[CFrance]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Shands is part of the University of Florida School of Medicine and so it is a teaching hospital that is well staffed and run and it is in Gainesville which I think is an hour away..

Only the building is owned by The Villages here. It is rented to a group that runs hospitals and it does not have what a large teaching hospital has to offer for sure.

Even the most superior hospital would be put to the test by having the population swell in the months of January, February and March.

However, I am pretty sure asking for one's own doctor to come to the hospital for an emergency may not be realistic in this day and age.

Telling a hospital staff member that you are healthy is not realistic without your latest health records. They have a responsibility to conduct blood tests and other monitoring tests when you are admitted.

And many hospitals are switching to a system where they have " in house" doctors, so you may not even be allowed to see your own doctor while in the hospital because they don't make hospital visits any more.

I do believe, though, that just about every area of FL swells in the winter months, and some hospitals are equipped to handle it better.

Lots of people who are very fit and eat and exercise right turn up with heart issues. Just because OP said she was in the weight & health field should not have caused them to disregard the testing. However, it is odd that the doctor ordered one test and the nurses decided to do a different one. That seems illogical or illegal, and I wonder if there's some information the OP doesn't know about or hasn't included here regarding this change in testing.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by CFrance

And many hospitals are switching to a system where they have " in house" doctors, so you may not even be allowed to see your own doctor while in the hospital because they don't make hospital visits any more.

I do believe, though, that just about every area of FL swells in the winter months, and some hospitals are equipped to handle it better.

Lots of people who are very fit and eat and exercise right turn up with heart issues. Just because OP said she was in the weight & health field should not have caused them to disregard the testing. However, it is odd that the doctor ordered one test and the nurses decided to do a different one. That seems illogical or illegal, and I wonder if there's some information the OP doesn't know about or hasn't included here regarding this change in testing.

CF - To counter the Hospitalist trend, Medicare is providing financial incentives for your primary care physician to oversee your hospital care. My physician does this. However, he or she must have privileges as a medical staff member.

A couple of additional points: 1) a hospital cannot force a particular physician on you & 2) it is your right as a patient to select the physicians who care for you. Having said this, in an emergency situation you most likely will be cared for by the specialist on call (cardiologist, etc.) if you present to the ER.

[HimandMe]

Good care in a hospital is a reflection from the top management down. Yes, people are run off their feet in season, but that doesn't mean not listening closely to the patient. As a patient, you need to be proactive about your care and often have someone with you that can speak up. A clinically trained chaplain of which I think their are two there can act as an advocate for the patient when necessary.
Hospital food is often tasteless but usually healthy at least.
In a place like TV, where almost everyone is older, good hospital and healthcare should be number one on our list. Our mother is in her mid 90s and I would hate to think she might go through this after decades of good care...not to mention careless behavior that might hasten her demise.
Send the letters. People who have had real issues with care here need to have it documented. It doesn't help anyone if you quietly suffer.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by dbussone

CF - To counter the Hospitalist trend, Medicare is providing financial incentives for your primary care physician to oversee your hospital care. My physician does this. However, he or she must have privileges as a medical staff member.

A couple of additional points: 1) a hospital cannot force a particular physician on you & 2) it is your right as a patient to select the physicians who care for you. Having said this, in an emergency situation you most likely will be cared for by the specialist on call (cardiologist, etc.) if you present to the ER.

DB, is there still such a thing as a patient advocate in every hospital? Sometimes even knowing your rights still can't make them be upheld. There are lots of ways around that, such as the hospital personnel saying things like I don't know the answer, The doctor who ordered that is not here right now, We'll have to See, etc. A person in the emergency room doesn't necessarily have the stamina to stand up for himself. It used to be you could ask for a patient advocate, at least in my former area of the country.

Just wondering, for future reference. I seem to remember you have experience with hospitals.

[dbussone]

Originally Posted by CFrance

DB, is there still such a thing as a patient advocate in every hospital? Sometimes even knowing your rights still can't make them be upheld. There are lots of ways around that, such as the hospital personnel saying things like I don't know the answer, The doctor who ordered that is not here right now, We'll have to See, etc. A person in the emergency room doesn't necessarily have the stamina to stand up for himself. It used to be you could ask for a patient advocate, at least in my former area of the country.

Just wondering, for future reference. I seem to remember you have experience with hospitals.

Yes. Most hospitals have patient advocates, and you should feel free to request one with whom you could speak. I would also be comfortable asking to speak to a nursing supervisor (director) or case manager.

[asianthree]

If you re waiting for a bed because the house is full, you are waiting for someone to be healthy enough to go home, or someone to die. Either way there needs to be room at the inn.

[lamplighter]

The more advocates to choose from the better.

[Bonanza]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Shands is part of the University of Florida School of Medicine and so it is a teaching hospital that is well staffed and run and it is in Gainesville which I think is an hour away..

Only the building is owned by The Villages here. It is rented to a group that runs hospitals and it does not have what a large teaching hospital has to offer for sure.

Even the most superior hospital would be put to the test by having the population swell in the months of January, February and March.

However, I am pretty sure asking for one's own doctor to come to the hospital for an emergency may not be realistic in this day and age.

Telling a hospital staff member that you are healthy is not realistic without your latest health records. They have a responsibility to conduct blood tests and other monitoring tests when you are admitted.

I am guessing that the chemical injected that the OP didn't want was Thalium and the test was a nuclear test to see how the blood was dispersed into the heart muscle at rest and while moving. It is an important diagnostic test if a person is suspected of having cardiac issues.

Nuclear stress test: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

I agree with all your points but would like to say that most areas of Florida (and any warm weather resort or area) have a tremendous growth in population during "season." In other areas of Florida where I have lived, the hospitals were prepared to handle the increase in population and did it well. I know this (unfortunately) from a few different hosital experiences, and that goes for their emergency room care, as well.

I know that there are groups that run hospitals. But I wonder if the cost of running the hospital here (including rent to the developer?), is too expensive, and is reflected in not having or being able to get enough staff or even the best personnel on staff???

[shcisamax]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Yes. Most hospitals have patient advocates, and you should feel free to request one with whom you could speak. I would also be comfortable asking to speak to a nursing supervisor (director) or case manager.

When we were in TVH, I went up to the nurses station to ask for a patient advocate and a nurse told me he was a patient advocate and that they were all patient advocates. I had to then say very deliberately, "No I want THE patient advocate."

Usually there is a patient advocate and above that person is risk manager. When we were there last summer, the same person was doing both jobs while waiting for them to hire someone for one of the jobs. I asked, "How long she had been doing both jobs." She told me about eight years.

In terms of the swelling during season, I would think a hospital in a non retirement area would be a less stressed system. I would head for Shands. Even Munroe is probably less stressed than TVH which is smack dab in the middle of over 120,000 health sensitive seniors.

[salpal]

I had a very similar experience. When I was told I was going to be on a gurney and in the hallway of ER for the next 15 hours, I left the hospital. The ER had at least 15 people lining the hallways on gurneys. I was near the nurse's station and could hear the almost panic in their voices...it was very crowded and understaffed. I signed a wavier and left the hospital. I'll be seeing my new cardiologist very soon but if I have to go to a hospital it will not be TVRH.

[Avista]

When I fractured my ankle, it was Feb. I was taken to ER at TVH. True, I had to wait hours for a room. But the rest of the story is I had a room in the ER. The ortho surgeon visited me there. I had XRays. Nurses took really good care of me. I had a TV. It wasn't bad at all, and eventually I got a room. Was not a bad experience.

[graciegirl]

Friends were just moving in when she went into a terrible and unexplained allergic reaction that was causing her to have trouble breathing. He drove her to the hospital, not thinking or not knowing that EMS was available for immediate help and transport.

They immediately treated her and intubed her and saved her life and their expert care for a couple of weeks afterward was excellent. In fact she chose her hospitalist for her PCP.

We visited frequently when she was in a drug induced coma and she was tenderly cared for.

I am so glad that it had a happy ending.

[sunnyatlast]

Originally Posted by salpal

I had a very similar experience. When I was told I was going to be on a gurney and in the hallway of ER for the next 15 hours, I left the hospital. The ER had at least 15 people lining the hallways on gurneys. I was near the nurse's station and could hear the almost panic in their voices...it was very crowded and understaffed. I signed a wavier and left the hospital. I'll be seeing my new cardiologist very soon but if I have to go to a hospital it will not be TVRH.

I agree, but there's one thing I'd do differently. Since you mention you'll be seeing your new cardiologist, if it was chest pain or other signs of a cardiac arrest that made you go to the ER, it would be better to leave in an ambulance than by car, for another hospital in the area. Yes, call an ambulance to get you out of the place where you are not being seen for life threatening symptoms and are held in a hallway like a billable item.

And, remember that it is administration--not the front lines nurses and doctors--who schedule or don't schedule heavy enough staffing for the beds upstairs that ARE empty, but are not staffed, to make that administrator's departmental budget look nice and cost effective--at meetings where no patient nor front lines nurse or doctor can speak to the B.S. that is being presented!


.

[rn1tv]

I don't think filing a complaint will do any good. I had a cisternogram that when bad. I tried to get answers from the "patient advocate," the person in charge of Risk Management, and even the CEO of the hospital, but no one would respond. I think the hospital thinks if you ignore a problem, it will go away. Sad to say, I worked for the hospital as an RN for 8 years and still cannot get answers. They just don't care as long as they are making an income. This is so disappointing as I took my patient care very seriously; only wish everyone else did. I'm embarrassed to say I was once worked there and was very proud to tell people I did. No more, patient treatment, in my opinion, is extremely poor.

[angiefox10]

I am truly happy for the people who have gone to The Villages Hospital and gotten good care.

I'm not sure, as someone pointed out, that the people posting actually read my letter as much as they picked bits and pieces and dissected them. If it was just one thing that was the problem... Hey.... You would be right. But having a staff not listening to the patient is scary to me.

Since then, I have been back to The Villages hospital with my niece... There were again issues that I won't belabor you with here. Mostly they were under staffed. BTW... are you people aware that if the hospital can't handle the incoming patients, they can divert them to another hospital? There are other hospitals to divert to in this area.

I digress.....

She was transported to Shands Hospital. We met her there. What a difference. Young cutting edge doctors, cutting edge equipment, and teams working for her care at 10:30 at night... Surgery was scheduled this morning and it went well. If I have to go to the hospital... I will take the chance to go to Shands for my care! Impressive!!!!!

"The faculty from the UF College of Medicine includes nationally and internationally recognized physicians whose expertise is supported by intensive research activities. Shands' affiliation with the UF Health Science Center allows patients to benefit from the latest medical knowledge and technology."

https://ufhealth.org/shands-university-florida

UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL - US News Best Hospitals

The Villages Hospital

Villages Regional Hospital - The Villages, FL | Yelp

The Villages Regional Hospital in The Villages, FL - US News Best Hospitals

For those of you who love The Villages Hospital... That's GREAT! Continue to go there. I wish you well.....