My Villages Hospital Review
 

I went to The Villages ER on Saturday February 7th, 2015 with chest pains. (FYI my heart and total health is GREAT!) They immediately took me to a room and hooked me up to monitors and placed a nitro patch on my chest.

My husband made it clear several times he wanted me to see his cardiologist at the Citrus Group. I’m throwing that in now, all will become clear.

I laid on a gurney for hours in the ER waiting for a room. I hadn’t had much to eat or drink before that so my husband asked if they could get me some food or water. I don’t know what the response was… but I didn’t receive food or water. He finally found a vending machine and purchased some water for me. The only thing in the vending machines to eat was junk, and I don’t eat junk. (I am a Beachbody Coach and have gotten to enjoy healthy food.) My husband asked again and again for something for me to eat. Finally they brought me a dry tasteless turkey and cheese sandwich and grapes. I was hungry… I ate! I entered the ER at 3:00 PM and made it to a room at 10:30. At one point I had asked if they could move me closer to the machines, I was hooked up to, as I was tangled up in the cords. They said that wasn’t possible and walked out. I told the nurse I had a horrible headache. She said it was from the Nitro and walked away… When she came back in, I asked if I could get something for the pain, she said she would get me something and walked out. 30 minutes later, she came back in, I asked about the meds for pain and she said she told another nurse to bring them… Didn’t I get them yet??? She went back out and got the meds and when she came back, she moved the Nitro from my chest to my ankle. She said that would move it away from my head and stop the headache.

They told me they would take blood three times to see if I was, or had had a heart attack. The lady taking the blood told me there are people who have been in the ER for up to 3 days and didn’t get a room! OH wow….. I wasn’t on a bed, but a gurney! Not comfortable!

I sent my husband home to take care of our pets who needed meds and to be fed and told him I would let him know when I was in a room.

At 9:20 someone came in and told me he was taking me to my room. This gentleman left….. at 9:40 a nurse came in and told me I had a room… hmmmm I was told I had a room 20 minutes ago…. At 10:03… I was finally in a room. The nurse there took my patch off so the headache went away.

The nurse said I was scheduled for a stress test for the next day, did I want to eat something. I said yes. He brought me the dry turkey cheese sandwich again and Ginger Ale. I tried eating it. I just couldn’t! I took the bread off and tried eating the cheese and turkey. I could only eat one bite of that. I don’t drink carbonated drinks and I don’t drink sugar so I drank some of the water. By that time I was so exhausted, I fell asleep.

The next day the PA came in and told me they were going to do a Stress Test on me. Asked if I could walk the treadmill. I told him I could…. I explained I was a Beachbody Coach and did extensive workouts. He didn’t know what I was talking about and didn’t seem to want to look it up. It might had given them an indicator of my health… but… Whatever…. So, it was decided that I would walk the treadmill. When I was taken down for the Stress Test they laid me on a gurney and said they were doing a chemical test instead of walking the treadmill. I was very agitated about this. I didn’t want anything else put in my system and told them this. I also told them the Dr. and specifically said I would be walking the treadmill. They ignored my request and never called the Dr. to find out what he wanted. They just went ahead and did the chemical test. BTW, the Dr. was in the hospital and they were aware of it.

When I got back up to my room, the Doctor came in and he asked if there was a reason I couldn’t walk the test. When I told him what happened, he was surprised and clearly didn’t order that. I would like to add that this was not the doctor we had requested, but in fact a hospital doctor.
The nurse asked me if I was hungry. I of course was. She brought me that dry turkey and cheese sandwich and ginger ale. *sigh* I just couldn’t! It was that bad! I handed it back to her. This was 5:00PM the next day and I wasn’t THAT hungry! And, I’m still not drinking sugar!

They brought me my first meal. Meatloaf. Well, I guess low sodium is no taste. Seriously??? They don’t know how to put some flavor in food without salt? It wasn’t like ground beef. It was like a thick pate’. The massed potatoes were fake. The green beans were canned and overcooked. White bread and fake butter with 1% milk. Trust me when I say hospital food is not healthy! I didn’t eat the white bread, fake butter or colored water!

That evening I was hungry and asked if they had anything to snack on. The nurse brought me saltines and ginger ale. Saltines???? I can’t have salt on my food but salt and sugar for a snack is ok??? I of course refused. She asked if I was diabetic and told me she could bring me ice cream. I guess fruit in the hospital is out of the question.

Now… I notice they are still taking blood. I questioned the blood letting and the lady said they were checking to see if some levels were elevated. I asked if they didn’t find that out in 3 tests.. She said yes. I told her to check on it as they had gone WAY past the three tests! She went ahead and took my blood and said she would ask the nurse when she was through. Huh??? Wouldn’t you ask the nurse first???

Next an internist came in and asked me the same questions everyone else had asked me. Clearly NO ONE had even looked at my chart! After answering all the questions, she informed me the problem was that I didn’t know how to breathe deeply! She wanted me to do some sort of therapy. A therapy that would include taking steroids. I told her breathing deeply wasn’t the problem… I knew how to breathe deep. I was a Beachbody coach… It’s part of the job! She didn’t know what that meant nor did she care.

The internist sent in a Pulmonary Doctor. He made it to my room later that evening. He had read my chart! I think he was the only one. He asked questions according to my chart. He looked up Beachbody. He checked my body and listened to me. He told me I had pulled a muscle in my chest. It was causing me pain as I wasn’t letting it relax. He gave me sound instructions and he LISTENED to me. He sat down and talked to me. He said I certainly didn’t need to learn how to breathe deeply.

The food in the hospital is probably the most unhealthy I’ve seen. A diet of that food for very long will kill you. So much so… One of the nurses told us she won’t eat it.

I never saw anyone from Citrus group. I’m not even sure is they wrote it down even though my husband made it clear several times I should see them.

Most of the staff didn’t listen to me. Scary when you are telling them not to do a treatment that you know you aren’t supposed to have and they do it anyway. Once I was checked into the hospital, I no longer had a say of what happened to my body. I found the experience scary. I would do everything in my power to never go back there!!!!


Lest you think I have never been in a Hospital. Not true. At 63, I have been in hospitals, my husband and my children have been in hospitals. This was the scary bad!!!

Your care was abominable. The fact that they kept doing things without asking, listening, or explaining is even worse. Everyone who becomes a patient needs a vocal advocate to act on the patient's behalf. My wife is an RN and I worked in healthcare for 40 years. I apologize for the way you were treated. Please communicate your story to administration. If they don't know what happened they can't fix it for the next patient.

Good grief! That was BAD.....really bad. As an RN who works in a small community hospital, I can say with assurity that some hospitals really do have good food (ours is amazing!) and have staff that listens and gives good care. My goodness, that was just awful. So sorry. I have heard bad things about health care in FL in general, and I expect to be working as an RN there sometime. I sure hope I can make a difference!

Sorry to read of your terrible experience. That's awful! I was taken by ambulance to THRH in late March and had wonderful care during the two days I was there.

Totally Unacceptable!!!!!

I suggest putting this whole thing you have posted into business letter form, and file a complaint with the hospital and any state agency available. You will get a brush-off call or letter from the hospital's HR department (what happened to me at a hospital up north), but a complaint with a state agency will at least be registered. Unfortunately, I don't know what agency. Perhaps others can suggest one.

I would suggest you contact Don Hahnfeldt, he is on the Board, The Chairman I believe, of Central Florida Health Alliance, Owners of The Villages Hospital a Villages Resident and also The Chainman for the Sumter County Commissioners. He recently announced that he would be seeking Marlene O’Toooles position as a State Representative I believe he can be contacted at Don.Hahnfeldt@sumtercountyfl.gov (352)-689-4400. Hopefully he is much more than just a politician. I am sure he can be of assistance and respond to your concerns

After hearing your story I think I want to go to munroe hospital in ocala. My brother was just there for not feeling good. Took him right in got all of the attention and come to find out he was having a massive heart attack. They wasted no time got him into surgery. Stayed two days and said the food was great and all of the rooms are private. I was in the villages hospital for surgery and stayed two days and the food was terrible and I was in a room with another person that kept me awake with all of her groaning and the communications between the staff and the doctors were ok but could have been better.

Have you filed this complaint with TVRH administration and the State Board of Health?If not why not?

Give her a break - she just got home.

Thanks
 

Awe Thanks gomoho... I appreciate your support. As you know, this isn't my first rodeo...

Of course I plan to send this to the hospital AND some of the people on the board. That was the reason I took the time to write it all out.

However, while writing it, I decided to share it in three different sites. Interesting the responses I'm getting. Some think it's about bad tasting food when it's about unhealthy over processed food. Some think it's about rude people. No one was rude. Most just agreed and told of their own scary experiences in the hospital. Some want to tell of how the hospital saved their lives... Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.

Most of the people who responded from the health care profession told of other hospitals to go to... BTW.. The number one choice for health care professionals in The Villages... Ocala!

The federal government has begun to report data on hospital performance, although it's very challenging to differentiate them on a statistically significant level and most consumers don't make use of the data. Small differences are important. You may be interested in The Villages Hospital poor performance on patient experience (aka patient satisfaction). Hospital Compare Quality of Care Profile Page If you look further on hospital.gov you'll see that the patient's time in the ER is much higher than average.

I look at that part, this way.

We have a lot of older people with a great deal more health problems here in The Villages than a place with a general population.

AND I must further add that soon the new addition to the hospital will be opened and hopefully alleviate some crowding in the emergency area that seems to happen every year at high season.

The other issues of not healthy food etc, of course will not be made better by the Morses building a nice big building.

That comment was unnecessary. Both my husband and I have had excellent results from TV hospital and have (so far) no complaints. However, as far as the food is concerned, my husband did not like the food and I was told to bring him in fruit and yoghurt, which I did. When I was in I ordered fruit and yoghurt from their menu - no problem with that. Plus, the last thing I worried about in the hospital was food .............. but, then, that's just me!

My wife had a "bad Experence" this summer in a Central Illinois hospital that I had a "good Experence" five years ago. The big difference----caring, competent and professional nursing staff that I had five years ago and the opposite for her stay. Also, it appeared to me that the nurses station was always busy working at their computers rather than providing "care" for the patients. Perhaps new required government paper work?

I could go on and on about her hospital stay but suffice it to say that it was much less than what one would call adequate and it was a "good thing" that I was there to help. And the costs were outrageous!

Bottom line----I'm guessing it's not just The Village Hospital but there are "hospital issues" everywhere.

I have never heard of anyone who was in the hospital and said the food was good...............

reminds me of airline complaints. never mind the fact that they delivered you in a safe timely manner. just complain about the food or the lack of it.

Some posters should read OP's post again. Her complaint about the food was only a minor part of the overall problem.

Sometimes I think some people pick through a post and select some point they can use to chastise the poster.

I agree with jflynn1. I am sure the TVRH board would like to hear about this.

Contact "Risk Management"

You are correct...I'm fascinated by the focus on the food.

Food in a health care facility that is so bad people won't eat it... Or so unhealthy people won't eat is not good for healing. As I stated before... I have spent much time in hospitals for myself and with family.

Regardless... It WAS a small part of the post. Thank you for pointing that out.

That being said... I have posted in two other places for The Villages and the stories are much the same as mine.

Furthermore... I'm pretty good with anyone who feels that it's a great hospital..... going there.

I didn't understand how a person could have a nuclear stress test against his/her will. Hunger and the dried out turkey and cheese sandwich was mentioned by the OP more than once -- putting some emphasis on food. The OP mentioned her occupation more than once in the post and to multiple people in the hospital. I looked up the occupation. Whatever.

Yes... I did mention my "occupation" lifestyle several times. I mentioned it to the doctors several times as well. It speaks to my health and fitness. YOU looked it up. Too bad they didn't! They would have known more about my health and my lungs had they taken a minute and looked it up.


I also mentioned the food... If the food that is supposed to be edible isn't, and what you can eat is unhealthy... You won't heal.

As I said.. this isn't my first rodeo... While the few will rip this apart.. .I am aware that there are others reading it... who get it!

I just don't understand why you just didn't come out and say your a health and fitness coach. Not everyone know about the "Beachbody" fad. To me that would have been more of a delay, because they had no clue as to what you were talking about.

My experience at the Village Hospital was not much better, I suggest eveyone who goes to the hospital get a copy of their medical record while there. You will be surprised as to the inaccuracies. I filed a complaint 4 months ago with the CEO and I am still waiting for a complete response. But, I am sure many other people have had good care? If I need to get emergency treatment again I will be going to Munroe Hospital. My experience in the past has always been great there.

Or I could just say I am a Beachbody coach... since that is what I am.

I posted this same review on two other sites... The stories are scary to say the least. Another hospital everyone is raving about is Shand. I'm not sure where it is... but I will check it out!

The conversation on the other sites is much different than this one.

I've also heard Waterman is good.

Where is Munroe Hospital?

Shand is in Gainsville. I've also heard good reviews on it.

I have the same negative opinion of TVRH as the OP based on the care given to my husband this past summer. When I had to call 911 because my husband had a massive brain bleed 12 hours after discharge from TVRH, I begged the EMTs to take him anywhere but TVRH. They took him to Ocala Regional Medical Center where the care, doctors, nurses and other staff were AMAZING! We continue to go there three times a week for therapy. This hospital is right across the street from Munroe. Many of the docs there were trained at Shands. I did not file a complaint with anyone, because my priority was and still is taking care of my very sick husband. A complaint is not going to get him back to where he was before dealing with TVRH.

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.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...cle/007201.htm

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.

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.

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.

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.

The more advocates to choose from the better.

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.

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.