[Bizdoc]

We regularly see threads about how awful the wait at The Villages ER is. To keep things in perspective, I thought that an article from the June 9th Washington Post is good reading.

Hit by a car, an emergency doctor experiences firsthand the shortcomings in ER care - The Washington Post

ERs everywhere have problems.

[ilovetv]

The writer's valuable insights were learned from real-life experience and not in a lecture hall nor scientific laboratory.

"Residents went from stretcher to stretcher, sorting out patient dispositions."

This gives insights as to how the big, famous teaching hospital doctors in training find and prioritize the patient's primary medical problems, and how insightful they are about deciding which information is taken further, and which information is ignored out of naïveté, inexperience, or plain old incompetence (like this patient's knee and hip).

This is a serious weakness of the big university teaching hospital setting, and often a strong, well administered community hospital can provide better, more patient-centered care overall.

Teaching hospitals are focused on research which needs subjects, and are more centered on training the doctors. That's not to discredit them....we are blessed to have so many of them. But every system has its weaknesses.

These are all things consumers need to educate themselves about. And thankfully, we still can choose one hospital over another.

This ability to choose hospitals and doctors should be prized and guarded with all our might.....amidst glad hand politicians--grossly lacking insight--vying to legislate their "legacy of reform".

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by ilovetv

The writer's valuable insights were learned from real-life experience and not in a lecture hall nor scientific laboratory.

"Residents went from stretcher to stretcher, sorting out patient dispositions."

This gives insights as to how the big, famous teaching hospital doctors in training find and prioritize the patient's primary medical problems, and how insightful they are about deciding which information is taken further, and which information is ignored out of naïveté, inexperience, or plain old incompetence (like this patient's knee and hip).

This is a serious weakness of the big university teaching hospital setting, and often a strong, well administered community hospital can provide better, more patient-centered care overall. Teaching hospitals are focused on research which needs subjects, and are more centered on training the doctors. That's not to discredit them....we are blessed to have so many of them. But every system has its weaknesses.

All things consumers need to educate themselves about.

Your post is well taken.

Perhaps the teaching hospitals are waiting for someone to die
so that person can become their next subject??!?

[PTennismom0202]

Whenever possible, the primary care doctor should be the first call before going to the ER. This is especially true for those practices that espouse to be, or are formally recognized as Patient Centered Medical Homes where a telephone call is welcome day or night. Staying out of the ER, where they don't know you or have a copy of your medical record, whenever possible is the best thing for patients.

[graciegirl]

Many sad and angry patients...waited until it got to be an emergency. Many, not all, could have seen a doctor before the symptoms became overwhelming. But even then, triage means that life threatening wins over hurts like hell.


We have many shortcomings here in The Villages for good health care but the ER is about the same as any place else if you believe the reports heard on this forum.


I agree with the poster that we need to guard the choices about healthcare we are able to make. I have a friend in the Netherlands that had to wait three months for a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. We do not appreciate what we have. Many of us made career choices and stayed at jobs that were difficult to maintain the good health insurance for our families.

[Villages PL]

To someone who has to wait for hours and hours at The Villages ER, it's likely of little comfort knowing that it could be a lot worse at other ERs. If your roof starts leaking, does it help to remember that there are people in the world who live in grass huts? Does it make everything okay knowing that it's worse somewhere else? No! You're more likely to get better medical care if you expect it and demand it.

What should we expect from ourselves? How about learning how to cross the street safely. Look at all the pain and suffering that could have been avoided if the doctor had been more alert in crossing the street. I speak from experience. Just yesterday I was driving in the rain, in front of a shopping center, and people were running in front of me without looking where they were going. They must have thought that cars should automatically stop for them so they could hurry up and not get too wet. But by not being cautious, and not looking both ways before crossing, they risk being run over by an inattentive driver.

[rubicon]

I agree with all the preceding posts but folks you ain't seen nothing yet.

[NotGolfer]

Originally Posted by rubicon

I agree with all the preceding posts but folks you ain't seen nothing yet.

You're right on rubicon! I too agree with ALL the preceding posts and you!

[dalecrenshaw]

I went to the Villages Hospital ER about 5 weeks ago for a fractured foot. I was lucky the wait wasn't too long (about an hour). I did not see a Doctor but a Physician's Assistant. After taking Xrays, all they gave me was a flimsy sandal type shoe and told me to go to a Doctor. Since I live in California, my Kaiser Insurance plan doesn't cover anything outside of their plan, other than an ER or Urgent Care. About a week later, after much pain, I went to the 411 Urgent Care and they took more Xrays and gave me a better boot. When I got to our home in California and went to my primary care Doctor, who sent me to a specialist, they said I should have had a cast. The Villages ER billed Medicare $1900 for a couple of Xrays and a sandal type shoe (which offered no support since was too big and very flimsy), which I think is outrageously high for the mediocre treatment I received.