[tucson]

Originally Posted by KYDIANA12

After reading 11 pages of comments on this issue I am more aware that this problem will only get worse in the coming years. Everyone was up in arms about the cancellation of the parades recently - why can't we be as outraged by the lack of good healthcare! It will only make a difference to you when you are the one waiting in the hallway of the ER and not being seen by a Dr. Living in a new Village we have been approached to have AED machines to help save lives until the EMT can arrive and take over. What happens when you then get to the ER and need immediate attention?

Being a former Nurse Asst. I've been outraged since moving here 8 yrs ago at some things I've seen re;this issue in the ER.

[allairenjadea]

Originally Posted by gerryann

I'm happy for you that you had what you feel to be a positive experience. However, it does not excuse the terrible treatment that was experienced by the OP.

I agree, terrible treatment experienced by OP was inexcusable.

[allairenjadea]

Originally Posted by DEWRDW

I can't believe you had to wait for surgery in the morning for acute appendicitis - my mother had surgery almost immediately in Bradenton for acute appendicitis - it was in the evening around 10 p.m. - isn't there an on call surgeon at this hospital for things like this - what about heart problems?

Perhaps I was not clear, it was already morning, I was first up in OR.

[golf4me]

Originally Posted by KYDIANA12

After reading 11 pages of comments on this issue I am more aware that this problem will only get worse in the coming years. Everyone was up in arms about the cancellation of the parades recently - why can't we be as outraged by the lack of good healthcare! It will only make a difference to you when you are the one waiting in the hallway of the ER and not being seen by a Dr. Living in a new Village we have been approached to have AED machines to help save lives until the EMT can arrive and take over. What happens when you then get to the ER and need immediate attention?

How do you propose it can be fixed?

[allairenjadea]

Originally Posted by RedChariot

I was not going to address the multiple horror stories that I see on this thread. But this put me over the edge. I have been a hospital Nursing Administrator for 36 years. I am really sorry you think you got good car, but you did not. If you had acute appendicitis you should have had emergency surgery. There shoukd have been an oncall surgical team that woud have performed your surgery at any time. To wait until the next day put your life at risk for a ruptured appendix. This is sub standard. You did not rupture because of the care at TV hospital, it was because of the grace of God or luck or any other reason you want to attach to it. Not because of the care.

While I am here let me say in all my experience, I have never heard of the Emergency squad/EMT/Paramedics waiting in the ER with a patient. They bring the patient in, give a report to an RN, put the patient in an ER bed and leave. They must free themselves to be available to the community's emergencies. Waiting with a patient in the ER for 45 minutes leaves me speechless. No one available at The Sanibel Firehouse to respond to that fire at the guardhouse-I just don't know what to say.

Organization in the Er is administrative. Have they called in a Consultive team to help them determine how to correct this situation. Yes all ER depts are overcrowded, but again having your emercency response team wait with the patient is the hospital's fix for them not having beds or staff to care for the patient. We are in trouble more than you know.

I did not wait for surgery until the next day, it was already morning and I was first up in the OR. No grace of god or luck to it.
They got me in there and got it taken care of.

[allairenjadea]

Originally Posted by DEWRDW

I totally agree with you - my mother had acute appendicitis and had surgery immediately in Bradenton - it was 10 p.m. and the on call surgery team performed it - I don't understand this whole hospital situation here - it's very scary to me as a newcomer!

I did not wait until the next day...it was already the next day!

[allairenjadea]

Originally Posted by blueash

Your extremely stated allegation that the poster got sub-standard care is beyond the pale and nearly libelous. I suspect that your years as a nursing administrator does not qualify you to know the care required for acute appendicitis. Here is the correct information: JAMA Network | JAMA Surgery | Effects of Delaying Appendectomy for Acute Appendicitis for 12 to 24 Hours

"An approach to the treatment of acute appendicitis that includes the early administration of intravenous antibiotics and fluid hydration followed by the performance of appendectomy during the day hours does not increase the rate of complications, and it does not significantly increase the length of stay or rate of advanced appendicitis. In addition, this practice pattern decreases the need for operating during the late night hours or the interruption of the regular operating room schedule. Finally, it aids in focusing resources and operating room availability to life-threatening emergencies"

Thank you....

[Warren Kiefer]

Originally Posted by daviskgb

The size of a facility has little to do with the care provided. I have 35 years experience in Emergency Departments. It is about the processes that are in place to deliver the care. illage Regional Hospital could use some performance and process improvements.

I could not disagree more with your statement. Let put it in simple terms. If your ER facilities have ER rooms for 10 patients, and on a single evening you have 100 ER patients, you will have a serious overload, and resulting unsatisfactory care for a lot of those patients. Performance and process have little to do with such a situation. Throw in this mix only one Emergency doctor and only four emergency nurses. All of this makes up the "facility" and it will fall short of providing the proper care for the patients no matter whay performance and process you utilize.

[pooh]

Remember the word.....triage. That's how it's done here and in ERs all around.

[rp001]

One almost common thought from these posts, is that the services provided by this facility are substandard, to say the least. None of us have the means, or the knowledge to make the changes necessary to correct this madness. One can only hope that the powers to be are listening and honestly trying to affect change. Last time this subject caused an uproar "they" started a campaign on the local radio flaunting the emergency care facility across 441, in an effort to lessen the challenges for the er. I still believe this facility is inundated with extremely POOR management, and they have their heads in the sand as far as how ANY business should be run. One thing for sure is they are certainly not impacting the brand "The Villages" in a positive way. Take the time to actually read the hospital rating provided by one poster, and it wasn't good..That will eventually be the driver that makes the necessary changes to make this truly the remarkable facility that it could be. The infrastructure is almost in place, now a plan and proper implementation are what's needed desperately. (Not a slam on the Morses so the defenders can take a break)..

[buzzy]

So what other hospital ER (not urgent care) should we choose, when the need arises?

[JourneyOfLife]

Some things that "might" be going on.

If say, 50% of those ER visits could have been handled at the doctor's office or at an Urgent Care facility (non-critical care). The hospitals may consider just working to improve accuracy of their triage assessments (i.e., ensure so no one dies while waiting or is harmed). The ER generates a lot of business, and if a lot of the patients are "not critical care" they may not be motivated to increase capacity unless it absolutely cannot meet demand. It could be a (relative to other operations) low expense, high revenue (huge number of visits) profit center (cash cow). Think about it, they have every financial motivation in the world to maximize the profit of any operation. As long as it works and does not generate lawsuits or result in people being harmed. For example, if a company can run an operation at 150% and not spend more money, since some of the expenses are fixed expenses or Stepped Variable (Fixed expense till saturation) , they might reap more profit.

Consider how the ER visits cause tests to be administered, medical supplies and medicine dispensed (other aspects of the hospital the generate profit) at the hospital and its other facilities. They may use the ER profit center to drive business to other areas of the facility and offset some other activities in the hospital where they suffer losses. If one has staff and test equipment... run it full on 24x7... why have people standing around at night?

Another possible motivation to let it continue.

If that area has a large number of uninsured that visit the ER... there may be no reimbursement (write-offs). It could be a move to limit financial losses... Assuming thier triage works well, long lines could result in people without serious problems choosing to go home and schedule a doctors visit the next day.

Add to those, the the expense of increasing operational capacity. With the economy being the way it is today, how many businesses today are wanting to "spend more" on plant and equipment and hire additional permanent staff.


Plus, consider the complications of the impact of health care law and what it might mean to their operations. Will the ER experience decreased use since unisured may now go to a doctor... or will it increase after all? My guess is they will build out once they see actual numbers.

One thing is for sure, the Administrator and Management watches activity, loads, staffing, and the money. They know exactly what is going on and they know why they are doing certain things.

If you feel it is a real problem and it is just the ER, get the local goverment involved. Citizen action! Don't wait for someone else to do the work. You do have representatives don't you? Raise the issue at local government meetings. Don't shutup till it is fixed!

The community (government or CCDs) could work with the hospital to expand the physical facility, they might even float some of the bonds to pay for part of the infrastructure to be built or do some sort of cost sharing arrangement to help the hospital build a larger ER.

For the ER, due to the high demand, the hospital could probably justify hiring more nurses (RNs). Likewise, because of the ER demand, they could put another ER doc or two on staff.

[Blessed2BNTV]

As I sit in the ER waiting room with a partial bowel obstruction I am concerned with the level of care in TV.

They say it will be a 5 hour wait. Called Leesburg and Ocala and they have along wait.

Thinking of going to Gainsville. Anyone have experience there?

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by LillyD

As I sit in the ER waiting room with a partial bowel obstruction I am concerned with the level of care in TV.

They say it will be a 5 hour wait. Called Leesburg and Ocala and they have along wait.

Thinking of going to Gainsville. Anyone have experience there?

I have heard good things about Shands hospital in Gainsville but have no direct experience. Good luck and best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[glenn prescott]

I spent 10 + hrs in the e.r. down there in october, while my father was having open heart surgery upstairs I had an uncontrollable stomach issue no need to get graphic, but I too was sent back to waiting room screaming from abdominal pain went to use bathroom and found it plastered in blood, finally when I started to lose my mind I was given percoset for the pain and discharged, being a Paramedic I questioned this decison as I hadn't eaten for 2 days and percoset, wait for it... makes you vomit especially on an empty stomach I was treated like a drug seeker and by far was the worst care I have ever recieved I will take my little backwoods ER any day , I hope by the time I move there things are better