Avoid if possible the HCA facilities in the area.

Quite impressive. I'm glad you were well care for and had a wonderful outcome.

I'm glad that your wife had such good care.

5 1/2 years ago my husband had a stroke. He was airlifted from TV hospital to Gainesville. I can't say enough good things about the care he received in ICU Neuro. They did not expect him to survive but thankfully he is here today. I'll keep a very long story short but he ended up in several different parts of the hospital and one was Pulminary where a nurse saved my husband's life after a cardiac arrest. Later when I thanked the nurse he was so humble about it. All in a days work.

I can’t say enough good things about HCA Florida North Florida Hospital in Gainesville. That facility saved my life after the former Villages Hospital failed me miserably.

U.S. News rates hospitals, I’ve found it very helpful.

https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals

Tp clarify my initial comment, the Villages ambulance would NOT take my wife to the ER at Trailwinds as they were positive her shoulder was broken and would require surgery, so the transport had to be directly to a hospital. She ended up at the former Villages Hospital, no orthopedic surgeon on call, so had to be transferred to Leesburg. Great surgeon and care.

Where you are taken is apparently completely at the discretion of the ambulance. They usually default to the closest ER even if they know that facility does not offer the service you clearly need. Not their problem. voice of experience.

Gainesville is the way to go
 

All I can say is go to shands this is the hospital that has saved my life 3 Times. In the last two years. Stabilize and move immediately if that is what you can do. PS the last time they saved me was last Tuesday.

Y'all intelligent old folks crack me up
 

You are attempting to discuss relatively minor medical issues as "emergencies". Just drive your wife or husband to wherever you want her or him to go. You can pretend to know if its worth driving to Gainesville because you know best. You've even got a Chief of Staff ranting about NYC...this ain't NYC and a broken kneecap or shoulder is not an emergency. I was an Emergency Room RN for over 30 years at a major Trauma and Burn Center. If you are dying you will NOT be dictating where you will go to die....so get over your entitled selves please. Your reflux or arthritic pain is NOT an emergency and you should go see your PCP about it instead of keeping your Tee time. I guarantee you will not care what emergency room you land in when you actually have an event and we won't care if you have Medicare Supplement or Advantage.....Don't abuse the Emergency System because when you do you kill someone that actually needed it!!! For those stuck on the CMMS ratings...aka Medicare...My career was at a known hospital system in Baltimore, which is home to Medicare and Social Security, and I know Hospital Surveyors. Don't trust their ratings unless you believe all government workers are actually conscientious workers, committed to their jobs, and only thinking of your lives, like you believe they are. But that's just an insiders view and not what you'll see on CNN. Take away what you will and say what you will about me...but I will stilI know truth and laugh at your lament over where's the "best". The "best" is exactly what treatment you need at the moment...and nothing more or nothing less

Interesting post. Now, I read the testimonials, and nobody was advocating rushing to the ER with "arthritis". I did see acute MIs, stroke, orthopedic surgery issues and neuro ICU admissions.

Meanwhile, the topic is "hospital ratings", so I would not categorize explaining the inner workings of the system "a rant". (BTW, is the above a "rant" about Baltimore????)

But we can agree about the surveyors. I think we both know you get a citation for a doorknob that is 1/2 inch too high or a faucet that leaks 1 drop per hour, not to mention they plant 2 people in medical records to make sure i's are dotted.

What about HCA in Gainesville?

Excellent facility, see post #34. Speaking from first hand experience, not ratings.

Oh, yes, I forgot I read your post. That is exactly what I am looking for, actually. Thank you.

Welcome back ‘Dawg. Don’t always agree but yourself and GE bring to the table what I always try to yield to....institutional knowledge