose experiences in those hospitals are equally not positive. My point is...medical care is changing very rapidly! What we remember from "back home" probably isn't like that anymore. But still what I stated in my original 2 sentences might be an option for us here.

A great idea to form a committee! I will volunteer with you.

I will send you a pm with my information.

[Bonny]

I don't want to rain on everyone's parade, but the issues in the ER go beyond long waits.


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Not sure what other issues. I have been in the ER quite a few times and have had good care. A few by ambulance and a couple of walk ins.

[dbussone]

Not sure what other issues. I have been in the ER quite a few times and have had good care. A few by ambulance and a couple of walk ins.



For those who may want to review a fairly exhaustive list of the issues that Golfing Eagles and I have discussed on this thread, please feel free to note the following posts:
Post 83
Post 81
Post 53
Post 51
Post 40
Post 39
Post 37
Post 35
Post 31
Post 17
These do not, I believe contain posts by anyone other that GE, or me. I did this because I don't know the backgrounds of any other posters. GE is a physician and has worked in ERs and I ran hospitals for more than 40 years. I believe we are qualified to discuss our observations.

If GE disagrees with me, I am sure he will correct me.




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[fw102807]

Could you rather just start a new thread with a summation and maybe some suggestions if there are things we can do to get this addressed? Health care is definitely important to all of us I am sure.

[dbussone]

Could you rather just start a new thread with a summation and maybe some suggestions if there are things we can do to get this addressed? Health care is definitely important to all of us I am sure.



The posts I've listed accomplish the same thing as a summary.


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[dbussone]

By the way, there was a letter to the editor, in the unnamed online news, today from a cardiac nurse. You might want to read it.


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[golfing eagles]

For those who may want to review a fairly exhaustive list of the issues that Golfing Eagles and I have discussed on this thread, please feel free to note the following posts:
Post 83
Post 81
Post 53
Post 51
Post 40
Post 39
Post 37
Post 35
Post 31
Post 17
These do not, I believe contain posts by anyone other that GE, or me. I did this because I don't know the backgrounds of any other posters. GE is a physician and has worked in ERs and I ran hospitals for more than 40 years. I believe we are qualified to discuss our observations.

If GE disagrees with me, I am sure he will correct me.
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I think we have agreed 100% on everything in this thread, no need to change now:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

[NYGUY]

By the way, there was a letter to the editor, in the unnamed online news, today from a cardiac nurse. You might want to read it.


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That letter says a lot. Thanks for pointing it out!!

[blyarbrough]

FYI, the villages is right in the middle of a rapidly growing area and will soon have a population that is way bigger than health care places such as the urgent care and/or the ER. It has been said many times before the Villages will very soon over build the complete infrastructure. This seems to always happen to fast growing areas; the planners never plan for super necessary things....they plan for nicessities like golf courses and swimming pools, etc.....you folks that say there is room for all in the Villages will one day regret saying that when we merge with Orlando and Jacksonville. What we need is an elected planning and zoning committee like all larger cities....NOT the Morse family......who are the 15th riches people in the USA. Your right that all things that cost money and has to have a good medical facility for a community of 55 Year old plus folks is a necessity for all. Sorry for the misspelling…..

[Bonny]

FYI, the villages is right in the middle of a rapidly growing area and will soon have a population that is way bigger than health care places such as the urgent care and/or the ER. It has been said many times before the Villages will very soon over build the complete infrastructure. This seems to always happen to fast growing areas; the planners never plan for super necessary things....they plan for nicessities like golf courses and swimming pools, etc.....you folks that say there is room for all in the Villages will one day regret saying that when we merge with Orlando and Jacksonville. What we need is an elected planning and zoning committee like all larger cities....NOT the Morse family......who are the 15th riches people in the USA. Your right that all things that cost money and has to have a good medical facility for a community of 55 Year old plus folks is a necessity for all. Sorry for the misspelling…..
Not sure where you got your information about the wealth of the Morse family being the 15th richest.
I just went on Forbes. The Morse name was nowhere on the top 100 richest people. The Morse name also was not anywhere on the list of the 20 richest families.

[golfing eagles]

FYI, the villages is right in the middle of a rapidly growing area and will soon have a population that is way bigger than health care places such as the urgent care and/or the ER. It has been said many times before the Villages will very soon over build the complete infrastructure. This seems to always happen to fast growing areas; the planners never plan for super necessary things....they plan for nicessities like golf courses and swimming pools, etc.....you folks that say there is room for all in the Villages will one day regret saying that when we merge with Orlando and Jacksonville. What we need is an elected planning and zoning committee like all larger cities....NOT the Morse family......who are the 15th riches people in the USA. Your right that all things that cost money and has to have a good medical facility for a community of 55 Year old plus folks is a necessity for all. Sorry for the misspelling…..


"What we need is an elected planning and zoning committee like all larger cities"


Which city's "elected planning board" would you like TV to emulate----Detroit or Baltimore??? Yeah, right, lets elect a bunch of amateurs, wannabees and busybodies rather than a family with 40 years experience of financial and developmental success to plan our future. I don't want people who have not been successful in life to run things----there is a reason that they lacked success in the first place

As far as TVRH goes, people seen to think this is the only place in the country with healthcare problems. I have found it is the norm, rather than the exception. If you look at the waiting times as well as the scores for CHF, MI and pneumonitis, TVRH is right about the national average. What you find on TOTV is a bunch of anecdotes where posters want to tell their individual "horror story", as they remember it. I wish they would take 5 of these and do a root cause analysis to find the real story. I would especially like to do one on the story of the 90 year old woman with a hip fracture who supposedly laid on a stretcher without being seen and without pain meds for 22 hours. I want to see the time she arrived, was triaged, was seen by nurse, doctor, had pain medication, had lab and xray ordered, when the results were received, when orthopedics saw her and when she went to the OR, all with documented times. I'm pretty well convinced that the truth would be quite different. And IF, and it's a huge if, probably an insurmountable one, the story was the same as related on TOTV, then I don't think it would have been posted here. That individual would be camped out in their lawyer's office, because it would be an open and shut case of malpractice, with a substantial pain and suffering award despite the patient's age. In addition, that treatment would be so far below the standard of care that it is likely millions of dollars in punitive damages would be awarded as well.
I can't tell you how many times a family member would come to the ER desk and ask what is happening with their relative----"I've been waiting 4 hours and haven't heard anything". I'd pick up the chart and inform them that they arrived in the ER 47 minutes ago, and already had an IV, lab drawn, x rays performed and their doctor informed they were here. I would then be called a liar---"I know we've been here 4 hours". My only response was "Use a clock much????"

[CFrance]

"What we need is an elected planning and zoning committee like all larger cities"


Which city's "elected planning board" would you like TV to emulate----Detroit or Baltimore??? Yeah, right, lets elect a bunch of amateurs, wannabees and busybodies rather than a family with 40 years experience of financial and developmental success to plan our future. I don't want people who have not been successful in life to run things----there is a reason that they lacked success in the first place

As far as TVRH goes, people seen to think this is the only place in the country with healthcare problems. I have found it is the norm, rather than the exception. If you look at the waiting times as well as the scores for CHF, MI and pneumonitis, TVRH is right about the national average. What you find on TOTV is a bunch of anecdotes where posters want to tell their individual "horror story", as they remember it. I wish they would take 5 of these and do a root cause analysis to find the real story. I would especially like to do one on the story of the 90 year old woman with a hip fracture who supposedly laid on a stretcher without being seen and without pain meds for 22 hours. I want to see the time she arrived, was triaged, was seen by nurse, doctor, had pain medication, had lab and xray ordered, when the results were received, when orthopedics saw her and when she went to the OR, all with documented times. I'm pretty well convinced that the truth would be quite different. And IF, and it's a huge if, probably an insurmountable one, the story was the same as related on TOTV, then I don't think it would have been posted here. That individual would be camped out in their lawyer's office, because it would be an open and shut case of malpractice, with a substantial pain and suffering award despite the patient's age. In addition, that treatment would be so far below the standard of care that it is likely millions of dollars in punitive damages would be awarded as well.
I can't tell you how many times a family member would come to the ER desk and ask what is happening with their relative----"I've been waiting 4 hours and haven't heard anything". I'd pick up the chart and inform them that they arrived in the ER 47 minutes ago, and already had an IV, lab drawn, x rays performed and their doctor informed they were here. I would then be called a liar---"I know we've been here 4 hours". My only response was "Use a clock much????"
Hmm... that happened to me at the ER room in Key West. I was there for three hours before they called me in for their "triage," or whatever it was. So three hours later when I still hadn't been seen and went to inquire, they said No, you've only been here three hours according to your chart. Of course, they based their time on the triage time, not the time I signed in. Another three hours and I kicked up a fuss. So all told, I was there for 9 hours before they informed me there was no one there to run the diagnostic I needed.

So it depends on whose clock you're using. And I wouldn't have put up with such a smart-ass response. These folks are in stressful situations.

[golfing eagles]

Hmm... that happened to me at the ER room in Key West. I was there for three hours before they called me in for their "triage," or whatever it was. So three hours later when I still hadn't been seen and went to inquire, they said No, you've only been here three hours according to your chart. Of course, they based their time on the triage time, not the time I signed in. Another three hours and I kicked up a fuss. So all told, I was there for 9 hours before they informed me there was no one there to run the diagnostic I needed.

So it depends on whose clock you're using. And I wouldn't have put up with such a smart-ass response. These folks are in stressful situations.

Nothing personal, but......

#1) It depends on whether that particular ER tracked both arrival time and triage time---we did. In the case I mentioned, the patient arrived via ambulance, so they were well documented.

#2) If you call me a liar to my face in the ER I am running, the smart-ass response was the most benign response this person was getting, and they had no choice but to "put up with it". I was half tempted to have security put her in the parking lot until such time I felt like allowing her back into the waiting room. I suppose she could complain to the person in charge, except that was me. And I could easily have removed her after declaring her "detrimental to ongoing patient care"

[CFrance]

Nothing personal, but......

#1) It depends on whether that particular ER tracked both arrival time and triage time---we did. In the case I mentioned, the patient arrived via ambulance, so they were well documented.

#2) If you call me a liar to my face in the ER I am running, the smart-ass response was the most benign response this person was getting, and they had no choice but to "put up with it". I was half tempted to have security put her in the parking lot until such time I felt like allowing her back into the waiting room. I suppose she could complain to the person in charge, except that was me. And I could easily have removed her after declaring her "detrimental to ongoing patient care"
If you could "remove" her, denying her care for mouthing off to you, to me that would be abuse of power. I think it's your responsibility to rise above all that.

It must be very hard to run an ER, but people are coming in stressed, sick, injured. You're the one with the education and power. You need to rise above it!

[golfing eagles]

If you could "remove" her, denying her care for mouthing off to you, to me that would be abuse of power. I think it's your responsibility to rise above all that.

It must be very hard to run an ER, but people are coming in stressed, sick, injured. You're the one with the education and power. You need to rise above it!

I don't think you understood me---she was NOT the patient, she was the wife. And I posted the short version---so here's the longer story. Hubby arrived via ambulance with abdominal pain after breakfast. The wife was abusive to the staff and resident physician from the first minute there. I wasn't taking care of him, but the head nurse asked me to speak with her since she was screaming, disruptive, and abusive. She was abusive to the resident caring for her husband, and the nurse told me that even her husband told her that he was there less than an hour and had been receiving attention continuously since arrival.
I asked her what her concerns were, and she reiterated that she has been sitting around for 4 hours!. I not only had the ER chart, but the PCR from Rural-Metro in front of me, documenting the time the call was received, when the ambulance was dispatched, when they arrived at their house, what they did in the home, when they left the home and the time they arrived at the ER. I asked her what time they generally eat breakfast, and she said 6:30. I asked what time they had breakfast today and she said 6:30. So I told her that she called an ambulance at 6:53, they arrived at 7:04, they left their house at 7:16 and arrived at the ER at 7:33. It was now 8:20, so please explain how you've been waiting 4 hours. She screamed that she knew what she was talking about and became even more abusive. That's when she got the "smart-ass" comment. I had determined that this woman was either a nut job or a moron, and was done wasting time with her, so I think I was actually quite restrained.

On a happier note, we found out that breakfast was 3 eggs, 4 strips of bacon, 3 sausage links and gravy. We removed his gallbladder several hours later and he went home the next day.

[NotGolfer]

"Some" folks think "IF" they fume and bluster that will bring quicker results. The woman GE is talking about sounds a bit of a nut-job (IMHO).....or early dementia.

[golfing eagles]

"Some" folks think "IF" they fume and bluster that will bring quicker results. The woman GE is talking about sounds a bit of a nut-job (IMHO).....or early dementia.

VERY early, since she was 37 years old

[Taltarzac725]

VERY early, since she was 37 years old

Too much cholesterol? Or a prima donna?

[golfing eagles]

Too much cholesterol? Or a prima donna?

Probably off her meds. I did briefly consider grabbing the resident and 2 PC'ing her (involuntary commitment to the psych ward for 72 hours of observation), but I didn't want to expose the relatively sane schizophrenics and psychotically depressed patients to this woman.

[Taltarzac725]

Probably off her meds. I did briefly consider grabbing the resident and 2 PC'ing her (involuntary commitment to the psych ward for 72 hours of observation), but I didn't want to expose the relatively sane schizophrenics and psychotically depressed patients to this woman.

That was nice of you. They have enough to deal with in my experience. Psychiatrists that do not know Jung from Freud.

[tcxr750]

I wonder if hospitals triage the patient as they come in. My personal experience is that only "chest pain" is recognized as needing immediate care. I've been to city and suburban hospital ERs with a condition needing immediate treatment and sat for hours. My only option for immediate care for the illness was to go to a suburban hospital that I knew had few ER patients during evenin and night hours. 5 miles away.

[dbussone]

Really good ERs have a system that has a professional do an immediate preliminary review of patients upon their arrival.

Hiding a triage nurse in an office with no view of the waiting room, and having volunteers run the waiting room is a disaster waiting to happen.


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[sallybowron]

My doctor told me they hired a new ER control company. The hospital does not run the ED. Maybe complaints to this new company will do some good. Otherwise it is Leesburg or Munroe. We are not without options.

[dbussone]

My doctor told me they hired a new ER control company. The hospital does not run the ED. Maybe complaints to this new company will do some good. Otherwise it is Leesburg or Munroe. We are not without options.



By definition, the hospital DOES run the ER. Legally, and otherwise. What they have done is most likely to contract with a different group of ER physicians. If so, that is an excellent start.


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[John_W]

Today they had a big story about volunteers at The Villages Hospital doing everything from scrubbing operating rooms to delivering meals. Yet, I read that people go into the ER and sometimes get charged $1500 for taking their pulse and temperature. Isn't this hospital a commercial enterprise? Why should people work for free so that people who own and operate the hospital can make more money? When I had a business I would of liked to have volunteers come and do work for free. I can understand volunteering for charity, but this is not a charity, it's a big business.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/06/26/18/2A01F4B000000578-3140663-image-a-34_1435339460164.jpg

[Annie01]

They should spend more money in enlarging that part of the hospital instead if building more homes. The er should be triple that size and more than one dr there. Let's fix this mess. Shameful.

[dbussone]

They should spend more money in enlarging that part of the hospital instead if building more homes. The er should be triple that size and more than one dr there. Let's fix this mess. Shameful.



First, the developer does not operate the hospital, so building fewer homes would not accomplish what you wish for. Second, the hospital has just completed a large expansion project for the ER and some other areas. IMO, enlarging the ER again would not solve the problem either.

There are a lot of posts on this thread so you might want to review at least some of them since this this topic is obviously a hot one.


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[CFrance]

Today they had a big story about volunteers at The Villages Hospital doing everything from scrubbing operating rooms to delivering meals. Yet, I read that people go into the ER and sometimes get charged $1500 for taking their pulse and temperature. Isn't this hospital a commercial enterprise? Why should people work for free so that people who own and operate the hospital can make more money? When I had a business I would of liked to have volunteers come and do work for free. I can understand volunteering for charity, but this is not a charity, it's a big business.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com//www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/imgproxy.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fi.dailymail.co.uk%2Fi% 2Fpix%2F2015%2F06%2F26%2F18%2F2A01F4B000000578-3140663-image-a-34_1435339460164.jpg&h=77ae3a70de90c40a653cca0c1ab0fca6
And I definitely would not want a volunteer scrubbing the operating room! No quality control there.

[chickadee]

Several months ago, I visited the ER for an episode of epigastric pain radiating to my jaw and ear..was triaged and EKG and cardiac enzymes and chest xray done in 30 mins..then sent to sit in waiting room for 8 more hrs..had B/P and pulse taken 4 hrs later and asked several times why not seen by DR..pain resolved after 2 hrs and asked if Dr could just read test results and discharge me..waited from 11 pm until 7 am in waiting room with sick, coughing patients also waiting..told they were busy and no rooms available..all filled wih patients waiting to be admitted to hospital. saw Dr in conference room and told tests need repeated 3 hrs after first tests to compare results...had already been 8 hrs at that point..tests repeated and again negative, and discharge 9 hrs after checking in..I will never return to this hospital.
NO reason for a Dr to have not seen results and discharged me in a timely manner..they have this terrible reputation for a reason!

[golfing eagles]

Several months ago, I visited the ER for an episode of epigastric pain radiating to my jaw and ear..was triaged and EKG and cardiac enzymes and chest xray done in 30 mins..then sent to sit in waiting room for 8 more hrs..had B/P and pulse taken 4 hrs later and asked several times why not seen by DR..pain resolved after 2 hrs and asked if Dr could just read test results and discharge me..waited from 11 pm until 7 am in waiting room with sick, coughing patients also waiting..told they were busy and no rooms available..all filled wih patients waiting to be admitted to hospital. saw Dr in conference room and told tests need repeated 3 hrs after first tests to compare results...had already been 8 hrs at that point..tests repeated and again negative, and discharge 9 hrs after checking in..I will never return to this hospital.
NO reason for a Dr to have not seen results and discharged me in a timely manner..they have this terrible reputation for a reason!

Typical ER protocol would be CK-MB (cardiac enzymes) and an EKG on arrival, then repeated in 1 hour and 6 hours. So you were going to be stuck there 6+ hours anyway. However, it doesn't sound like they were on top of that protocol. The other problem sounds like no one explained what to expect in terms of repeat tests and the time frame. That type of lack of communication just p!$$e$ people off.

Best advice---if you have chest pain with radiation to your jaw again and don't want TVRH, I wouldn't go any further than Leesburg. If you're having a MI (heart attack), time is critical, so I wouldn't screw around with Tampa, Orlando, or Gainesville. Even the time to Ocala could create a problem.