[Villages Kahuna]

Originally Posted by llaran

If at all possible do not go to the er here or in leesburg - get a dr the has privlieges at Monroe or Ocala Regional - the er is about a half an hour

That's the same advice I got from two local doctors in The Villages. If anything, they had a preference for Ocala Regional.

[mrfixit]

....

[mommieswamie]

Christmas day I woke up quite sick, knowing that a problem that I had ignored for several months was now very serious. Not wishing to spoil Christmas for my family, I drove myself to the ER, managed to park my car and get myself into the hospital ER. My wait time - 15 seconds!! NO this was not a dream - it was reality and NO I was not at The Villages hospital. I was in Greenville, SC, where prior to going to the ER, I registered online using their check-in site called "inquicker.com". If you look at this website, you will see that many hospital ERs are now using this online check-in method to avoid wait times.

After being seen in the ER in Greenville, I was admitted for a severe infection - Cellulitis on both legs. After my hospital stay in Greenville, I returned home to The Villages. The day after returning home, I knew I was still sick. So I called my doctor - granted it was late at night. He told me that he was going to admit me, but he wanted me to go in through the ER for immediate treatment. After waiting 7 hours in the ER waiting room, in severe pain, I got out my IPad and looked at "inquicker.com". The closest hospital that used that check-in procedure was in Tampa. I saw that I could check-in online for that hospital and be seen 45 minutes from the time that I was looking at the website. It crossed my mind briefly to check-in online, get in the car and drive to Tampa to be seen immediately. Instead, I waited another 4 hours to even get a room in the ER, then almost another 12 to my hospital room. During this time, I told every staff member that I saw about "inquicker.com". I also made the decision, that if a doctor ever tells me again that they are going to admit me, but I need to go in through the ER, the answer will be - either a direct admit or I will go to another hospital and will, of course, end up with another doctor.

Now with regard to EMS services for prompt treatment in the ER (Apparently EMS services have options as to what they do with you when they take you to the hospital) I recently had a kidney stone. I did not know that it was a kidney stone at the time. All I knew was that I had pain at a 10+. Paramedics arrived and I was "lucky" enough to get a crew with one member with an "attitude". He did not like the way I answer one of his questions - mind you I am in 10+ pain - so he said that unless I "cooperated" with him by answering his question to his satisfaction, he would just take me to the ER and "dump me in the waiting room where I could wait for 7 hours with everyone else".

Inpatient in The Villages hospital, I have had excellent treatment.

Just some of my recent experiences. Granted everyone's experiences are different.

[NotGolfer]

We all can be pro-active with this one. We can write letters to the hospital administrator when things aren't going well in the ER. IF they get enough of these, I'm almost sure that will get their attention.

I for one have had an experience with the ER and ultimately being admitted to TV hospital. The ER from my perspective was a bit slow in making things move quickly. I too was in pain at 10+ BUT that being said...they do do triage which means the worse to least needing care. We can't see beyond our 4 walls what is going on.

Just the other day I had a "wrong number" call from someone at T.V. hospital calling to inquire how a stay had been. After telling her she had a wrong # I reiterrated to her if it made any difference....that my care was very good there.

[Villager Dude]

Originally Posted by NotGolfer

We all can be pro-active with this one. We can write letters to the hospital administrator when things aren't going well in the ER. IF they get enough of these, I'm almost sure that will get their attention.

I for one have had an experience with the ER and ultimately being admitted to TV hospital. The ER from my perspective was a bit slow in making things move quickly. I too was in pain at 10+ BUT that being said...they do do triage which means the worse to least needing care. We can't see beyond our 4 walls what is going on.

Just the other day I had a "wrong number" call from someone at T.V. hospital calling to inquire how a stay had been. After telling her she had a wrong # I reiterrated to her if it made any difference....that my care was very good there.

A few years ago I had heard there was going to be another hospital built at Brownwwod . I have not heard this recently so I guess it has been delayed or scuttled.

Does anyone know ?

[champion6]

Originally Posted by Villager Dude

A few years ago I had heard there was going to be another hospital built at Brownwood. I have not heard this recently so I guess it has been delayed or scuttled.

Does anyone know ?

Their plan is now to expand the existing facility at the main campus.

[cquick]

Originally Posted by mommieswamie

After being seen in the ER in Greenville, I was admitted for a severe infection - Cellulitis on both legs. After my hospital stay in Greenville, I returned home to The Villages. The day after returning home, I knew I was still sick. So I called my doctor - granted it was late at night. He told me that he was going to admit me, but he wanted me to go in through the ER for immediate treatment. After waiting 7 hours in the ER waiting room, in severe pain,. I waited another 4 hours to even get a room in the ER, then almost another 12 to my hospital room.
Now with regard to EMS services for prompt treatment in the ER I recently had a kidney stone. I did not know that it was a kidney stone at the time. All I knew was that I had pain at a 10+. Paramedics arrived and did not like the way I answer one of his questions - mind you I am in 10+ pain - so he said that unless I "cooperated" with him by answering his question to his satisfaction, he would just take me to the ER and "dump me in the waiting room where I could wait for 7 hours with everyone else".

Inpatient in The Villages hospital, I have had excellent treatment.

Just some of my recent experiences. Granted everyone's experiences are different.

oh, my dear! how awful for you! The times you waited were ridiculous....and I do hope you called the EMS people after you got better to find out the names of the people in the EMS crew who dealt with you.....nobody should be treated so poorly.

Hope you are better now.

[Jim 9922]

Originally Posted by NotGolfer

We all can be pro-active with this one. We can write letters to the hospital administrator when things aren't going well in the ER. IF they get enough of these, I'm almost sure that will get their attention.

.

I doubt whether letters to the administrator will get us much satisfaction. He is the one who set up and controls the current staffing and procedural guidelines, and I am sure, receives daily reports on what is currently going on. Perhaps more corrective action would result if lots of letters were sent to the State agency responsible for governing hospital operations and lots more letters to the "big city" news reporter who loves to go rabid on Villages operations and problems. A good series of solid expose' articles should raise some dust.

[billethkid]

the issues with emergency room treatment (or lack of it) has been around for too many years now. Is there any doubt in anybody's mind the powers that be are aware? Of course they are. Improvements as a result.....none perceptable yet.

Those who work there know the problems as well and all they can do is the best possible with what they have.

Why no improvement? I have a hypothesis: too high a percentage of patients that are medicare insured. Hence much lower revenue per patient than other non retirement populations that have a younger than medicare average age.
As a result it becomes more challenging for administrators to meet the bottom line/financial goals.

For too many years now the objective of hospitals has shifted from a patient priority orientation to a financial/business priority. Two totally different concepts.

Look at the bright side. As bad as things may be at TV hospital, it is as good as it will ever be. With the new health care laws going into effect and the associated rising costs and reduced per patient compensation....IT CAN ONLY GET WORSE!!!!!!!

When known issues and problems persist in an environment owned and operated by supposedly intelligent folks and boards one need not wonder too long about why is that. Check out the priority measurememnts and accountability goals and objectives of the administration.

For all the bragging and boasting about the quality of care from the "health care alliance" powers that be.....shame on them for deriliction of their duty....knowingly allowing undue pain and suffering as a result of not providing sufficient resources to appropriately care for the critical and hurting
patient.

We all know many of TV hospital board. How many have written them or called them and expressed displeasure over these too many incidents?
In today's let us not offend anybody society.....not enough!!!!

What a testimony to the spectacular health care at TV hospital...instructions to emergency crew....DO NOT TAKE ME TO TV ER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

btk

[Joaniesmom]

Originally Posted by Madelaine Amee

I don't wish to appear rude, but I'm going to assume you did not just arrive, buy a house and move in. Did you visit to see what TV was like before deciding to live here, if so when your decision was made to move a 90 year old lady I think you should have set her up with a doctor along with all of her medical records just in case you had a problem. To just haul her off to a hospital and have her sit for hours was definitely too much for her.

You will read horror stories here on this site about our medical care and our hospitals, but we have NEVER had a problem with either a doctor or the local hospital. If this hospital cannot help you they will have you sent to the best major hospital in the area.

For future needs, keep in mind that we have four or five excellent critical care clinics within the immediate area. She would not have to wait 7 hrs at a clinic, and if she needed immediate hospital attention they would call an ambulance and have her admitted to one of the local hospitals.

I don't think you have made a mistake in moving here, it is an incredible place to live.

I totally agree.

Having worked for years at a large hospital up north, I can assure you that situations like that happen everywhere. Part of the problem is that we are in the midst of a pretty bad flu epidemic at the heart of the winter season. Medical facilities are stretched to their limits, staff are exhausted, overloaded and possibly ill themselves.

Having said that, it is unfortunate that that the poor lady had to suffer. I hope she is currently doing well. If that circumstance happened to me, I would have spoken,very politely and often, to the staff advising them of her status.

I have found several doctors here that I like even better than the ones at "home." Keep looking, they are out there.

[mulligan]

Seriously ??? I'll bet you can count, on 1 hand, the number of developers that built a full service hospital in conjunction with housing units. Give them a break, and let the market do it's thing. We're all lucky to be here and have the facility as good as it is. Are you volunteering there to try and improve service? None of us is entitled to local medical care, so I for one am thankful to have it as it is.

[Villager Dude]

Originally Posted by mulligan

Seriously ??? I'll bet you can count, on 1 hand, the number of developers that built a full service hospital in conjunction with housing units. Give them a break, and let the market do it's thing. We're all lucky to be here and have the facility as good as it is. Are you volunteering there to try and improve service? None of us is entitled to local medical care, so I for one am thankful to have it as it is.

For what it is worth..

I read last year that The Villages Hospital had the highest percentage of medicare claims in the nation.. Around 86 % .

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

Better to call EMS 911 in a case like that rather than go to a busy Emergency Room.

I was working in the ER the other day and we had 7 (yes 7) EMS teams waiting in the ER halls with their patient. The rule is that they have to remain until their patient is seen by an ER doc and assigned an ER room.

It is not a matter of under-staffing it is a case of overpopulation. Every single one of our ER rooms was full plus the 7 EMS in the hall with another 20 (?) or so in the waiting room.

We can not release a patient to an admit floor until a room becomes available. So the wait is long. I was down there to act as stop gap nurse as if the patient had been admitted 'upstairs'.

This time of year there are simply too many patients and not enough rooms. In the summer it is just the opposite. The down side of a hospital in a 50% snowbird (plus guests in the winter) community.

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by Villager Dude

For what it is worth..

I read last year that The Villages Hospital had the highest percentage of medicare claims in the nation.. Around 86 % .

True.

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by fraurauch

when the doctor told him he could go home, it took the same amount of time to get him out of there.

It does not take 7-8 hours to get you out of the hospital once you are discharged. I do it every day at TVRH. Perhaps you had 'some' doctor who told you you could go home but I gurantee it was not your admitting doctor. Once the admit doctor says you can go and signs the papers I usually have you out the door in about 1.5 hours, many times less.

What quite often happens is that some consultant doctor (cardio, neuro etc.) says that you are clear to go but the attending physician of record (who sees you every day at least once) must clear you and sign the order. If a consulting doc ever tells you that you can go make sure that he/she has the authority to do so from the attending doc.

I write these things because although TVRH has some issues that need to be worked through I don't like misinformation. In fact our charge nurses are on our butt to make sure we discharge ASAP. We have to clear room for ER patients ready to come up.