The VA hospital in Gainsville...

I will start by letting you know I am a nurse…
Just to clarify for you, the hospital in TV is now a UF Health Hospital…the same as “Gainesville” which is UF Health. University of Florida Health hospitals all used to be called “Shands” hospitals. I moved here from Jacksonville & we all know that there are 4 major hospital names there (plus Mayo) BUT, for trauma…Shands (UF Health) is the absolute best. So when we think of the hospital here in TV, think University of Florida Health (same as Gainesville.) That being said, ANY hospital is only as good as the employees that work there.

Very recently my wife was experiencing symptoms of a heart attack. I took her to the ER on Rt 44 across from Brownwood. We were pleasantly surprised by the care received. She was not having a heart issue but they were very thorough with her care

In NY, the closest one is REQUIRED. My mom always went to one hospital - 1.1 miles away. The ambulance took her to the other hospital a mile away - which she never went to. They didn't know who to call (the other hospital did) and she was alone in a coma for three days.

I wonder if whether or not you are taken to the hospital of your choice depends on the health problem and the ER status. Last year my husband was taken by ambulance to the hospital of our choice.

I sort of disagree. The highest rated hospital on Long Island has the HIGHEST death rate - because they take all the worst heart conditions.

AdventHealth/Waterman (not AdventHealth/Ocala) has the highest rating between Orlando and Tampa and Gainesville. That’s what I use. They are fanatical about avoiding MRSA, and that is one reason why their rating is so high. I had a hip replacement there (Dr. Radnothy), and I was very pleased with the care. It’s about 35 minutes’ drive for me. Also, if you are in their system, if there is a problem that demands the most advance treatment, such as a very rare heart condition, they can send you to AdventHealth/Orlando, which is the top-rated hospital in Florida.

GE post #7....addresses this perfectly

Having been in the Villages Hospital (now UofF) I can say things have changed for the better. The last three ER visits were less than 45 minutes. Once admitted, it is the difference between night and day since the university took over. The staff is very attentive and caring. Big, big difference from days gone by.

Ambulance took husband to The Villages Hospital after he fell and broke knee. They took X-rays. He sat in a chair only to be told six hours later that they don’t do orthopedics. Had to hire transport to get him home only to call ambulance next morning to take him to another hospital.

Hmm how long ago was this?

I'm afraid I have to disagree to disagree.

When talking about NY, the whole Health Dept. reporting is, well, wonky. As chairman of Quality Assurance, then Chief of Staff and member of the Board of directors of a Central NY hospital, I dealt with these issues for over 15 years.

The first thing to realize is that NYC area was treated entirely differently than the rest of NY State. The NYSDOH targeted many upstate hospitals because politics/philosophy made them impotent in the NYC area. Many NYC hospitals did not even bother to report the required data to the state, and the state could do nothing about it, since NYC was where the votes were. Long Island wasn't as bad, but they still got pretty much a "free ride" as far as the state went.

Now, when it is state the highest rated hospital had the highest mortality rate, that is not unusual. May I assume you are referring to St' Francis in Port Washington? (possibly Winthrop?). I did a rotation in 1982 with Randy Griepp---one of the top 5 cardiothoracic surgeons in the country at the time. He had a very high mortality rate since he would take on cases that others wouldn't touch, plus by operating at Kings County his cases were far more advanced. I believe he ran about 4% mortality while Spencer, Shumway and Cooley were running 1%. When the media started publishing these numbers he looked pretty bad, because they didn't explain it.

Bottom line, unless you are on the inside, these numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Since I am not "on the inside" in Florida, I am just as much in the dark here as the rest of you.

great information! thanks for sharing!

First, IMO, every hospital has mostly good people with some bad apples or bad services. I worked in hospital-based cancer centers for nearly 40 years, and I learned to ask coworkers where they would go for XYZ services, so I would ask your primary care doctor and specialists where they would recommend. Individuals, like me, may base all of our opinions on limited data, even a single good/bad encounter, so a large grain of salt with posters. I had an afib issue and went to UF off 44. The ER wait was not trivial as there were others ahead of me. Once I was seen, I was very comfortable with the physician, staff, facilities and care given as well as their recommendations. Another qualitative measure is using Press Ganey scores (in my experience many hospitals use it), which are based off patient ratings, and while it's only how people "felt" about their care, it's enough of a sample to give you an idea.

You can choose which hospital you want to go to. I specified the er on 466a and at first they said if I needed to be hospitalized it would be another transport and I would have to pay. Was in and out with x rays mri and a cat scan in two hours, much better than the. Villages hospital.