[njgranny]

My husband has diabetes, pulmonary problems, heart failure and other heart related diseases, so he goes to several specialists here in southern NJ. Most of them he is seeing now are "foreign" doctors. I find they are more caring, take their time with the patient, and are very capable. The GP that we've had for 30 years is from Italy. He is the greatest and will spend all the time that you need with you. In fact, the other four specialists that my husband sees are the same. They never rush him.

I'm a little worried that, if we do get to the Villages, doctors will be hard to find.

[GERALDINE]

Originally Posted by njgranny

My husband has diabetes, pulmonary problems, heart failure and other heart related diseases, so he goes to several specialists here in southern NJ. Most of them he is seeing now are "foreign" doctors. I find they are more caring, take their time with the patient, and are very capable. The GP that we've had for 30 years is from Italy. He is the greatest and will spend all the time that you need with you. In fact, the other four specialists that my husband sees are the same. They never rush him.

I'm a little worried that, if we do get to the Villages, doctors will be hard to find.

In my opinion, you have good reason to worry. I've STILL not found ANY doctors that are willing or able to treat me like a person and not a slab of meat. My last incident involved a suspected liver problem. After expensive scans (2 kinds) and ultrasounds and x-rays and over $1500. in lab work...I was summoned to the Gastro Drs. office and given an explanation that I never understood because of his broken English and a prescription for a VERY expensive medication that I take 3Xs a day for the rest of my life and told if I don't take it I die!!! Scary, eh? I made an appt to see my Internist who referred me to this yo-yo and only after completely breaking down in the exam room and sobbing out of pure frustration...did he call the Gastro Dr. and find out what was going on with me and what the medication was for. I can't tell you how many friends and neighbors ALL have the same complaint and it's not getting any better. New Drs. come here because it's a gold mine for them. Where else can you get 70,000+ old people all congregated in the same place and all needing medical attention????? They don't care if they lose a patient here or a patient there because of their lack of caring...there's 2 (or 3 or 4) more to take their place.

With your husband's medical conditions...if you can't afford to fly back and forth to your current Drs....I'd be very careful about coming down here and depending on the same quality of care that you are getting at home now.

I don't want to sound like a doomsayer, but I don't want you to get down here and be in trouble either.

Maybe watch this thread to see what others say about their Drs. I do know that the really good ones are few and far between and when you find one...like the ones mentioned in this thread...they have a 1+ year waiting list for new patients!!!!!

[Bonny]

I am so lucky to have found a great Doctor here. It took me 4 trys, but I found him. I go to Dr. John Burress, Lady Lake Family Medicine, on 466. He now has a PA, Sylvia Wallace who is also fabulous.
I think the Drs. will be of better quality now that the hospital is growing. It's attracting some of the better ones.

[islandgal]

Patches -



Pretty scary- I guess the palatial offices they build don't ensure their expertise and
I agree with John Furey that background checks are not always the solution.
Very frustrating.

[GERALDINE]

Originally Posted by Bonny

I am so lucky to have found a great Doctor here. It took me 4 trys, but I found him. I go to Dr. John Burress, Lady Lake Family Medicine, on 466. He now has a PA, Sylvia Wallace who is also fabulous.
I think the Drs. will be of better quality now that the hospital is growing. It's attracting some of the better ones.

Bonny:

Again, I hate to be a "doomsayer", but.....the hospital is NOT growing. Well, structurally it is but here's the scoop. My friend is an RN. She and her husband moved down here knowing they still had 5 - 6 years to work before retirement but decided to go for it. She is (was) a fulltime RN at the Villages Hospital.

Last Monday she was looking particularly tired and I asked her if she was OK. She told me that when she had gone to work (she works nights) the night before, she was told they were closing her unit (Medical Unit) and consolidating patients in the surgical unit...which they did. She was also told that her hours were being cut, her pay was being cut and she had to pay $180.00 more for her insurance and there was a hiring freeze on...NO more help being hired. She said she was the ONLY person on the floor that night. She was the nurse, the aide, the secretary, the tech...everything. She said there were some people she never even got to see...they could have been dead for all she knew. She also said that the employees that were left were told NOT to speak of this closure/consolidation. Further, she told me there were entire floors of the hospital being unused because of lack of money. Basically, they moved the patients off one floor to another, turned out the lights, shut the door and that's it!!!! I asked her, "how could they build that 3 story cardiac structure addition if they didn't have any money?" She said because it was federal money given to them and they either had to spend it or lose it. I say, "Besides....it looks good to potential new home buyers...yes indeed, very impressive looking." Kind of like a movie set wouldn't you say? Nothing behind the facade. Finally, she said they were told the hospital does not make real money on inpatient care. They make the most of their money on "services" like CT Scans, X-Rays, etc. and that's what they want to concentrate on. Guess that's why my CT Scan at TVRH would have cost $7,000.00+. I called around and found a medical imaging facility that charged $1,500.00. BIG difference...BIG profit.

So...anyhow, I'm just passing on what was told to me last Tuesday by one who should really know.

Just be aware that there ARE other places for medical and lab tests that are highly accredited and are MUCH, MUCH cheaper. Also, there are other hospitals in the area that aren't cutting staff and closing doors to survive!!!

[swrinfla]

I am appalled that Patches' observations are even possible! Perhaps I am too likely to see things more positively, but this entry is scary, indeed!

I hope that everyone will take to heart this mantra: "With respect to your own health care, you and only you are ultimately responsible!"

Thus, you've got to do your homework before finding the doctor/nurse/clinic/hospital/etc that's really, really right!

SWR

[ConeyIsBabe]

Originally Posted by swrinfla

I am appalled that Patches' observations are even possible! Perhaps I am too likely to see things more positively, but this entry is scary, indeed!

I hope that everyone will take to heart this mantra: "With respect to your own health care, you and only you are ultimately responsible!"

Thus, you've got to do your homework before finding the doctor/nurse/clinic/hospital/etc that's really, really right!

SWR

Although I'm not a resident of TV, this topic is relative to the medical profession anywhere. In my small town in s/Oregon, I don't even have a real primary care physician, she is a PA-C but I don't have any complaints about her.

We are all so fortunate to have at our fingertips the most awesome research tool ever invented..... the internet. We can research our own medical issues, as SWR said "you've got to do your homework" and it is a tremendous asset to educate ourselves before even going to the doctor.

[The Great Fumar]

I go to Dr. Paul Snodgrass,...........great guy and easy to deal with...If you can't afford the operation, For $10.00 he'll touch up your exrays.....

healthy fumar

[GatbTester]

While it may take some time to find the right family care physician for you do not give up! My wife and I finally found Dr. Thumati Jagalur, who's practice is across the street from Too Jays' on Old Camp Road in LSL. He is an internist with credentials to practice here, Leesburg, or Munroe in Ocala. He is a sincere, caring, human being, and is devoted to see that his patients receive the best care possible.

[Muncle]

I know it's easiest and most fashionable to complain, but I guess I've been cursed. Prior to moving here, I had a wonderful internist in the DC area. Moving here in '05, I was lucky enough to pick the same Dr. Jag that Gatb discusses above. Both he and his nurse Lori are absolutely caring and professional. I'll never forget the empathy they both demonstrated when the had to give me difficult test results.

Then Dr, Jag's office took over, setting appointments with an oncology practice and a pulmonologist who took my insurance and could see me immediately. Dr Iyengar and her cancer treatment staff have been wonderful --- Chemo sucks, but the people were wonderful. And when we had an occasional downturn, I felt it more my task to console and buck up Dr. Iyengar and my sister than to overworry about my health.

The pulmonologist was a trip. There's a sign in Dr. Albino's office explaining that he tries as hard as he can to stay on schedule but emergencies and an occasional patient requiring more attention might cause him to run late. If you as the patient could not tolerate periodic delays, you were more than welcome to seek a different pulmonologist. Damn, I thought, what an egotistical bast**d. However, 5 minutes into his examination room, I began to think the guy was pretty sharp. 10 minutes later, I was convinced this was one of the smartest, most caring doctors I'd ever met.

Not long later, I fell in the night, shattering my radius. Into TV hospital emergency room, I was well-treated, the wrist stabilized, and I was thoroughly examined. Problem was that no one could determine why I fell, so they had to assume the worse. I was put in the cardiac wing, and after the bone surgeon consulted with the Albino and Iyengar, surgery was scheduled. Jag's hospitalist was there a couple times a day, Albino visited as much as the dinner cart lady. Iyengar's partner kept a close eye on everything and visited daily. And since there was the great unknown, I got me a cardiologist, Dr. Valliban. He quickly ruled out the probability of a heart issue, but kept an eye on me for my hospital stay and two follow-up before giving me a complete pass on the heart. After 2+ days, Dr. Tankson did the surgery and I guess he did a good job -- hey, I can play golf just as miserably today as I ever did.

A couple months later, I started a very long treatment at the Robert Boissoneault Oncology Institute next to the hospital. Yeah, the first half of the treatments caused a lot of pain -- I could swallow nothing for a couple months -- but the technicians who gave me my daily blast were absolutely superb. They did everything possible to keep my spirits up and almost became family. And my doctor, Sheilaine Mabanta, was, as expected by now, wonderful. How could I possibly stay down in the dumps with her positive attitude, regular encouragement, and bright prognosis.

I have no idea today how everything will turn out, but I do know that regardless, I've received the best and most positive treatment feasible.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Y'know, maybe I have less problem with the hospital and with many caregivers because I realize the sun doesn't rise and set on me and my issues. I realize that there are others who might actually be sicker than me or need the chemo station ahead of me for whatever reason. And I realize that not all days are the same, that occasionally someone might be out sick and throw the schedule awry or maybe the receptionist/nurse/doctor just might have had that final spousal argument this AM or maybe one of their kids or parents are critically ill. Give caregivers the same consideration you expect from the.

Okay, one more thing --- rumors suck! Do not believe rumors! Go to the source and verify, especially before you propagate them.

[villages07]

Well said Uncle Muncle.... thank you for sharing some very personal information and experiences. I would hate to see newbies and wannabees scared off by some of these rumors and some (no doubt true) tales of woe that others have experienced.

When one relocates here you have to start over with all your medical providers. Back in your home town, you built, refined, and pruned that list of providers over many years. Here, you have to do it all at once and yes, they won't all be winners.

I started out with a very good internist then he left town because his new wife didn't want to live up here. Based on recommendations here and elsewhere I found another one that I am equally pleased with. I have had knee replacement and rotator cuff surgery in the past 6 months and had excellent results from Drs Kerina and Mitchell at Tri County Orthopedic (same practice as Dr Tankson) as well as Rehab GV, their affiliated physical therapy outfit.

My one bad experience was with Village Dental and their recommendation of so much extra work. Well, after a few months I dumped them and went with another dentist who only does necessary work for a reasonable fee.

As to the negative reports/rumors Patches heard about the hospital shrinking....could this perhaps be a 'normal' seasonal adjustment they go through? Perhaps worse this year because of the economy. But, think, TV population goes from something like 75K in Jan-Mar to maybe 40K during the summer. I'm sure the hospital's "business" load decreases significantly in the summer. Just like the restaurants. I imagine it makes it hard for those needing full time employment to plan.

I agree with opinions expressed by some that demand exceeds supply when it comes to medical providers here. We're so used to things being put in place ahead of time (rec centers, golf courses, shopping, restaurants) that when something lags we question why. The situation does seem to be getting better as evidenced by all the new medical offices being built and the hospital expansion project, VA Clinic, etc.

[GERALDINE]

Originally Posted by villages07

As to the negative reports/rumors Patches heard about the hospital shrinking.....

You did NOT read my post very well...this is NOT a rumor. This came directly from the lips of the RN in charge that night. Not from the next door neighbor of the cousin of the sister-in-law of the man who does the plumbing on the 5th floor!!!!!!!

Whether or not it's a "seasonal" thing I do not know. All I know is...it didn't happen in previous years so be a judge yourself.

Thanks to everyone who is sharing their experiences with their favorite doctors. It will help everyone to get this information out to all. Need to know the bad ones too.

[katezbox]

Originally Posted by Patches

You did NOT read my post very well...this is NOT a rumor. This came directly from the lips of the RN in charge that night. Not from the next door neighbor of the cousin of the sister-in-law of the man who does the plumbing on the 5th floor!!!!!!!

Whether or not it's a "seasonal" thing I do not know. All I know is...it didn't happen in previous years so be a judge yourself.

Thanks to everyone who is sharing their experiences with their favorite doctors. It will help everyone to get this information out to all. Need to know the bad ones too.

Patches,

Unless this story is corroborated - it is still a rumor. You know your source, but we don't.

V'07 is a thoughtful, pragmatic poster - and I believe she did read your e-mail as did Muncie.

It takes a lot to understand the way hospitals charge due to our convoluted health care system in this country - don't jump on me on this - both political parties agree it is broken. One price if you have insurance, a different one of you don't. Like many businesses, you make money on one service; another you just break even. That is not unique to the hospital here.

Kate

[GERALDINE]

Whatever!!!

[schotzyb]

My wife is also a nurse at The Villages Hospital and she has not had her hours or pay cut. In fact she is on vacation the past several days and has been called every day and asked if she wanted to work.