Our experience at The Villages Regional Hospital:
 

Our experience at The Villages Regional Hospital:
January 14, 2016

1030am> Took my Mother-in-law to Urgent Care for non-life threatening medical condition. We were told to take her to the ER at TVRH.

1120am> Arrived in the waiting area of the ER. We were the only people in the waiting area.

1259pm> Taken to an ER examining room.

2pm> Doctor examined her and decided to admit her for evaluation.

250pm> Even though she has BC/BS PPO insurance they required we pay a $300.00 deductible before they would admit her.

6pm> While still waiting in the ER Exam room for a patient room we had to ask for something for her to eat because she hadn't eaten all day. A volunteer found a turkey sandwich for her.

822pm> Finally moved her into a patient room which had a TV that didn't work.

This was our first experience with TVRH and may I say it was not a good experience. TVRH needs to be more organized and more attuned to the patient's needs during this emotional time.

Before all you good people start bashing this post, I must tell you that both of us have worked and one of us still works for a major trauma center not in this area.
:(

Villages Regional Hospital
 

I can relate. Checked my spouse in for out-patient surgery and was required to pay insurance co-pay up front -- some $2000 -- yet she was in there for only four hours for minor surgery. Now three months later they've sent me an $1100 refund. Evidently even they don't understand what's going on with health insurance these days.

Not an usual experience at TVRH.... My roommate inhaled chorline gas while working on the hot tub. She needed oxygen so we went to the Urgent Care at TVRH when we explained the issue the doctor refused to see her so off to the ER we went. There was a 4 hour wait we explained about the Urgent Care doctor to which they replied "Our Urgent Care does absolutely nothing". We signed in but went back to Urgent Care to talk to the Doctor. His explanation blew us away he was not going to treat her because of a fear of malpractice.

So we waited in the ER...they gave her oxygen and steroids. The ER doctors we great. We NEVER go to that Urgent Care again.

As for the billing issue, I have been in the ER a couple of times since moving to TV. Its always the same if you are being admitted a women with a rolling cart comes up telling you what you owe and demands a credit card. As a former medical type myself I know my insurance deductibles by heart. Once she was demanding I pay the balance of my deductible and a copay of $100.00 for the ER.
I explained if I was being admitted the ER fee was waived with my insurance. After some back an forth it became apparent I was going to have to pay a fee I didn't owe. I did get the 100 back but...

After several experiences as this hospital I go to Leesburg now.

While I can't fault the care recently received at this ER, there needs to be some serious improvement with communication with the patient during the process. I arrived with my 89 year old mother a little before noon to a fairly quiet ER and finally got out of there shortly after 5pm. Most of the time was spent waiting, wondering if we had been forgotten. (Which actually happened to a man who arrived around the same time we did and I saw going through the parking lot when we were leaving. When I asked if everything was ok, he said he had just left because they hard parked him in a room and forgotten him for about 3 hours, so he just gave up.)

Around 4pm I finally had to ask for something eat for Mom, since she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Fortunately I asked one of the ER docs, who disappeared for a minute and came back with a sandwich box.

And you're right. Probably the most interaction we had with staff during the entire process was the "paperwork" people who made sure they got a credit card for the insurance co-pay.

Isn't TVRH and the Leesburg Hospital owned by the same corporation? I wonder why the difference!

Now being three years of reading the TOV I do not think I have read more than three positive things about the Village Hospital especially the ER.

How can this place continue to be so inept. Maybe they need a change of management to correct the ills that constantly continue!

I know from my personal experience and now I go to Leesburg or Moffitt.

We can all agree no place is perfect but one could hope our closest hospital would strive to be better. "Growing pains" will cause issues but it appears from most threads regarding TVRH they are all about negative ER experiences. Perhaps you are correct, a change in management could very well be in order. I am sure there are good doctors, nurses and other employees at TVRH.

I can tell you horror stories about the ER at Leesburg. They all have problems.

Honestly .... this is one issue which really scares me living in The Villages. Just my opinion of course.

Twice I was admitted to TVRH via ER and both times I was asked to pay my co-pay before admittance. Both times I insisted they send me a bill and they did after being released. You can't blame them for trying.
Also both times my care there was excellent, except for a long wait for a room to open up. You take the good with the bad.

I agree with Billybob. They ask for payment, we tell them to bill us......they do in about three months. In Leesburg recently, day after serious surgery financial person comes to my room asks me if I can pay my bill. I laughed thru my pain and said, do you really think I have my wallet here? I said bill me, haven't got the bill yet. We always ask for a detailed line item copy of the bill. You have to wait a while after discharge but you can get it for either hospital at TVRH.

Same experience about the billing. I used to explain that I do not pay until I see an itemized bill. Also I used to have an HSA account and there was a time when you could not put money back into the account if they sent you a refund thus you would end up with tax free money in your hand (not legal). That has been remedied within the last few years. I just avoid the whole conversation now by telling them I don't have the money now and I have to move things around to get it but it will be done by the time you bill arrives at my house.

:agree:

Being new, this is very concerning. Are there any really excellent Hospitals within a 45 minute drive of The Villages ?

If I have an. Issue I am going to Orlando or Tampa. Without question nor reservation. TVRH is a joke.