Villages Hospital Low Ratings

[Villages Kahuna]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.

[PugMom]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.

idk about the report, but we've had fine care from them. my husband was there 3 days last year, & have no complaints. i had to use the er LATE 1 night, & couldnt have been treated better.

[vintageogauge]

Don't go to TV hospital if it's an emergency. I took my wife there after she ate something she was allergic to, covered in hives and her tongue was swollen, they would no even make eye contact with me when I tried to explain the problem and handed me a clipboard to fill out, I went back to the desk two more times in a period of over an hour as her tongue continued to swell, not once did they listen to a word I said. Finally a man waiting for another patient that was inside told me I better take her to an urgent care and I did, they gave her a Bennedryl (excuse spelling) injection and watched over her for 30 minutes until all was well. I'll never go there again.

[JohnN]

We had excellent care at Advent Waterman, not so much at the ER room at The Villages hospital.

[Number 10 GI]

My wife has had to go to the ER at the Leesburg Hospital numerous times this past year. She isn't the best patient in the world by far but has had nothing negative to say about the ER or the wards she has stayed in and has said that the nursing staff was extremely friendly and attentive.

[Jayhawk]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?



Entitled residents who go there for a hangnail cause the turn times, and if you read reviews on this site, the same people who bitch about the hospital bitch about pretty much everything.

I've read the reviews, but anyone I have talked to that ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED the hospital has mostly good things to say about the care they received. I have not used the hospital but did take a friend to the ER who got a face full of softball and they were all over it, and quickly.

Miserable people are only happy when they are miserable.

[Villages Kahuna]

...the same people who bitch about the hospital bitch about pretty much everything.
...Miserable people are only happy when they are miserable.
OK, but the comparative hospital ratings used in the Medicare search tool are used to compare hospitals all over the country. Those that we all know have a top reputation—Shands, Mayo and Baptist in Jacksonville, Sarasota Memorial, Moffitt—all have five-star ratings. Are a few anecdotal reports from local ER patients enough to discount the Medicare ratings which are based on a huge base of actual insurance claims?

I can add an anecdote. I had a popular local primary care physician who has admitting privileges at TVRH tell me, “If you wake up and find yourself in The Villages Hospital... call a taxi and get out of there.” Needless to say, he doesn’t recommend TVRH to his patients.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes and updates information on all hospitals which is used to develop ratings for use by the public to compare hospitals available to them. The Medicare ratings include actual evaluation of hospitals based on actual Medicare claims of the following factors:

—Patient Experience Measures are patients' opinions about the care they received.

—Process Measures give information about how many patients get the recommended care for their condition.

—Outcomes Measures show how well patients do after they receive treatment.

—Patient Safety Measures show how often patients suffer from hospital-acquired infections.

—Cost Measures are the cost of care for specific services.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

A bone of contention with actual hospitals who see their ratings, and disagree with the weightings, and the comparatives, using the latent variable model. They are now coming out with a new methodology with ratings being released in April, which actual hospitals agree with be fairer, but the key is the data being used at least a year old and up to three years old. So the data is always old data, from certain aspects of reporting, so improvements take 2-3 years to get the improvements to show up in the data.

Also, CMS only uses Medicare data for the majority of the measures reported, which means not the whole picture at all

So, this is from CoachK's mouth who works with and reports to CMS

husband guy

[graciegirl]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.

I wonder if the rating procedure is slow to publish? University of Florida has an excellent rating and since they are now in charge of the "beautiful building" that the Morses built and lease to Hospital Corporations, it should be improved soon.

[mulligan]

I have begun to realize that doctors do not live by medicare alone. With the high percentage of elderly patients in TV, don't hold your breath waiting for better health care.

[Garywt]

I know the rating have been low but I thought Shands took over managing the hospital last year. It will take some time for the ratings to improve but I an guessing things are improving.

[JoMar]

I believe previous threads have indicated that while the ratings are low, a large number of folks who have been there received exceptional care...my wife and I included. I know we need to look for ratings and reviews but be careful, sometimes the people who develop those ratings set the criteria to be a catch all. The ratings systems will be changing but I recommend using the ratings as part of your evaluation, and search out personal experiences and medical input to complete your view.

[vintageogauge]

Entitled residents who go there for a hangnail cause the turn times, and if you read reviews on this site, the same people who bitch about the hospital bitch about pretty much everything.

I've read the reviews, but anyone I have talked to that ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED the hospital has mostly good things to say about the care they received. I have not used the hospital but did take a friend to the ER who got a face full of softball and they were all over it, and quickly.

Miserable people are only happy when they are miserable.

Happy people are only miserable when they are very ill and can't get the help they need.

[vintageogauge]

I have begun to realize that doctors do not live by medicare alone. With the high percentage of elderly patients in TV, don't hold your breath waiting for better health care.

With the average age in TV being 67 there are a lot of non-medicare patients here that also need care. When all the new permitted apartments and non age restricted single family homes and condos are completed there will be even more.

[Villages Kahuna]

Glad to see a reply above from someone who has first-hand experience with CMS, the company which creates the ratings for Medicare.

I’ve heard that UF Health has gotten rid of quite a few under-performing medical and support employees at TVRH. But I’ve also heard that they’re having a tough time replacing them. The Villages reputation precedes it, and from the viewpoint of many being recruited to work and relocate here, the story isn’t always attractive.

Some of the issues that UF Health is having a hard time defending when trying to hire new staff include:

— Too white, not a great place for minorities of any kind.
— Not attractive to young families, OK schools but little else.
— Too far from the cutting edge medically
— The Villages is too homogeneous. And to live in a younger, more diverse community would require a long commute.
— Too one-sided politically
— Mostly geriatric patients (doesn’t enhance their experience/resumé)

[Villages Kahuna]

I believe previous threads have indicated that while the ratings are low, a large number of folks who have been there received exceptional care....

From a nurse-supervisor friend who worked at TVRH... ”The hospital is OK for simple illnesses or needs. But if you have something that might require more complicated treatment or surgery, go somewhere else.”

From a Villages Health doctor... ”If you are admitted to TVRH, be sure to ask to have a Villages Health hospitalist listed as your attending physician. They will probably resist, but be insistent on this issue. Otherwise good care there can’t be assured.”

From another friend, a retired health insurance executive who evaluated TVRH extensively before moving here... ”One of the reasons for TVRH’s low ratings is the high number of people who become infected while in the hospital. The frequency of infections and the causes should have been corrected within the first year or two after the hospital opened. Instead, ten years later, TVRH may even have a higher level of patient infections than when they opened.”

From a friend who works as a volunteer at TVRH...” My job as a volunteer is to wheelchair patients to their cars after they’ve been discharged. I hear all the complaints and horrible stories. It’s unbelievable.”

[gatorbill1]

We should all be happy the hospital is here and close enough to sometimes save lives.

[bobdeb]

My wife had a serious bicycling accident in TV ten years ago. She was transported to TVRH by ambulance on a Friday afternoon.

We had no established physician or provider here at that time. We interviewed three surgeons over the weekend while she remained in traction.

Major surgery was performed on Monday morning. Thankfully all went well and we were so grateful for the care she received by everyone at the hospital.

Sadly, her surgeon has since moved and she now practices in Georgia.

From this experience I have nothing negative to say about TVRH. My wife was well cared for.

[John41]

Entitled residents who go there for a hangnail cause the turn times, and if you read reviews on this site, the same people who bitch about the hospital bitch about pretty much everything.

I've read the reviews, but anyone I have talked to that ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED the hospital has mostly good things to say about the care they received. I have not used the hospital but did take a friend to the ER who got a face full of softball and they were all over it, and quickly.

Miserable people are only happy when they are miserable.

I rather bitch than be dead in TV hospital. For example, they have an abysmally poor record of treating sepsis with only 20% of the time diagnosing it correctly.
I trust Medicare ratings more than a puppet’s propaganda.

[Neils]

Glad to see a reply above from someone who has first-hand experience with CMS, the company which creates the ratings for Medicare.

I’ve heard that UF Health has gotten rid of quite a few under-performing medical and support employees at TVRH. But I’ve also heard that they’re having a tough time replacing them. The Villages reputation precedes it, and from the viewpoint of many being recruited to work and relocate here, the story isn’t always attractive.

Some of the issues that UF Health is having a hard time defending when trying to hire new staff include:

— Too white, not a great place for minorities of any kind.
— Not attractive to young families, OK schools but little else.
— Too far from the cutting edge medically
— The Villages is too homogeneous. And to live in a younger, more heterogenous community would require a long commute.
— Too one-sided politically
— Mostly geriatric patients (doesn’t enhance their experience/resumé)

Those are the positives. Any negatives?

[JimJohnson]

The Villages hospital ratings you refer to are from the patients. The patients are predominantly from The Villages; hence, the most entitled people in this country. The Villages Hospital is just fine.

[villageuser]

The Villages Hospital has vastly improved since being taken over by UF Health. The change was quite noticeable. I wonder how long it takes to update the data being used in that website you went to.

[J1ceasar]

When we moved here 20 years ago it was because the Leesburg hospital was the second best rated for heart attack care. I've since had several Leesburg took care of me both times and I'm still alive. I'm not sure what the reason the ratings are the way they are but I can probably tell you it's due to having doctors with less experience. If they would hire doctors from New York or Chicago that have seen it all with 20 years in their belts it would be a difference also if you don't own it you don't really care. I don't know whether or not this is a for-profit hospital not owned by the doctors but if it says Advent then I presume it's a large corporation where the doctors don't care about the profits or possibly the patients as much as if they owned it with their names on the bills and corporation papers

[Rwirish]

No the University of Florida took over the TV hospital. Shands is a University of Florida hospital.

[mlmarr1]

Remember UF shands just acquired TVRH and LRMC and is cleaning house.. plus lack of housing for employees...most drive from out of the area now.. advent health Orlando if a major city.. stay healthy and you wont need a hospital.

[mlmarr1]

Updates... with Medicare for ever..if ever..remember its data entry..

[MandoMan]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.

I can’t use the hospital or medical services here at The Villages because they use some proprietary insurance thing and don’t accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield. AdventHealth/Waterman in Tavares is rated #3 in the Orlando Area and #28 in the state, and that’s a mile above the hospital here. It’s 35 minutes from my house. AdventHealth/Waterman is tied to AdventHealth/Orlando, however, and U.S. News and World Report says that is the #1 hospital in Florida. However, it is also gigantic, while Waterman is new and cozy.

Here are the criteria used for the ratings: “ To help patients decide where to receive care, U.S. News generates hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult medical specialties, 10 adult procedures or conditions and 10 pediatric specialties. To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients. In most specialties, the top 50 hospitals are nationally ranked and additional hospitals may be recognized as high performing. Hospitals that do well in multiple areas of adult care may be ranked in their state and metro area. The ratings in procedures and conditions focus on typical Medicare patients and eligibility is based on the number of patients treated. See details for the quality measures that factored into each evaluation.”

If you go to AdventHealth doctors at The Villages, they can steer you to AdventHealth/Waterman if needed or get you into AdventHealth/Orlando if you have an especially difficult case.

One thing I want to make clear: the rating of the hospital is not based on the nursing care, or at least only partly, as when administration won’t hire enough nurses. In my experience, even hospitals with low rankings may have many really wonderful nurses and other staff, and the hospitals may be clean and modern and attractive. Hospitals that don’t treat thousands of the sickest or poorest patients, aren’t regional trauma centers, and don’t have a legion of interns and residents using patients as learning tools tend to have lower ratings. Yet most patients don’t need those things, and they may make a hospital more dangerous. Many excellent surgeons actually don’t want to work at a “teaching hospital” because the teaching takes a lot of time that could be used making more money. Few doctors get rich these days, so I can’t blame them for wanting more patients and not wanting to live in a big city.

[Leadbone1]

You need to do your research and find out why they get a low rating. It’s not because of the care people get once they’re admitted. It’s because of the emergency room waits and so forth which is a direct result of the age of the population surrounding the hospital. They probably get 2 to 3 times the amount of ambulances coming in there that most other hospitals do.

[golfing eagles]

Those are the positives. Any negatives?

:bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:

[pkfavreau2]

Ratings will go up when the hospitals are staffed adequately for the facilities that exist instead of building more. That means hiring and retaining employees with decent wages and hours. Even the doctors offices are short staffed. Sad since health care is one thing they promote for The Villages.

[Sailohio]

Entitled residents who go there for a hangnail cause the turn times, and if you read reviews on this site, the same people who bitch about the hospital bitch about pretty much everything.

I've read the reviews, but anyone I have talked to that ACTUALLY EXPERIENCED the hospital has mostly good things to say about the care they received. I have not used the hospital but did take a friend to the ER who got a face full of softball and they were all over it, and quickly.

Miserable people are only happy when they are miserable.

Sorry, but I disagree. I would challenge you to search my postings and find a negative one. I think your experience at TV Hospital is largely dependent on which department you are admitted to. I have had excellent care in the cardiac ward but my wife, on a weekend, was largely ignored in the ER. It is a long story, but after doing virtually nothing Saturday, Sunday and half a day on Monday, being in tremendous pain, so much that she could not lie down to sleep, they finally told her we had to take her someplace else because they couldn’t help her. Dr. Oduntan, at Shands, saved her life. I too hope U of F will find a way to change the attitudes and non-actions of the staff but, until their hospitals ratings go up, I am never going there again and I would recommend you consider doing the same for anything serious.

[Callaway]

I love living in The Villages. The only negative and unfortunate aspect of living here is the medical care, specifically our hospitals. As a former health care professional and former volunteer at The Villages hospital, I see that although the Administration is trying to improve its ratings, it is still far from being at a 3 or 4+ rating.

Why?
In my humble opinion and observation, the areas needing improvement are:
1. Emergency room -
A. better staffing,
B. Staff attitude- teach and enforce caring and compassionate patient care by the providers!
C. Improve timeliness in the ED! Biggest gripe with the most negative reviews.

2. Communication- (or lack thereof), mainly by physician to patient and or family!

3. Physicians! The hospital contracts with a hospitalist group. Is there any buy in and anything at stake by these contracted doctors/ hospitalists? They need to be accountable and committed to vastly improve their communication skills with patients and their families and be able to provide high quality medical care.

How can we attract high quality practitioners here???

Nursing care seems to be good once the patient is on a unit. Yay!

So most of my friends here say, including moi, if we have to be admitted to a hospital, go somewhere else!

Yes I will send this to Administration.

[NoMoSno]

I can’t use the hospital or medical services here at The Villages because they use some proprietary insurance thing and don’t accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield. AdventHealth/Waterman in Tavares is rated #3 in the Orlando Area and #28 in the state, and that’s a mile above the hospital here. It’s 35 minutes from my house. AdventHealth/Waterman is tied to AdventHealth/Orlando, however, and U.S. News and World Report says that is the #1 hospital in Florida. However, it is also gigantic, while Waterman is new and cozy.

Here are the criteria used for the ratings: “ To help patients decide where to receive care, U.S. News generates hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult medical specialties, 10 adult procedures or conditions and 10 pediatric specialties. To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients. In most specialties, the top 50 hospitals are nationally ranked and additional hospitals may be recognized as high performing. Hospitals that do well in multiple areas of adult care may be ranked in their state and metro area. The ratings in procedures and conditions focus on typical Medicare patients and eligibility is based on the number of patients treated. See details for the quality measures that factored into each evaluation.”

If you go to AdventHealth doctors at The Villages, they can steer you to AdventHealth/Waterman if needed or get you into AdventHealth/Orlando if you have an especially difficult case.

One thing I want to make clear: the rating of the hospital is not based on the nursing care, or at least only partly, as when administration won’t hire enough nurses. In my experience, even hospitals with low rankings may have many really wonderful nurses and other staff, and the hospitals may be clean and modern and attractive. Hospitals that don’t treat thousands of the sickest or poorest patients, aren’t regional trauma centers, and don’t have a legion of interns and residents using patients as learning tools tend to have lower ratings. Yet most patients don’t need those things, and they may make a hospital more dangerous. Many excellent surgeons actually don’t want to work at a “teaching hospital” because the teaching takes a lot of time that could be used making more money. Few doctors get rich these days, so I can’t blame them for wanting more patients and not wanting to live in a big city.
When did TV hospital stop accepting BC/BS ?

[BillDyer]

On May 23,2020 I suffered a cardiac arrest in Sam's parking lot. Two "angels" emerged from the watching crowd and offered my wife assistance with me and pounced on my
chest with CPR until the EMS arrived. EMS shocked me and took me to the Regioinal Hospital ER. 4% of cardiac arrest people who suffer cardiac arrest out of the hospital survive, The rest die. I woke up 24 hours later in ITC and stayed there for 3 weeks. Because of the 'angels" , EMS and the hospital, I'm alive. THe treatment was as good as it gets with any hospital. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I haven't found the"angels" to thank them for my life, but I have thanked the hospital for their services. Thank God they were there.

[rmd2]

The number of incorrect diagnoses given by "doctors" in The Villages hospital is off the charts. If you need a good diagnostician don't go there. Try Shands or Orlando or even Ocala first.

[rmd2]

I know the rating have been low but I thought Shands took over managing the hospital last year. It will take some time for the ratings to improve but I an guessing things are improving.

Keep guessing. Improvement - NOT.

[golfing eagles]

The number of incorrect diagnoses given by "doctors" in The Villages hospital is off the charts. If you need a good diagnostician don't go there. Try Shands or Orlando or even Ocala first.

And you know this how?????
Please enlighten us with the number of diagnoses made and the number that were incorrect, and how you are privy to this info
Until then, I call BS

[oldtimes]

And you know this how?????
Please enlighten us with the number of diagnoses made and the number that were incorrect, and how you are privy to this info
Until then, I call BS

There are some of us here that actually respect your professional opinion yet you have not commented at all on this. If you needed to be admitted would you choose this hospital?

[fifilebon]

I worked at TV Hospital for a brief moment in time. It was an awful experience. The Drs and nurses were very nice and worked hard, but there is a chronic staffing problem. UF has tried to remedy this with very generous compensation packages, but it’s not enough. For the few shifts I worked I was overwhelmed with the heavy workload and lack of support staff. I was extremely worried about the welfare of my patients and the integrity of my professional license. I was not the only employee who felt this way. Fortunately for me I was in a position where I could walk away. A lot of the people working there are dependent on their job. Based on my firsthand experience, I believe the problem is that the local population has severely outgrown the hospital. A new hospital should have been built and ready for business 5 years ago at least.

[champion6]

I can’t use the hospital or medical services here at The Villages because they use some proprietary insurance thing and don’t accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield. <snip>

When did TV hospital stop accepting BC/BS ?Choro&Swing is wrong.

The Villages Hospital does accept BC/BS. The Villages Health primary care offices do not accept BC/BS.

[DAVES]

idk about the report, but we've had fine care from them. my husband was there 3 days last year, & have no complaints. i had to use the er LATE 1 night, & couldnt have been treated better.

There are many problems. First of all they have older patients. Older patients are more likely to die. Obvious but people tend not to see reality. Also, reading these posts they seem to have too much time to complain. Another problem, most are on medicare where the financial compensation is far below market. Read that as money.

I confess I am the average villages age. So far I've not forgotten what it is, was like,
to put up with unreasonable criticism.

Perhaps, ALL should post good as well as bad experiences.

Medical staff. What I did for a living at worst someone lost a few dollars. Imagine you have 15 minutes on average to access a person separate truth from fiction. Lie
could be part of it but people tend to deny from doctors as well as themselves REALITY.

[jbrown132]

Took my wife there once and some doctor spent 10 minutes giving her heck telling her she shouldn’t be in the emergency room. Left and took her to Leesburg where they found a massive infection in her intestines. Said it was a good thing she came in when she did or she could have died. Since then It’s either Leesburg or Ocala.

[JustRita]

Build it and they will come. If you want to improve your hospital, you need to attract good doctors and care staff. They will be younger and need good schools for their children. The villages need to attract some youth or be stuck in a rut. They won’t come for the money or patient load.

[joelfmi]

Have lived in Long Island and used some of their very large hospital I can say they are not the best having had first hand experience with two of the largest hospitals in NY these facilities need to have much safe and better care for their patients especially during covid 19 in their ER which I cannot say anything at all good were a lot of people got infected during March of 2020

[bobnyce]

I can’t use the hospital or medical services here at The Villages because they use some proprietary insurance thing and don’t accept Blue Cross/Blue Shield. AdventHealth/Waterman in Tavares is rated #3 in the Orlando Area and #28 in the state, and that’s a mile above the hospital here. It’s 35 minutes from my house. AdventHealth/Waterman is tied to AdventHealth/Orlando, however, and U.S. News and World Report says that is the #1 hospital in Florida. However, it is also gigantic, while Waterman is new and cozy.

Here are the criteria used for the ratings: “ To help patients decide where to receive care, U.S. News generates hospital rankings by evaluating data on nearly 5,000 hospitals in 16 adult medical specialties, 10 adult procedures or conditions and 10 pediatric specialties. To be nationally ranked in a specialty, a hospital must excel in caring for the sickest, most medically complex patients. In most specialties, the top 50 hospitals are nationally ranked and additional hospitals may be recognized as high performing. Hospitals that do well in multiple areas of adult care may be ranked in their state and metro area. The ratings in procedures and conditions focus on typical Medicare patients and eligibility is based on the number of patients treated. See details for the quality measures that factored into each evaluation.”

If you go to AdventHealth doctors at The Villages, they can steer you to AdventHealth/Waterman if needed or get you into AdventHealth/Orlando if you have an especially difficult case.

One thing I want to make clear: the rating of the hospital is not based on the nursing care, or at least only partly, as when administration won’t hire enough nurses. In my experience, even hospitals with low rankings may have many really wonderful nurses and other staff, and the hospitals may be clean and modern and attractive. Hospitals that don’t treat thousands of the sickest or poorest patients, aren’t regional trauma centers, and don’t have a legion of interns and residents using patients as learning tools tend to have lower ratings. Yet most patients don’t need those things, and they may make a hospital more dangerous. Many excellent surgeons actually don’t want to work at a “teaching hospital” because the teaching takes a lot of time that could be used making more money. Few doctors get rich these days, so I can’t blame them for wanting more patients and not wanting to live in a big city.

The statement at the beginning of this quote is not accurate. I have used The Villages Hospital twice since living in the Villages. On both occasions, they accepted my Highmark coverage.

Then after reading this today, I contacted my Highmark agent and was told that both UF Leesburg and UF The Villages accept the "Blues".

Don't rely on what people say - check it out yourself! My two cents.

[Sunflower33]

It has been this way for 12 years I’ve lived here. Waterman is a great place. Also Shands of course. Ocala hospital for heart is great as well as their emergency room on 466A. I also like Orlando health they have a hospital in clermont about 30 miles from here. The reason why I don’t have advantage insurance as a supplement. I need to be able to pick my own doctors

[dadoiron]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.

My wife had to say at both at different times and it was pre-takeover pre-pandemic.

Her preference is clearly TVRH (2xs) over Leesburg (once was enough never again).

Leesburg was a horrible experience for her and me compared to TV.

1st intake, even though contacted by EMS, doctor and diagnostic center they screwed up the paperwork for a life death crisis designated response for over four hours. We were told Leesburg was closest to deal with the life threatening issue and she shouldn't go to TV hospital as it was too far (minutes difference 10 maybe?)

Never again.

The doctors seeing her were never the same and never spoke to us - only the nurses and only when I constantly asked. The information provided was consistently wrong. At least they didn't kill her.

Discharge was horrible and again the doctor listed never saw her and was in a different state not Florida. Could never reach them. She needed a prescription and was not provided it on discharge.
Not until I we spoke to her doctor in the Villages health system did she get the proper follow-up continuing care.

Don't know if anything has recently changed but we will avoid Leesburg like the plague and only go to the villages hospital.

[Rosebud1949]

For those who wish for a "5 star hospital ambience" go to the Villages. For the good treatment DO NOT

[rsalisbu]

As with all hospitals, the Villages Hospital Emergency room has to see All Patients that come. Many people of surrounding communities with no health insurance use the Villages emergency room as their personal physician, especially on week-ends and hollidays. You will see many sick children, drug abusers, heavy smokers, alchoholics, etc. They cannot be bypassed for villagers who really have an emergency. I and my spouse have had great care at the villages hospital, but even I would not go to the Villages Hospital ER on a weekend or holliday (by choice, of course):.

Just my humble opinion

[wine5465]

I was sent to TV hospital by Urgent care as my appendix was about to burst. My daughter and I waited in ER for 5 hours. Diabetics were waiting so long another customer had to ask the help for something for them. I was tired of waiting so told the staff I was leaving but she said, oh the results sent from urgent care are pretty serious, you'll just have to come back. I said if it's so serious, why did I have to wait 5 hours.
Second time I had bad asthma attack with congestion, was gasping for air and could not sit down. Volunteer gave me oxygen after an hour but waited still 3 more hours for help. Dr gave me two breathing treatments and wanted to go a 3rd but I told him no, need the shot. He did and I left mad still gasping for air.
Had appendix out there and care was great!!!!
Elderly mom there due to fall and they gave her morphine. We had a fit as she was hurt but not in pain

[MJCtalk]

Having had major surgeries at both of the above I found Leesburg to be far superior to the Nursing and overall general care that I received at TVH. The food was better as well and we had choices, not so at TVH. Luckily I had the same surgeon at both, (Dr. Han), and that was the most important factor of all.

[Tadpole]

Thank you, Jayhawk! People should go to one of the many urgent care places for anything less than an EMERGENCY, meaning: heart attack or any injury or illness that is life threatening. Period! Unfortunately, under our laws, ERs are not allowed to tell people they should go to an Urgent care. Therefore, they can get over-crowded with people who shouldn't be there in there first place.

[Frank Giardino]

I went to the TV hosp three weeks ago, with chest pains. At the ER, received instant care, EKG, blood etc. The bad part, after determining I was not having a serious heart attack, I was in the ER from 11PM until 10AM the following day, sleeping on a chair is not very comfortable, at 10AM I was brought to the cardiac ward. The Dr determined that I needed a stent, had a blockage. They did the procedure by 5PM. The ER was not a good experience, mainly due to no rooms available due to Covid. Once I got to the wards the care was excellent, the Dr was very capable, and the nursing and staff very professional, and provided great care. Have no complaints but with the ER wait.

[DonnaNi4os]

I’ve had surgery there and I’m still breathing. No complaints. However, I spent time there with a friend, pre-pandemic. I was appalled to see a nurse adjusting her IV that was leaking blood while not wearing gloves. When I questioned this she responded with, “she doesn’t have any tattoos, so she’s safe”! What about the nurse?!! Practices such as this are partially responsible for high infection rates.

[Jayhawk]

You need to do your research and find out why they get a low rating. It’s not because of the care people get once they’re admitted. It’s because of the emergency room waits and so forth which is a direct result of the age of the population surrounding the hospital. They probably get 2 to 3 times the amount of ambulances coming in there that most other hospitals do.

Yep. Exactly.

" the sorting of patients (as in an emergency room) according to the urgency of their need for care"

Triage | Definition of Triage by Merriam-Webster (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triage)

[kathylievense@gmail.com]

Care isTERRIBLE! My dad was in the ER multiple times and passed away there. He was having a myasthenia gravis crisis” and waited over 4 hrs to be seen. I was unable to convince anyone to at least provide a bed for my dad to lay down. (In a MG crisis , he was unable to sit up). My sister and finally moved the lobby furniture around to create a spot for dad - it was ridiculous ! Health care is the major issue we have with deciding whether we should move to the Villages full time! What is the problem???

[John41]

And you know this how?????
Please enlighten us with the number of diagnoses made and the number that were incorrect, and how you are privy to this info
Until then, I call BS

Check the Medicare ratings and you will see the statistics. In particular note incorrect treatment for sepsis in TVRH vs neighboring hospitals.

[John41]

The Villages hospital ratings you refer to are from the patients. The patients are predominantly from The Villages; hence, the most entitled people in this country. The Villages Hospital is just fine.

The ratings are from statistics hospitals are required to collect not patients opinions.

[Eg_cruz]

For such a physically-beautiful facility, how can The Villages Regional Hospital have such abysmally low ratings?

The Medicare “search for healthcare” tool shows TVRH rated at one-star (out of five) both by Medicare as well as a survey of recent patients. It’s the only hospital within 40 miles rated this low. Leesburg Regional Hospital isn’t much better, rated at two stars by Medicare and only one-star by patients.

The closest hospital with decent ratings is Advent Waterman Hospital in Tavares, rated at four-stars by Medicare and three-stars by patients.

To get top-rated hospitals we have to go to Shands in Gainesville or several in central Florida, but none closer than 50 miles away. We should probably take this into consideration when selecting our specialist doctors. Where do they have admitting priveledges and where do they perform procedures or surgeries? More importantly, are the better-rated hospitals and the doctors who practice there covered by your health insurance plan?

How long will it take for UF Health to improve care at our local hospitals? Or will we have to wait a decade until the new hospital is built and opened in the southern end of The Villages? In that all three hospitals will be owned by UF Health, we can guess how much emphasis will be placed on improving what will then be two older hospitals.
I agree....spoke to a nurse in EMR she told me don’t go there because they are so under staff they just keep up

[Hifred]

I can tell you why they have had a low rating. The medical mistakes and errors with surgeries has been high. My husband went with a painful lump that had a mesh hernia repair years ago in Chicago. They did a ultra sound and told him he did not have a hernia. He went to Shands and was told yes, the mesh had gave way and he did have a hernia that was in need of repair. So how can two medical facilities come up with different conclusions? It is the skill of the doctors. The Villages Hospital doesn't have a good record. Two neighbors that I know went in for simple procedures and came out with problems. A person down the street went in for a colonoscopy and at TV they perforated the bowel. He developed sepsis after the colonoscopy. My other neighbor had a foot surgery and they made a medical error. The woman could not walk and need two more corrective surgeries to correct the original surgery at TV. Dr. Lora Thaxton from TV Hospital came to work drunk and her medical license had to be restricted. At this point as long as we are able to drive we will go to Orlando or Gainesville or Mayo if we need surgery. I like the doctor we have at TV health. However, we never get to see him. Everytime we call for an appointment they send us to a physician assistant and the physician assistant has made mistakes with us in diagnosing problems. I was told I had arthritis in my knee after an x-ray and was sent to physical therapy. The pain was horrible so bad I couldn't sleep and it got worse with physical therapy. I ended up going to Shands and I actually had swelling in the bone marrow which was due to an osteochondral defect. The physical therapy made it worse. I was told to not move or put any pressure on it until the bone could heal. I was off it for 8 weeks. My knee was saved and the Dr. at Shands said if I would have continued to push it I would have had to have a knee replacement. So that was missed and possibly made worse by seeing a physician's assistant here at TV because I could not get an appointment with my doctor. I was assured by the specialist who reviewed the x-ray there was no arthritis and they ordered an MRI which should have been done at TV. At this point I have a primary care in Gainesville and a primary care doctor in TV. If I have a cold or a simple issue I go to the Villages. If it is something that is serious I go to Gainesville or Orlando. No one wants to drive an hour to the doctors when they are sick. But when there is a real problem here I, given our experience I don't trust the care.

[Happinow]

I had to seek medical attention about 3 years ago. Went to Urgent Care and then sent to TVRH. I though I had a bowel obstruction. Upon arrival, I gave my medical info. So far, so good. Then I was directed to sit down until I was called. I waited about 20 minutes and was called into triage where they did the basics, including put an IV in. I thought...wow.....I’m getting care really quickly. NOT! I was sent back to the waiting room to spend 5 more hours waiting. Now, given the amount of time I’ve heard others have had to wait, this wasn’t bad. I don’t like that they put an IV in you and then make you wait. It’s like they are trapping you there. I think they should take vitals, listen to your complaint and then send you to wait. Put the IV in when you go into a room. It wasn’t necessarily the time I spent in the waiting room, it was what I saw while I was waiting.

There were probably 10 people waiting and more coming in. I saw a man and his wife come through the door, he was bent over, barely able to walk. He managed to get to the interviewer to give his info, all while looking like he was going to pass out, clearly in an excruciating amount of pain. They made him sit there and to give his info. He said he was going to be sick....they got him a pan. He then was told to go sit in the waiting room. This poor man started throwing up. They then brought him into a room off the waiting room, not in the ER though. He lay down in severe pain. They then closed the door, so I don’t know what they did for him after that. I do know he had kidney stones.....I overheard him say that upon his arrival.

I used to work in the ER registration desk at my Local hospital. If someone came in, in the shape that I saw this man in, the staff in the registration area would have gotten the poor man a wheelchair. There was nobody even in the room that offered this man any assistance. It made me very uncomfortable watching him struggle so. It’s a hospital....my expectation would be that someone would be there to help patients who couldn’t walk into the ER. In the hospital I worked at, there were always wheel chairs by the door to assist patients if needed.

There was also a lady who was clearly pregnant, and had been waiting for a long time to be seen. There was a worker lady going around the waiting room asking people if they needed anything, water...a blanket. The pregnant lady asked when she was going to be seen and the worker said when it was her turn. The pregnant lady sat and cried. My heart broke for her too.

I know waiting to get into the ER is common, but it’s so hard to watch people hurt and not get immediate help. As for my care, I was put on a gurney in the hall for hours until a room opened up. My care was good, everyone pleasant. I spent about 8 hours at the hospital and was discharged.

[Manatee]

Thank you for bringing to our attention that TV hospital is CMS rated 1 star.

1 star is deplorable.

The health outcomes of 1 star hospitals are just awful.

Arguments about how the ED is full on weekends doesn’t cut it - 3, 4 and 5 star hospitals get full on weekends too!

We are looking at TV as a potential retirement community.

1 star hospital is a lousy selling point and we will need to look at this much more closely.

A patient’s chance of death is much higher at a 1 star hospital versus a 3 or higher rated hospital. driving 50miles to a decent hospital isn’t always an option. I know this.

[La lamy]

I unfortunately agree with the low rating as a one time patient. Unconscionable how they could be okay with such poor standards.

[PugMom]

there are several factors @ play here. 1st being so many other 'better' facilities are so far away, they would never be considered a source for an er emergency. mayo is like 3 hrs away with good traffic, & i needed someone 'now.' all i can say is i was lucky. i had a serious issue going on & villages hosp., believe it or not, gave me excellent care. it had to be almost 3am when i had this problem & having heard great things about leesburg, i DID consider it, but the online page said it was an hour&half wait to be seen. Vil Hosp., was 15mins. i waited all of 10 mins to be seen, & the nurse @ the desk kept checking to see if i was ok. once inside i had a team of people, 1 dr. @ 1st, then 20mins later i was seen by TWO more. the staff was helpful & NICE, & never spoke down to me or treated me as another piece of cattle. another note: i'm not in the habit of using an er, unless it is a true emergency, ...i'm sorry you had a bad experience, i hope you were eventually able to seek care

[Jayhawk]

Happy people are only miserable when they are very ill and can't get the help they need.

The only complainers I see here all appear to have survived. Maybe if they had to go 50 or 100 miles to whatever they consider to be a "better" facility, they wouldn't be here to criticize.

:icon_wink:

[blueash]

If you were a Black nurse or a Black physician would you want to come to a community where people seemingly think it is great that this is a "too white " community? Frankly my feeling would be let the racists die if they think that way about POC. Not good enough to live with you then don't turn to me to help you. It is amazing how no matter what the topic some KKKommenters still fly their flag without embarrassment.

Negative of The Villages: Too white, not a great place for minorities of any kind.

Neils : Those are the positives. Any negatives?
Golfing Eagle :bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:
thumbs up by : Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com, stan the man

[blueash]

The only complainers I see here all appear to have survived. Maybe if they had to go 50 or 100 miles to whatever they consider to be a "better" facility, they wouldn't be here to criticize.

:icon_wink:

I am really looking forward to the complaints written by all the non-survivors. Thanks for a smile.

On topic, the CMS ratings are what they are, and TVRH is terrible in those ratings. THe methodology is available online as well as the exact criteria being used (https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/topics/hospitals/overall-hospital-quality-star-rating/#:~:text=The%20Overall%20Hospital%20Quality%20Star %20Rating%20includes%20a%20variety%20of,Efficient% 20Use%20of%20Medical%20Imaging.) Only 5% of all hospitals received the lowest 1 star rating. And TVRH accomplished the double feat (https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/results?searchType=Hospital&page=1&city=The%20Villages&state=FL&radius=25&sort=closest) of getting a one star rating in "overall rating" and separately in "patient survey rating" in Jan 2021. The CMS website indicates data was updated on Jan 27,2021 but I don't see when the data was collected [didn't dig deeply] By the way, Shands which often gets praise here is a two star hospital. Leesburg is also a two star.

[Love2Swim]

The only complainers I see here all appear to have survived. Maybe if they had to go 50 or 100 miles to whatever they consider to be a "better" facility, they wouldn't be here to criticize.

:icon_wink:

You sound like you work for The Villages or are associated with them. You keep bashing anyone who brings up factual statistics, or their personal experiences, as chronic complainers who don't want to be happy.

[oldtimes]

If you were a Black nurse or a Black physician would you want to come to a community where people seemingly think it is great that this is a "too white " community? Frankly my feeling would be let the racists die if they think that way about POC. Not good enough to live with you then don't turn to me to help you. It is amazing how no matter what the topic some KKKommenters still fly their flag without embarrassment.

Negative of The Villages: Too white, not a great place for minorities of any kind.

Neils : Those are the positives. Any negatives?
Golfing Eagle :bigbow::bigbow::bigbow:
thumbs up by : Pedrocarrasco01@yahoo.com, stan the man

I know there are some that think like that but I like to believe that the majority of us do not.

[blueash]

I know there are some that think like that but I like to believe that the majority of us do not.

I agree with you. But I think that the casual white nationalistic material which people post here speaks to a problem where racism is just part of their everyday thought and speech. While I'm not on a quixotic mission to stamp out racism, I do shine a light on it when I read it, not because it will change the thinking of those that post such garbage, but hopefully it will drive them back behind the refrigerator with the other cockroaches. If posters think twice about writing, or supporting racist material then at least it may not be part of our discussions.

[oldtimes]

I agree with you. But I think that the casual white nationalistic material which people post here speaks to a problem where racism is just part of their everyday thought and speech. While I'm not on a quixotic mission to stamp out racism, I do shine a light on it when I read it, not because it will change the thinking of those that post such garbage, but hopefully it will drive them back behind the refrigerator with the other cockroaches. If posters think twice about writing, or supporting racist material then at least it may not be part of our discussions.

Excellent, thank you for clarifying.

[Jayhawk]

You sound like you work for The Villages or are associated with them. You keep bashing anyone who brings up factual statistics, or their personal experiences, as chronic complainers who don't want to be happy.

Sorry, I don't. And the chronic complainers ARE happy, when they are complaining.

:1rotfl:

[Carole clausen]

If a physician ever told me if I wake up and find myself at TV hospital, take a taxi out of there, I would have to question, what are they doing to make it better? I’ve been a patient there, my husband in ER several times and we have always gotten good care. The nurses on the floor have been extraordinary. No complaints here.

[beachgirl]

When I moved here 12 years ago, my primary physician, who was excellent, was with the Villages Health. However, several years later, the Villages Health sent out a letter saying if you were Medicare age, the system would only accept their Medicare advantage plan.
My husband and I decided to switch health systems and our primary care physician is in Tavares and associated with Advent Health Waterman. Advent Health is non profit. We have had excellent care.
The first week in January we were sent an email from Advent Health to schedule an appointment online for the Covid-19 vaccine. It was easy and now we have completed both vaccinations.
The Villages Health called us back a couple of years after we left their system reversing their decision, but we decided not to return.

[Debfrommaine]

[QUOTE=beachgirl;1905523]When I moved here 12 years ago, my primary physician, who was excellent, was with the Villages Health. However, several years later, the Villages Health sent out a letter saying if you were Medicare age, the system would only accept their Medicare advantage plan.
My husband and I decided to switch health systems and our primary care physician is in Tavares and associated with Advent Health Waterman. Advent Health is non profit. We have had excellent care.
The first week in January we were sent an email from Advent Health to schedule an appointment online for the Covid-19 vaccine. It was easy and now we have completed both vaccinations.
The Villages Health called us back a couple of years after we left their system reversing their decision, but we decided not to return.[/QUOTEnot

Interesting, I was not aware Villages Health reversed their decision. Villages Health is not the same company as The Villages Hospital, nor are the surrounding businesses on The Villages Hospital campus i.e. the Sharon Morse building companies, just FYI for anyone who might not be aware.

[Lindsyburnsy]

I don't have an answer, but one excuse could be that the clientele is mostly made up of older adults who can hurt their foot, can't walk, blood clot in leg, leg swells, and the snowball keeps rolling and building up. If you have a mix of age groups, small things usually resolve easily. Or, you have incompetent doctors who just like the weather in Florida. I'd like to think that isn't the case, though.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

Well, not true at all, not sure where you get your information from!

The ratings are from statistics hospitals are required to collect not patients opinions.

From CoachK who reports and analyzes her medical center's and multiple hospitals' CMS star submissions:

There are two CMS star ratings, Patient Experience and Overall hospital rating. Patient Experience is all done with patient surveys about their opinions of the care they received. Overall hospital rating has a component of patience experience.

Now, please refer to which stars you are commenting on for better clarity

reporting guy