[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Gerry Hutchings

What are the other choices -- where are they ? Close or some travel needed. Also had a lousey experience there. Thank you for any info>

Most hospital emergency rooms are not known for customer service or efficiency. Why's that?

Because 1) you're not a customer. They don't have to give you good customer service. They need to treat you like a human being, but beyond that, they have no oglibation to make you feel warm and cozy and happy and eager to return again for another visit.

2) service in an ER is not given by the order received. It's given by priority and availability of physicians to attend to the situation presented to them. Someone with a busted knee is going to sit there for awhile, if that someone is technically stable, and someone else has just come in with a heart attack. Them's the breaks, and that's what you get for going to an ER when it's not an emergency.

There are people who are at risk of losing their lives, who need to be seen first. EVERYONE ELSE has to wait.

[ScottS]

Originally Posted by DavidCovid

I very sorry about your recent experiences at the ER, but in my humble opinion, your case is not representative of the hard working and dedicated employees at the local emergency rooms. Additionally, I question the diagnosis you claim of a Grade III torn in half ACL which was missed diagnosis and that you just "stormed out the front door without any pain medication" when you where not treated quick enough. Sounds fishy to me and I call BS.

BTW - If you where completely honest, then I apologize. I suggest that you stop with the keyboard warrior stuff and seek legal action against the medical facility. It sucks that so many people talk trash about The Villages ER and never take any constructive action in correcting the problem so it doesn't happen again to the next poor guy seeking medical help.

What seems fishy? If I knew how to take pictures to post on a response I would. The ER dr diagnosed it as a bad sprain, but after getting an MRI, the orthopedic surgeon diagnosed it as a complete rupture of the ACL with very little left to attach it to. As far as storming out, no I didn’t kick the door down. I might have overstated “ storming out” and just said left very upset. As far as sitting there way too long, the carrot on the stick kept being dangled. First with the X-ray, then with Dr giving everyone their diagnoses right there in the waiting room in front of gad and everyone. All of these took longer than they should of, but in for a penny in for a pound. Lessen learned. The ACL operation took place at west Marion in Ocala, with outstanding care and follow up. Seeking legal action against a large Hospital that is probably backed by Morse money, would be frivolous, and I probably shouldn’t of even added that part. My mistake. They gave me a written prescription which was of no use at that time of night, and offered no pain meds while I waited for the pharmacy to open. As for going to the emergency room, this was my 3 rd time in my 57 years of needing such a facility, I thought I had done something much worse, and that it was much worse, I was unaware that there was certain protocol as to which type of facility I was suppose to go to. The workman’s comp person asked me which hospital I was closes too, and it was the Villages Hospital so that is where I went.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Most hospital emergency rooms are not known for customer service or efficiency. Why's that?

Because 1) you're not a customer. They don't have to give you good customer service. They need to treat you like a human being, but beyond that, they have no oglibation to make you feel warm and cozy and happy and eager to return again for another visit.

2) service in an ER is not given by the order received. It's given by priority and availability of physicians to attend to the situation presented to them. Someone with a busted knee is going to sit there for awhile, if that someone is technically stable, and someone else has just come in with a heart attack. Them's the breaks, and that's what you get for going to an ER when it's not an emergency.

There are people who are at risk of losing their lives, who need to be seen first. EVERYONE ELSE has to wait.

You assume that the ordinary layperson/patient understands triage and prioritization of patient care like you and I do. When they show up in an ER, they don't see that, and frequently the most severe illnesses and injuries arrive by ambulance and come in through a different door and skip triage altogether.

I put up a sign in our ER in NY that read---"The patients are not an interruption of our work, they are the purpose of it". That being said, as you know, an ER can from ghost town to overwhelmed in about 30 seconds. And when that happens, the waiting room just backs up more and more, and then tempers flare, support staff gets frazzled and people leave PO'ed. Then, of course, they get on TOTV and the story gets, well, somewhat distorted and exaggerated, we've seen it time and again.

[ScottS]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

So - you admit that you made up a lot of this and left out anything positive that might refute your false claims and assertions, just so that you could prove a point that had no validity in the first place.

You got stuck waiting for a long time and had one employee who didn't seem competent. And you were frustrated, in pain, and angry. Instead of being an adult about it and following up with an omnibudsman for the hospital, you came here to vent and rant and go full-blown 12-year-old Karen on everyone.

I see your lack of reading knowledge is as vast as your inability to comprehend. No where at all did I say I made anything up. Everything was factual and accounted for. Your inability to comprehend the English language is scary. The only thing that was embellished was the words stormed out. They should of said left angrily. That may have not hurt your feelings as much. And I’ll help you with the math. 3 people who weren’t competent. The elderly gentleman checking people in, the billing clerk, and the Er Dr. If you just use three fingers on either hand it might help you out. Now put your helmet back on and stop licking the windows.

[Rosebud1949]

Originally Posted by ScottS

I recently had the misfortune of having to use the Villages ER. Absolute worst experience of my life. We arrived at apx 5:15 pm. We were treated extremely rudely by the elderly gentleman registering patients. We first had to ask if that was the line, as there really was no formal line. His tone and customer service were appalling. And yes he was a paid employee and not a volunteer. We then were directed to the billing person, who was also untrained and very rude. She asked for my insurance information. I handed her the workman’s comp form which had all the info needed. She handed it back and said she needed my insurance card. After pointing out this was a workman’s comp claim and this was not going on my personal insurance, she snatched the papers back out of my hand and complained that she did not know how to file a workman’s comp claim. My wife quickly took me to a seat as she could tell I was about to snap. So 2 hours later we are taken back to get an X-ray on my injured right knee. After completing the X-rays we are taken back to the waiting room. After 3 more hours apx 11:00, the ER doctor makes an appearance, he starts sitting with the 8 or 9 people in the waiting room and discussing all of their medical issues right there in the waiting room amongst everyone there. They use to have this thing called Hipaa, apparently that doesn’t exist here in the Villages. By midnight it was finally my turn to have my medical issues discussed aloud in front of everyone. He diagnosed me with a bad knee sprain, ordered me some pain killers, a knee brace and crutches. At 1:30 my wife was tired of waiting and went to check on the above items. 3 times I was asked my height. 3 times they were told 5’9”. They brought out crutches and a knee brace that the lowest adjustment was for someone 6’2”. At 2 am I stormed out the front door with nothing that fit, and no pain meds as all the pharmacy’s are closed and they don’t give medications out at that ER. What a joke! Turns out, after going to a real doctor the next day, that I had a completely torn in half ACL. NOT A BAD SPRAIN! If anyone knows of a good lawyer I would love their name, as hipaa laws were broken, the misdiagnosis without out even doing an MRI was reckless. I even asked him why they weren’t doing an MRI, to which he responded we don’t do those here. What??? Are you kidding me? So after being there for about nine hours, we were worse off than when we got there, and the sad part is they will still get paid.

Having taken a neighbor to the emergency, years ago, filling out forms and waiting 2 hours to find that the clerk went off duty and DUMPED the form in the trash.

4 other folk came and and were seen and then left.. After complaining they said they had no form and we did not fill one out !!!!! NEVER EVER AGAIN will I go there unless the person I am with insists we do, but I will warn them first. The Villages have their hands in EVERY type of service here. What ever happened to real service. An old saying is very true, "jack of all trades and master of NONE:" says it all.

[ScottS]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

First of all, and most importantly, I hope your surgery was very successful and that you have a full recovery and quickly return to full activity. That is far more important than TOTV keyboard squabbling.

Second, your revised version is much more reasonable and believable. Perhaps the billing clerk was, well, less than competent, and the triage line may have been "corrupted" by people sitting and moving away

Third, you state I seem to "know a lot" even though I wasn't there. That's because I've managed enough ERs and hospital staff, worked as a physician in enough ERs for the last 40 years that I have a pretty good idea of the spectrum of what is and is not likely. BTW, I am hardly "omnipotent", nor am I a "spokesperson for the group", I simply "callz them as I seez" them, like everybody else on this forum.

And lastly, my comment to GG about your OP addressed the FACTS you put forth in your first post. I don't see where I launched any kind of personal attack on you. Can you say the same?????

You sir are correct, you did not, and I apologize for mine.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by ScottS

What seems fishy? If I knew how to take pictures to post on a response I would. The ER dr diagnosed it as a bad sprain, but after getting an MRI, the orthopedic surgeon diagnosed it as a complete rupture of the ACL with very little left to attach it to. As far as storming out, no I didn’t kick the door down. I might have overstated “ storming out” and just said left very upset. As far as sitting there way too long, the carrot on the stick kept being dangled. First with the X-ray, then with Dr giving everyone their diagnoses right there in the waiting room in front of gad and everyone. All of these took longer than they should of, but in for a penny in for a pound. Lessen learned. The ACL operation took place at west Marion in Ocala, with outstanding care and follow up. Seeking legal action against a large Hospital that is probably backed by Morse money, would be frivolous, and I probably shouldn’t of even added that part. My mistake. They gave me a written prescription which was of no use at that time of night, and offered no pain meds while I waited for the pharmacy to open. As for going to the emergency room, this was my 3 rd time in my 57 years of needing such a facility, I thought I had done something much worse, and that it was much worse, I was unaware that there was certain protocol as to which type of facility I was suppose to go to. The workman’s comp person asked me which hospital I was closes too, and it was the Villages Hospital so that is where I went.

I think he posted that before your second post and would probably revise his statement after seeing it.
I still have 2 problems with this, and not you.
I don't see why the ER doc didn't get a MRI. I suspect, and only suspect , that like most ER physicians the last thing they want to see is a comp case. They are a PITA with paperwork, and frequently they end up having to testify in court. Therefore, you tend to try to not to be the physician who makes the final diagnosis, especially if you are not an orthopedic specialist in this case.
That being said, the way I would have handled it would be something like this: "Mr. Scott, I've reviewed the plain x rays with the radiologist and the good news is that nothing is broken. You will still need a MRI and an orthopedic consult since you might have anything from a bad strain to a ligament tear. In the meantime we will get you a knee brace and crutches, ice the knee for the next 48 hours and then switch to warm compresses, I'll give you a prescription for pain medication and since pharmacies are closed we'll dispense 2 doses for tonight" I'll bet you would have been much happier with that,
Second, I don't understand the clear HIPPA violations going on in the waiting room. I think you should definitely let hospital administration what went on, I'm sure they would be extremely concerned since the penalties are draconian

[ScottS]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

First of all, and most importantly, I hope your surgery was very successful and that you have a full recovery and quickly return to full activity. That is far more important than TOTV keyboard squabbling.

Second, your revised version is much more reasonable and believable. Perhaps the billing clerk was, well, less than competent, and the triage line may have been "corrupted" by people sitting and moving away

Third, you state I seem to "know a lot" even though I wasn't there. That's because I've managed enough ERs and hospital staff, worked as a physician in enough ERs for the last 40 years that I have a pretty good idea of the spectrum of what is and is not likely. BTW, I am hardly "omnipotent", nor am I a "spokesperson for the group", I simply "callz them as I seez" them, like everybody else on this forum.

And lastly, my comment to GG about your OP addressed the FACTS you put forth in your first post. I don't see where I launched any kind of personal attack on you. Can you say the same?????

And yes thank you, the operation went fine, the West Marion Hospital in Ocala was amazing. The only concern I have is his notes on what type of exercise to do until my post op follow up were non existent. And my phone call to his office yesterday went un returned. So not really sure how long to keep this full leg brace on and if I should be attempting to bend it. The two notes written say leave brace in fully extended position, and that I should be able to bend it in the 90* position by my next follow up. Seems a bit contradictory. He didn’t stop by after surgery to talk, but it was late.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by ScottS

I see your lack of reading knowledge is as vast as your inability to comprehend. No where at all did I say I made anything up. Everything was factual and accounted for. Your inability to comprehend the English language is scary. The only thing that was embellished was the words stormed out. They should of said left angrily. That may have not hurt your feelings as much. And I’ll help you with the math. 3 people who weren’t competent. The elderly gentleman checking people in, the billing clerk, and the Er Dr. If you just use three fingers on either hand it might help you out. Now put your helmet back on and stop licking the windows.

Just so you are aware, I FREQUENTLY disagree with OBB(), but she is quite medically knowledgeable and experienced, and knows far more than you are giving her credit for

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by ScottS

And yes thank you, the operation went fine, the West Marion Hospital in Ocala was amazing. The only concern I have is his notes on what type of exercise to do until my post op follow up were non existent. And my phone call to his office yesterday went un returned. So not really sure how long to keep this full leg brace on and if I should be attempting to bend it. The two notes written say leave brace in fully extended position, and that I should be able to bend it in the 90* position by my next follow up. Seems a bit contradictory. He didn’t stop by after surgery to talk, but it was late.

Not a good excuse. It wasn't "too late" to do the surgery (and bill you for it) I'd persist in calling the office. I don't give medical advice on TOTV, and even if I I did, I don't have the orthopedic expertise to state how long post op to keep the knee fully extended.

[ScottS]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

I think he posted that before your second post and would probably revise his statement after seeing it.
I still have 2 problems with this, and not you.
I don't see why the ER doc didn't get a MRI. I suspect, and only suspect , that like most ER physicians the last thing they want to see is a comp case. They are a PITA with paperwork, and frequently they end up having to testify in court. Therefore, you tend to try to not to be the physician who makes the final diagnosis, especially if you are not an orthopedic specialist in this case.
That being said, the way I would have handled it would be something like this: "Mr. Scott, I've reviewed the plain x rays with the radiologist and the good news is that nothing is broken. You will still need a MRI and an orthopedic consult since you might have anything from a bad strain to a ligament tear. In the meantime we will get you a knee brace and crutches, ice the knee for the next 48 hours and then switch to warm compresses, I'll give you a prescription for pain medication and since pharmacies are closed we'll dispense 2 doses for tonight" I'll bet you would have been much happier with that,
Second, I don't understand the clear HIPPA violations going on in the waiting room. I think you should definitely let hospital administration what went on, I'm sure they would be extremely concerned since the penalties are draconian

Thank you sir and once again you are correct. I would of been very satisfied and understanding of that response. As I told one other person on this thread, in my 57 years I haven’t made it a habit of visiting ER rooms or apparently Emergency Care places now. And the Hipaa is absolutely a concern. You seem wise and very knowledgeable about all of this, thank you for your feed back.

[justjim]

Originally Posted by taruffi57

How about my 91 yr. old Mother fell and split her forehead and peeled back a sizeable area of skin on her arm, and we sat in ER for 11 hrs. Finally got seen but virtually no treatment, then back there and waited another 7 hrs. the next day to be treated, I sat with her.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I recommend reporting unacceptable ER results to the highest possible responsible authorities i.e. ER Supervisor, Hospital Administrator, parent company CEO, etc. Since UF took over TVRH, we are thinking that is a step in the right direction and we are hoping for positive results and changes in the near future.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by ScottS

Oh omnipotent one, please enlighten us all with your vast knowledge. I didn’t type every detail nor post pics of all supporting documentation. But since you feel as though you are some sort of spokesperson person for the group, I shall give your highness more details. The “triage line” consisted of people sitting in various spots as they were tired of standing, and when I say people, there were probably 2 people standing, 2 people in wheel chairs like myself, and 2 or 3 sitting in various areas. The billing clerk, admitted she had no clue how to do the billing for a workman’s comp issue, and she would just “wing it”. ( after spending several hours on the phone with the billing dept, it has now been straightened out. As far as storming out, yes that was a bit exaggerated. The young man who came in for the late shift was actually very caring. And spent his first hour handing out blankets, and talking with people to see if he could accommodate their needs somehow. When my wife approached him he was very kind and helpful. He did make an effort to retrieve the crutches and brace, as well as get the written prescription for the pain meds and something for the swelling. In his haste he grabbed all of the wrong sizes and noticed it as he was handing them to us. And offered to go get the right sizes. We thanked him but explained we were just worn out and wanted to get home, and even though that wasn’t his fault it was just kind of the straw that broke the camels back at that point. The prescription would be worthless until 8 am the next morning and they gave me zero medication in the interim. We thanked him for trying and thanked him for helping the other people left sitting alone in there. He was the only one who showed any empathy at all and willingness to help at all. Kudos to him. Unfortunately for him it was too little to late, but once again not his fault. As for the full tear ACL. It was indeed a “full rupture with very little left to connect to” The operation was Thursday and I sit here in my keyboard warrior full leg brace and cryogenic circulation machine addressing your questions. And as for the suing quip, I would never waste my time with such frivolity, to take on a hospital that is backed by Morse money would be ludicrous. So I hope the gods are now appeased and all is right with your world. For someone who wasn’t there and had zero knowledge of what actually went on, you sure seem to think you knew a lot. And I really could careless about your sniff test.

The Hospital is NOT "backed by Morse Money". The Morses built it and they rent it out to Hospital Corporations. They do not have a drop, not a scintilla of anything to do with running it. The Lease was recently changed from the company that was running it to the University of Florida Hospital Corporation. Were you in fact at the Hospital on 441/27 or at the new place for emergency care near Brownwood? If you were at the one near Brownwood, I too had a similar experience and we were never triaged last month where our daughter's heart rate dropped below forty. If I am wrong, I will wear sackcloth and ashes at Lake Sumter Square and I sincerely apologize. I am not a queen of anything, just an old woman who pays attention carefully.

[skippy05]

If you have good insurance then do not mind the VERY short drive and use Advent Health Waterman Tavares Hospital. FIRST class (kinda almost 'new') facility, staff, and doctors. I have used their ER 4x in the last 2 years due to kidney stones and I tell you the place is awesome but expensive.

[Paul1934]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Next time, OP, don't go to the emergency room for a non-emergency situation. You should've gone to Urgent Care.

Excuse me. A torn acl is not a hangnail. Mine blew me out of a career and haunts me 40 years later.