[SHIBUMI]

Happy Easter.............

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

hi,
I have been here for 8 months and this is a wonderful place. Too good to describe to non villagers and outside publications. It is a utopia for growing older, safely and with plenty to do. In a good way it is the best nursing home in America. Everyone here has some type of physical or mental problem that is easier to deal with in this environment. You get to pick your own rooms, your own meals, your rooms/houses have your names outside just like a nursing home. It is truly a safe place to grow older, have fun, and not be threatened by the outside world. Anyone unhappy here has missed the point of the villages.

The one glaring negative here is health care facilities. The hospital is sub standard and there is a lack of doctors care. I would like to start a new thread on villagers recommendations on healthcare providers. What do you do when you have a medical issue. Where do you go. Who do you see. What have been your experiences good and bad. What can the Villages do to upgrade and or correct this issue. A big thank you out to all contributors!

You may want to post your concerns in the "Medical and Health Discussions" forum.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...discussion-94/

[SHIBUMI]

thanks

[tophcfa]

This is a very important and relevant topic. Inferior medical care is the number one reason we are reluctant to become full timers. It’s a difficult situation to resolve, a large population of senior citizens predominately on Medicare is a health care nightmare. The population requires a significantly higher amount of health care than the general population. Additionally, the low Medicare reimbursement rates make quality health care providers reluctant to work in a market serving that demographic. It’s not a good situation with a simple solution.

[Sunny923!]

What are you basing your “ sub standard” hospital rating on?

[ThirdOfFive]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

This is a very important and relevant topic. Inferior medical care is the number one reason we are reluctant to become full timers. It’s a difficult situation to resolve, a large population of senior citizens predominately on Medicare is a health care nightmare. The population requires a significantly higher amount of health care than the general population. Additionally, the low Medicare reimbursement rates make quality health care providers reluctant to work in a market serving that demographic. It’s not a good situation with a simple solution.

Not much that can be done about the Medicare situation, unfortunately. Medicare D is the same quagmire that it has been since it's (ill-advised) inception and Medigap policies to help cover what Medicare doesn't, aren't free--or even in many cases, reasonable. The only consolation, if you can call it that, is that that particular situation is the case, more or less, no matter where you live. But when it is concentrated, such as it is here in TV, the problem is much more apparent, if only because it affects a large majority of the population here.

I've never been in the hospital here and hopefully never will be, so I can't say that the observation that the hospital here is sub-standard. Suffice it to say that I've heard the precise same thing from a lot of people here. But, again, The Villages isn't alone in that particular boat. Back in Minnesota hospitals are far from full, but in many cases cannot provide the care that is needed because of a chronic nursing shortage. Same thing in Nevada: my sister living there was recently hospitalized and her bed was in the hall, even though there were unoccupied rooms. Made it easier for the caregivers to monitor the patients, and of course unoccupied rooms don't have to be cleaned on a daily basis. Seems like a throwback to maybe 1880.

Our health care system in my opinion has declined overall.

[Stu from NYC]

We are here two years and so far so good with medical care.

Only concern we have our specialists based on a group practice and so far two have left the area and hope replacements are as good.

[BigSteph]

I am not retired and have a policy through a state instution. The policy is Florida Blue.

When I mention it to the different medical offices around the Villages, they act like they haven't heard the words before. I'm thinking Florida, check, the name of the state and Blue, check, color of the sky and basic color in spectrum. Put those two together and get blank stares.

I've checked around and Florida Blue is no small insurance program. It is a Blue Cross and Blue Shield varient for Florida.

Anyway, I've found that the local area mostly wants to deal with Medicare and the various backing plans, and not the standard fair that working adults would be provided by an employer. It kind of makes sense, but there are more than retirees in the area.

I did find a Villages Health doctor who was taking my insurance and saw her at Lake Deaton Villages Health. She was fine. I think I can now see more members of that local practice now that I am a patient.

This is totally different than the mid-atlantic experience with doctors, dentists, and specialists.

The medical experience here has been an adjustment for my parents, spouse, and myself.

[SHIBUMI]

Leesburg and Spanish spring hospital ratings are very poor look online, Leesburg best on heart issues after that less than 3 out of 5, I had kidney stone attack and was taken to spanish springs, it took 3 hours to get medication and checked out, way too painful, truly a shame for this area full of people with issues

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by BigSteph

I am not retired and have a policy through a state instution. The policy is Florida Blue.

When I mention it to the different medical offices around the Villages, they act like they haven't heard the words before. I'm thinking Florida, check, the name of the state and Blue, check, color of the sky and basic color in spectrum. Put those two together and get blank stares.

I've checked around and Florida Blue is no small insurance program. It is a Blue Cross and Blue Shield varient for Florida.

Anyway, I've found that the local area mostly wants to deal with Medicare and the various backing plans, and not the standard fair that working adults would be provided by an employer. It kind of makes sense, but there are more than retirees in the area.

I did find a Villages Health doctor who was taking my insurance and saw her at Lake Deaton Villages Health. She was fine. I think I can now see more members of that local practice now that I am a patient.

This is totally different than the mid-atlantic experience with doctors, dentists, and specialists.

The medical experience here has been an adjustment for my parents, spouse, and myself.

Your policy is not Florida Blue. That is the name of the insurance company that issues your policy. It's Florida's branch of Anthem/Blue Cross-Blue Shield. That's the company name. My plan is Blue Select 1443. Insured by Florida Blue.

Everyone medical practitioner in Florida has heard of Florida Blue. But it doesn't mean a thing if you don't know what your policy is. Florida Blue offers HMOs, PPOs, some other thing, Dental plans, and a variety of each. Most doctors in the Villages area are participating providers to one extent or the other, though it really depends on the plan you have.

Also - The Villages Health is the actual provider for MOST Florida Blue plans, not the individual doctors. If you were to do a provider search on the FL Blue website and plug in The Villages Health it should show up.

[tophcfa]

Originally Posted by Rich Iwaszko

Leesburg and Spanish spring hospital ratings are very poor look online, Leesburg best on heart issues after that less than 3 out of 5, I had kidney stone attack and was taken to spanish springs, it took 3 hours to get medication and checked out, way too painful, truly a shame for this area full of people with issues

Only three hours, consider yourself lucky. When I had to go there I was close to my death bed, waited 12 hours, was misdiagnosed and sent home to die. Fortunately, my wife brought me to a real hospital in Gainesville, where I was admitted to the ICU within a half an hour and properly cared for. There isn’t a grade low enough that I could give to the Villages hospital in Spanish Springs.

[billethkid]

We have not restricted our providers to those in TV.
Between Ocala Orlando and the surrounding areas there are outstanding specialists.

20 years on medicare with no problems ever getting specialists or facilities we have needed.....whoever or wherever they may be!

[BigSteph]

I was aware of the difference between a brand and a model.

I have been rejected by saying Florida Blue, long before I was asked to read off my member ID and Group Number on the card. To be absolutely fair, I have been told by most that they will see me if I pay out of pocket and I can work with my insurer for any reimbursement. Having lived in the Mid-Atlantic states most of my life, if you have good insurance, you would never agree to this -- you would just find another practice -- most of which would take your insurance and write-off the difference.

I just looked up your plan. Did you buy this on the market? While it gives good coverage, the co-pays and other fees seem quite onerous.

For the last 20 years I have worked for state and county governments across multiple states that provided several tiers of insurance as a benefit of employment. I always go for the one that is neither free, nor the pricey option -- the one in the middle usually offered the best price and risk for the dollar spent.

Up north, most practices participate in most insurances. This has not been my experience here.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Your policy is not Florida Blue. That is the name of the insurance company that issues your policy. It's Florida's branch of Anthem/Blue Cross-Blue Shield. That's the company name. My plan is Blue Select 1443. Insured by Florida Blue.

Everyone medical practitioner in Florida has heard of Florida Blue. But it doesn't mean a thing if you don't know what your policy is. Florida Blue offers HMOs, PPOs, some other thing, Dental plans, and a variety of each. Most doctors in the Villages area are participating providers to one extent or the other, though it really depends on the plan you have.

Also - The Villages Health is the actual provider for MOST Florida Blue plans, not the individual doctors. If you were to do a provider search on the FL Blue website and plug in The Villages Health it should show up.

[Villages Kahuna]

The Villages Regional Hospital is rated, using various statistics collected by Medicare, and compared to all other hospitals in the state. It has consistently been rated in the lowest quality class. If you’ve ever had the need to be treated there, particularly in the Emergency Room, you will have no reason to disagree with those ratings.

I had to visit their ER last week for the simple infusion of a couple of units of blood components. After checking in the ER, I waited 2 hours for the required “cross and match “ blood test. Then I was directed to sit in the waiting room until called. I sat there another 7 hours until finally called for the simple 30-minute procedure. The halls inside the ER were lined with patients on gurneys or beds awaiting admission to the hospital. After completion of the procedure I asked the nurse whether she had used the proper number of units ordered by my doctor. No, they had gotten that wrong during admission. Then after finally getting the proper amount of blood—at 3 AM—I had to wait another 1-1/2 hours for a doctor to sign my discharge paperwork. It turned out that there was no doctor on duty, he didn’t start his shift until close to 5 AM.

NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE THE VILLAGES REGIONAL HOSPITAL! When I related my experience to my doctor, he shook his head saying that he had hoped that the University of Florida’s ownership would have made a difference, but it has not. Later I had a conversation with a senior rep of a healthcare company doing business with TVRH. He said, “It’s simply a bad hospital. It’s understaffed and badly mismanaged and continues to make the same life-threatening mistakes that should have been corrected years ago. I also questioned a friend who had been a nursing supervisor at TVRH. Her reply? “Don’t go there. It’s a bad hospital—that’s why I quit.”

There are better hospital choices in Ocala. Even Leesburg Hospital, with the same U of FL ownership is better. BEWARE OF TVRH!

[Villages Kahuna]

Agree! I made the mistake of switching from a United Healthcare Medicare Advantage plan to one offered by Florida Blue. My first three months experience with them were awful! No point in going into detail. What most people don’t know is that you can switch plans during the January to March time period each year, not just the heavily-advertised November-December enrollment period. The insurance reps refer to that period as “do over” time. I switched back to United Healthcare and am back to the type of service I had become accustomed to. I have no idea why I switched to Florida Blue, but it was a terrible mistake!