A personal experience with the health care system this week.

[madfloridian]

I found myself being so thankful that we have good health insurance. I guess I always have been thankful, but what I have seen this week really hit home for me about those who don't have it.

It has been truly eye-opening on this country's priorities, on the importance and value the country's leaders in both parties place on taking care of the health care needs of its citizens.

My husband was taken by ambulance to the emergency room the first of the week. The ambulance crew was swift, courteous, thorough. But the problems started at the ER admittance. There is no criticism in what I say for any nurses or doctors, the criticism is aimed at the administrative system. The systems in place reflect the attitude and mindset of the country's leaders.

Through the years I have been to our hospital's ER to admit family members. Our children had the typical scary moments as they were growing up. I was responsible for seeing to the health needs of both my parents before they passed on. But I have never seen anything like what I saw this week.

My husband was in the ER over 12 hours though he was admitted by ambulance as a true emergency. I arrived there an hour after they took him in. This is a huge emergency room. It is used as well for the medical needs of those without health insurance or access to health care. I think many ERs are used that way now. It is a good thing there is something for the uninsured.

As I walked in my first impression was being overwhelmed. The whole ER waiting room was packed, every seat filled, aisles so crowded one could not walk through with finding a detour. There were those standing in the background. The two desks were trying to triage the ones who were needing the most urgent help. I saw some folks I knew, kids I had taught years ago. I talked to them briefly on my way back to see hubby. They have been out of work, no insurance, no way to see doctors....two said they had been sitting there 8 hours. They were way down the line.

Did I mention this was the middle of the day?

I realized how fortunate that I could walk up the ER desk leading to the clinic part and go back there. Through the door to the clinic proper, which one can not enter without an arm band, the effect is equally devastating.

The hallways were packed with beds and people in wheelchairs in various stages of treatment. I saw an old friend who had been back there for hours. It was hard to walk down the hallway.

We were lucky. Hubby was right away put in a bed in the emergency wing of the ER, reserved for those brought in by ambulance with complaints that had been decided to be legitimate emergencies. Consider that description...the "emergency wing" of the Emergency Room.

He was in that room for 12 hours. To his credit the ER doctor began tests within an hour or so. When I say ER doctor, I mean that to be in the singular, not plural. There was one doctor who had to assign these cases to other doctors. So at least tests were done. No one checked in on him though, and I had to tell them when he had a serious problem occurring. There was no buzzer, so I had to run to the desk. They immediately got the situation under control.

What if I had not been there?

There were no pillows, no blankets in that freezing room...in fact I learned you have to ask for a blanket. Pillows were non-existent. When I went to the desk again, they brought him a heated blanket promptly.

When I left after several hours, and his situation was reduced to waiting for a doctor to admit him.....the massive numbers of people in the ER in the clinic part and in the waiting room had not changed one bit. One nurse confided to me that there were only four nurses on duty that day. She said we care but there are so few of us.

He has gotten the best treatment since he got in his room, considering it is a holiday week. I have the utmost admiration for nurses and doctors and all the aides who come in during the day. They are cheerful and gracious under difficult circumstances.

I do not have much admiration for those who are messing around with the health care reform, confusing us with their messages.

They should have walked through the ER with me this week, they should have seen and talked to these people.

I later talked to the head of the ER and asked some very hard questions. I asked why was it treated so casually that an emergency brought in by ambulance had to wait twelve hours to be admitted. She started explaining and excusing. Some of it I understood. She said the clinic where our general practioner is wanted to bring in other doctors from the clinic for diagnosis. I have no gripe with that, it's a good clinic.

At the end I asked her if she realized she had been trying to pretend it was okay for an emergency patient to have to wait 12 hours for admittance. She asked if it really sounded that way. I said yes.

I told her that when we reached a level where that was acceptable, then something was very wrong. Actually she agreed.

Did I tell you this is one of the largest, most complete, most respected hospitals in Florida? Well-known and respected doctors. Well-equipped clinics and laboratories.

But the hospital is willing to put profit above putting enough staff in place.

[givemebackmycountry]

1. I can't believe someone unreccd this post -

I did not.

I hope everything goes well for you and yours Mad - if you are hurting we are too.

[Divine Discontent]

10. some people are freeps or just hate some of us who actually make OP's, & MF is 1 of the best, so

of course they'll be recs against such an important issue.

Also - I would also like to NOTE -

The state of Florida Medicaid plan has canceled dental for my relative who is fully handicapped, and taken away the over-the-counter allotment of items he was receiving monthly (vitamins, salves, etc).



What GREAT effing news.......................................................



MF, best to you and yours in 2010.

[ThatsMyBarack]

28. Not me.

I just K&R'd it! :hi:

[elleng]

2. Which hospital, where?

Folks have lived in Florida for 30+ years.

[tavalon]

24. The point is, it doesn't matter

They are all in dire straits. I've been a nurse for 20 years and I've seen the whole transition. The bean counters are killing the system. Having uninsured is killing the system. The combo is really killing the system. As a matter of fact, there is no longer any system to speak of.

[elleng]

30. I think it does matter.

I've seen emergency rooms in DC and Morgantown, WV, and needed emergency services for family members in Palm Beach County, Florida. I've not seen or experienced anything like what you've described.

I agree that there's no system.

[sabrina 1]

31. I have, twice, when I went with friends

on two separate occasions to the emergency room of a big hospital on Long Island, NY. The first time, and it was my first time in an emergency room ever, my friend had severe stomach pains and could hardly walk. The emergency room was filled with people, and as the OP described, there were people lying on gurneys in the hallways, and in wheelchairs all waiting for someone to take of them.

One woman was screaming for 'water' and she seemed to be semi-conscious. She was in a hospital gown and the sheet someone had given her was falling on the floor. She was on a gurney which was against a wall, and pretty much exposed since she wasn't able to cover herself. I was so upset that no one was paying attention to her, I went to the desk and asked if someone could help her. (I also pulled the sheet up over her) The person behind the desk looked stressed. She yelled to someone passing by 'Move that gurney out of the hallway'.

Meantime an elderly person had been brought in in a wheelchair, he was having a heart attack someone said. He was clearly not aware of where he was. I expected to see them take him away quickly, but instead someone asked him for his 'insurance papers'. They couldn't get him to respond. I watched in shock as they continued to demand 'papers'. I knew it was probably not my business, but I couldn't believe they were not going to take him in for care without proof of insurance. So I said to the nurse, 'can't you just treat him and ask him for that later'? I was crying by then.

What happened to my friend, she was taken back to a room somewhere and I waited outside, having been told we could not go back there. After two hours, I got worried and went to the desk to ask about her. They said she had not seen a doctor yet. I asked if I could see her, 'no', was the answer. But I decided to ignore them and went through the door the next time it opened. I found her writhing in pain, not having seen anyone. I went back and asked for a doctor. When he finally came, he poked her stomach and said she needed medication. We left, went to the drug store and picked up the prescription. The next day she called me again, in worse condition. This time we went to a doctor, not the ER. That doctor told her she had been misdiagnosed and the medication had aggravated her condition.

I'm not nearly describing the mayhem that was going on in that ER. My friend received huge bills, for those who think the ER is free. She went to see the hospital administrator and told him what her experiences had been and how she had to go to a different doctor who told her she had been mis-diagnosed and she didn't feel she should have to pay for that. He agreed, probably worried about a lawsuit, which was the last thing on her mind.

I thought at the time it was just that one hospital. And to be fair, when another friend had to go to the ER in a different hospital, it was much better. But I know now that this is far more common than I thought at the time.

I do not know what happened to the woman on the gurney or the man who was having a heart attack. But the whole experience was so upsetting that I prayed I would never have to go there. So far so good.

Our health care system is a disgrace. We have money to spend on wars and weapons. No controversy in Congress over those bills. And the irony is, all these wars, we are told, are to 'keep the American safe'. Anyone who believes that, knowing how unsafe the American people are as a result of a disastrous health care system, has to be willfully blind.

We could easily afford a National Health care system if we stopped our military adventures around the globe. Imho, our health care system is a national security issue if the lives of the American people is what national security really is about.

[madfloridian]

32. Excellent post.

And all too true.

[elleng]

35. I agree that we could afford a system (with or without 'adventures.')

But considering what we've been witnessing, I don't see it as remotely likely.

[sabrina 1]

49. Sadly I think you're right. Somewhere along the line, this

country's priorities got very mixed up.

[bonnieS]

45. it does not seem to matter

if there are people there or not. A few years ago on the way to work, I fell stepping out of a bus. Co-workers took me to the emergency room. I was the ONLY PERSON in the entire emergency room. It took over an hour to do my paper work. I then waited for three more hours. After having been there for four hours total (By now a handful of people were also there) I was told that I had a chipped ankle bone and that I should have put ice on it immediately. I was sent home. In brief, I could not work for weeks (my office was up a flight of stairs) or walk without pain for months.

This was in New Jersey.

[bonnieS]

46. I should have said:

I had insurance and this happened anyway.

[tavalon]

41. I wasn't the one who described it

I use to work in an ER and have had many occasions to visit the ones in the hospitals where I have worked. They all suck nowadays. If you catch them on a good day, then it's fine, if not, well, it's like the above one.

Thing is, I'm pretty sure I know which hospital she's talking about and while she saw some of it's most horrific in the ER, it is a fabulous hospital, or it was in years past. So many important treatments have been pioneered there.

[madfloridian]

58. It's a great hospital...but things have changed in the last few years.

Since the last time I had a family member there. They have done some great work there, plus the surrounding clinics....but they are chronically short-staffed so that a profit can be made.

[Lorien]

54. I have. At Florida Regional. He was lucky to have seen anyone at all. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. That is horrifying, and wrong on every level.

This needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

Thank you for telling us your story, and I hope your husband is doing well...

K&R

[madfloridian]

5. I agree. It was a scary thing to see.

I got a hopeless feeling when I walked in there.

He should be better soon. Thanks.

[Joe the Liberal]

4. And republicans always complain about wait times......

of course those elitist corporate whores don't have to wait to get treatment. They have the money to get the best treatment right away but the rest of us have to go wait for hours on end to get treated and at the ER no less. Many would go the doctor if they had access to it, BEFORE their illness got to the point where they HAD to get treatment at the ER. Finally if you're lucky enough to actually get treated after waiting for hours on end you still have to pay thousands of dollars once you get the bill. It's 2010 and the US health care system resembles something you'd find in the 18th century on back.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

6. I went to a quiet, unbusy emergency room. I had no insurance.

I was vomiting uncontrollably and dehydrated from a sinus infection. I sat in a wheelchair and barfed. There were other people waiting but nothing urgent. They checked me in but I waited 3 hours. They never put me in a room. I got my hubby to go buttonhole nurses standing around, to tell them to please treat me because I was suffering. The other people in the waiting room were visibly upset by the horrible loud noises I was making. I sounded like I was dying. I could have had a stroke from the high blood pressure.

They did nothing.

They were ignoring me.

After three hours of my agony we went to another emergency room where I was seen and treated promptly. I did not have any insurance, but at the second hospital they asked me what to do and I told them the usual procedure they did when I was that sick.

They treated me without asking me if I had insurance or not at the 2nd hospital. These were both suburban hospitals that were not very busy. At the second one I was in enough pain from my barfing that they gave me Demerol and an antibiotic shot and a cortisone shot.

[Selatius]

7. Frankly, it sounds like a hospital you would find in an impoverished country. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

37. Houston, Texas.

Four million people and lots of hospitals.

The one where they ignored me was Spring Branch Medical Center, in West Houston on Long Point.

The one where they treated me kindly was Memorial City Medical Center, on Interstate 10 at Gessner.

[crispini]

8. I am sorry for your experience. It sounds awful.

I do think every hospital is different. My friend got food poisoning over Christmas and was throwing up so much he wanted to die. I took him to our local ER. He was admitted in 15 minutes and was in a bed being treated within the hour. Also he has no insurance and he will work something out with the hospital over the next months. I'm sure that will be an experience! Of course this is a small suburban hospital and I'm sure if we'd gone to the county hospital or one of the big downtown hospitals it would have been quite a different experience.

[proud2BlibKansan]

9. Get well soon to your hubby, Mad!!

And for you - :hug:

[LWolf]

11. First, I send good wishes to your husband for a full, quick recovery.

Second, I have been in emergency rooms just like that myself. :(

Third, here is my holiday health care story:

My oldest son, 31, was laid off last year. He is now surviving on unemployment and has no health insurance.

In November, he got strep. He ended up at a county health care facility, the least expensive in his region. He was prescribed anti-biotics, and paid cash for the visit and prescription out of his unemployment benefits. He was worried. The strep went away. He didn't finish the anti-biotics, which may have some connection to what happened later.

We had purchased a round-trip air fair for him to fly north to spend xmas with family, and he already had the tickets, so his budget crunch did not affect that.

In early December, he developed an itch, some red bumps, and then a boil on his knee. He thought it was a spider bite. When a new boil popped up further up his thigh, he went back to the county facility, who told them that the "bites" were infected, and to use peroxide, neosporin, etc.. That's what he was doing when he flew north for the holidays.

By xmas eve, he was feverish and had developed yet another boil in a very sensitive spot. I took him to a local urgent care center, that requires cash payment on demand. We all pitched in to pay the bill that day; me, my mother, his brother...he was down to $40 until his next check came in. We didn't feel like he should wait to get care just because they wouldn't bill him. They diagnosed MRSA, lanced the boils, gave him a prescription for anti-biotics, and told him to come back on Saturday. He was feeling a little better by then. They gave him a new, more expensive prescription. Apparently, this strain of MRSA is resistant to most anti-biotics due to over and mis-use; only a couple will work. Now he was doubled up.

He filled the prescription and flew home. By the next day, he was feeling pretty good, but by the next day, he had more fever and rash. So he went back to the county facility at home, gave them the info he'd gotten from the urgent care center here, and hung out for several hours while they did a bunch of tests.

At which point they told him that he was clean; no infection, no MRSA. But...that he was showing signs of an allergic reaction to the anti-biotics. So they sent him home with another hefty bill.

He was terrified that they would hospitalize him, leaving him with no way to pay THAT bill.

MRSA can be life-threatening. He was more afraid of the hospital bills.

We are all also a little concerned about another round of anti-biotic treatment that he won't finish, and wondering what the consequences might be down the road.

[Rozlee]

21. WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT???

To begin with, MRSA very, VERY rarely goes away on it's own. Especially if your son was unable to finish any of his rounds of antibx. Did they do a nose swab or a blood culture to verify that the MRSA was gone? Nose swabs can be unreliable and a blood culture is only effective if the MRSA has become systemic in the bloodstream, and from what you have said, it has not. If he still has it in his body, it might return at some future time as more skin eruptions. A worst care scenario would be that it might, at a future date, cause pneumonia, meningitis, damage to the heart muscles, and a whole slew of other life-threatening complications. At the least, it should be found out if he is a carrier. If he is, he may be spreading MRSA in the community and not even realize it. I didn't mean to scare you. Some of the worst care scenarios are just that: the worst of the worst and if your son is otherwise healthy, i.e. not have any autoimmune diseases or chemotherapy, he should be OK. But, it just infuriates me how people without insurance are treated. My son just moved to West Virginia and left a good job down here in San Antonio because his wife's mother has cancer. Jobs that pay over the minimum wage in West Virginia are as rare as hen's teeth, and both he and his wife are in the same boat: jobless, no insurance. My daughter-in-law has had problems with blood clots in her leg since she gave birth to my grandson, and now my son says her leg is over twice it's size and hot to the touch. They went to the Appalachian hospital emergency room without insurance and my daughter-in-law wasn't even given a doppler scan to check for a blood clot! A small hand-held device and they couldn't even be bothered. That clot could dislodge and become rocket emboli that would head for her lungs or brain and kill her. And they won't even do that! But, I know where you're coming from, LWolf. And I don't see things getting much better under this new health care so-called reform package. Especially if it doesn't kick in until 2013 or 2014.

[LWolf]

22. That's exactly my concern.

My son is 1100 miles away, and scared enough to accept whatever his doctor says. He is also well aware of the whole issue of anti-biotic use and misuse at this time. He's confused by conflicting info:

Only take anti-biotics when needed, and finish the course when you do, vs. you are allergic, stop taking them, even though they are the few proven to work against that strain of MRSA.

They did a blood and urine analysis and a chest xray, and declared him clean.

Meanwhile, we are all a little tense and nervous. Who gets a 2nd opinion when you have no insurance, and no $$ to pay for the first?

Interestingly, our local paper ran a very long article on the mis-use of anti-biotics in animal feed while he was here. It would make a good OP, if I could find it.

People need to be able to get care when they need it, without the threat of bankruptcy and life-long debt hanging over their heads.

[Rozlee]

39. LWolf, I'm not sure about this, but could you possibly have your

son contact the Health Dept in the city where he lives? Since MRSA is a public health threat, they
might be willing to treat him for free with follow ups. I know that back in 1996, I was in Civil
Service and had good insurance. I was bitten by a feral dog while I was jogging in the country. When I got my first dose of the Rabies Vaccine, I had an anphylatic reaction to it and couldn't finish taking the series. But for several months, in fact, up to two years later, I kept getting letters from the Metropolitan Health District telling me that I had to be treated for a disease that was a public health threat and that if I had no resources, that they could treat me for free. In fact, at one point, a policeman was sent to my home to deliver one of their letters and escort me to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. Thank God I wasn't at home. Could you imagine the embarassment! It was rather amusing. After two years, you'd think someone would have figured: rabies= incubation period of up to 90 days. I had almost forgotten about that, but MRSA probably would be considered a public health threat. It wouldn't hurt to ask. If it is, maybe they'd be willing to treat it for free.

[LWolf]

48. This is a good idea. I'll give him a call and suggest it. Thanks! nt

[elleng]

50. Strep > scarlet fever, etc.

Real mistake to not continue with precribed meds; all too common mistake.

Good luck to you all.

[Vinca]

12. How is your husband doing?

The poor man. I can't imagine being a bona fide emergency and ending up on "hold" for 12 hours. What a mess this country is in.

[blackbear79]

13. My personal experience this week was...

my monthly premium for my family was increased from $1266 to $1461. And that is with a $5000 deductible. This is no Cadillac plan, more like a Yugo. My wife and I are self employed and have blood pressure issues, so changing companies is difficult. This bill does me no good, if fact I am better off with no bill. I'm 54, by the time I am medicare eligible, good health care providers probably won't take it. There has got to be a better way.

[laughingliberal]

14. Unfortunately, I must agree with your assessment

I see nothing in the bill which will bring down the cost of premiums. And it is questionable if it will even slow the rate of increases. We are going to be back here within a few years of the bill going into effect fighting for HCR again.

[Lorien]

23. Yep, self employed here too

my premiums aren't that high because I can't afford them, but my deductible is 12k. All I can do is to try to remain as healthy as possible.

[austin78704]

15. Yeah, I've seen the same

I kind of makes the "But in Canada you have to wait..." bullshit that much more infuriating.

[juno jones]

52. Welcome to DU

And you are exactly right.

[laughingliberal]

16. Hope your husband is doing well, now

Sounds like the typical ER clusterfuck to me. My experiences are, generally, more positive but I am under no illusions about the fact that they snap to and put their best foot forward as soon as they find out I'm an RN. I watched a pretty decent health care system deteriorate into a system dictated by the balance sheet as the for-profit hospital corporations took over the industry. They really did decide that paying off a few lawsuits was more cost effective than providing adequate staffing levels. Bad for patients, bad for nurses, great for CEO salaries.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

17. What a nightmare of a story, Mad

If your experience had happened a couple years ago, you and your husband could have been in "Sicko!" Hope he's doing much, much better and that the two of you have a HEALTHY New Year. Then it has a better chance of being happy.

K&R

[LibDemAlways]

18. I live in an area of So Calif. with one emergency room serving the needs of

over 100,000 people. There used to be two. The larger hospital corp bought out the smaller one and shut it down. God help you if you require emergency treatment around here. My mother was taken there suffering from extreme abdominal pain. She remained overnight in the ER before they tended to her. It was horrific. When they finally admitted her, it took a week before they even correctly diagnosed the problem and another 3 days before they dealt with it.

Health insurance reform is an important issue, but even single payer wouldn't fix all of what's wrong with health care in the US - chronic understaffing and a hefty dose of medical incompetence from personnel either not adequately trained or stretched beyond their limits.

[Odin2005]

19. This is exactly why healthcare should be a right, not a commodity.

[Lorien]

20. That was pretty much my experience at the ER here in downtown Orlando

Florida Regional is it? When I wrote of it the usual smartasses around here replied with "I call bullshit" and they insisted that no one was ever turned away from an ER. When I was there I waited eight hours with what I thought was a burst appendix (it was gallstones). No one ever admitted me. They took my name and insurance card and asked me to take a seat, but that's where the services ended. I have crap insurance, so no one ever checked on me. I was vomiting into a bucket and in complete agony, as were the forty or so other human beings in wheelchairs, gurneys, and lying on the floor or propped up against wall. One fellow would be patient told me that a guy who was there for a suspected heart attack, passed out in a wheelchair about ten feet away from us, had been the for over 15 hours and no one had checked on him. I knew that my prospects of getting seen were slim to none after hearing that (I hope the poor fellow was still breathing)! There were people crying out in pain, people with significant bleeding, and I sure wasn't the only one vomiting there. It was hell. Eventually I decided that if my appendix (which is what I still thought it was) was going to kill me than I'd rather die at home then in that hellhole. I wheeled myself to the curb and got a cab. Lucky for me I only had a nasty case of gallstones that I cured with a vile Chinese folk treatment instead of 24k worth of surgery. For those of us whole can't afford good insurance the system isn't there for us, period.

[NJCher]

25. been a mess for a long time

Way back in '93 I had a conversation with a woman who had worked in marketing but had always harbored the desire to become a nurse. She couldn't afford to quit her high-paying marketing position but was able to take a hiatus from it and with this time she went to nursing school.

Part of her training was to work in a hospital, which she had already done at the time of our conversation. Now mind you, this is 17 years ago. Her on-the-job training was at one of northern NJ's premiere hospital systems and here's what she told me: take care of your health because God forbid you should ever have to need the U.S. healthcare system. She said the level of incompetence was astounding.


Cher

[pleah]

26. K&R I hope he's alright now.

It is a scary thought that while we have insurance, if one of us were to get seriously ill, we could loose everything. We try to take care of ourselves and hope we don't get sick.

[starzdust]

27. That's nothing...

I overdosed on a medication attempting suicide and spent 24
hours in an emergency room waiting to be admitted. I know
exactly by experience what your post was all about. We need a
single payer, all in, health care system. I have insurance and
it still took 24 hours, so I was told there was no bed
available. I'll bet administration was debating my insurance
company over payment too. It was late afternoon on a Sunday,
so I'll also bet they decided to hold me in the emergency room
until they contacted my insurance company. I was admitted into
a lock down facility for psychiatric evaluation and put on a
24 hour hold, after the 24 wonderful hours spent on a gurney
in the ER. I was eventually kicked out after 10 days of
treatment, though I was not ready. I still suffer from severe
depression, disthymia, other medical issues and think about
suicide every day. Even with medical insurance I still have to
pay 50%, though that is suppose to change starting this month.
Medical bills continue piling up which I can not pay because I
do not make enough money to cover them. I told my therapist
that I will most likely be filing a bankruptcy. She told me
that it might be to my benefit to quit my job, file the
bankruptcy and let the state pay for my treatment, good luck.
I wish I had died that night in the ER:-(

[Stardust]

36. I'm so sorry, Starzdust. Wishing better times for you...

[marginlized]

29. Been there too many times

+1

[dysfunctional press]

33. limpballs will be painting a much different picture of american healthcare on monday...

nobody in the waiting room, the bestest care available, with no wait and no hassle...what's everybody complaining about...? :shrug:

i don't listen to the turd(not since leaving a job where i had no choice in the matter, as the boss loved the guy), but i can pretty much imagine how it will go.

[defendandprotect]

34. Need to end "for profit" health care ... you can't do that by cementing corps into it -- !!!

[debbierlus]

38. It is awful. As a former RN, I have witnessed and heard countless stories

And, by all reports, it is getting much worse.

This health insurance wet dream bill won't fix it.

[bertman]

40. I'm glad to hear that Mr. Madflo is going to be better soon. Thank you for sharing this

horror story with us. I've been through quite a few with family but it's just a sorry rehash of what's already been said so I'll spare everyone.

What chaps my cheeks when I am reminded of these "issues" with healthcare in America, is that we are having to accept this POS healthcare bill that has been proposed and is still being scrutinized and surgically-reduced before it's presented as the CURE we've all been hoping for. I just hope they have hundreds of millions of dollars in one of those teeny-weeny little paragraphs that is destined for training more doctors and nurses to work in all of those Community Health Clinics we're about to get IN FOUR YEARS or sometime in the next decade. We're gonna need them with the baby boomers bursting the system at the seams and all those unemployed, healthy eating, healthy living Americans who are gonna need LOTS of health care.

Too late to rec, but here's a kick.

[Greyhound]

42. I've had more experience with hospitals and the so-called health care system in the last year

than most people, and everywhere I go I get into these conversations. Without exception, including our religious, republikan breast surgeon, the workers and the patients are in a state of outrage over this system.

The only people satisfied with this travesty are the insurance companies and what does our "brilliant" leader come up with to address this problem, more insurance.
:eyes::grr:

[katkat]

43. here's a non-horror story

I spectacularly sprained my ankle last year - it was swollen out about 4-5 inches from normal. My neighbor took me to the ER, they saw me for triage in about five minutes and whisked me in to see someone who was probably a nurse practitioner after they'd done ten minutes of paperwork.

X-ray, boot, caring instructions, pain med, all promptly.

Couldn't have asked for better care.

[DFW]

44. This is all very scary stuff

I am almost glad to be in Germany, and that my wife is a German citizen. If I have another heart issue, twelve
hours might well be eleven hours too late to help me.

[AnneD]

47. I too found myself in the ER Dec 27th in California.....

I am from Texas and was visiting my college age daughter. I was in extreme pain and shortness of breathe. Her roommate drove me to the hospital. I am a nurse so I have a more then passing acquaintance with our medical system and had actually went to a county ER in Texas years ago. Let me tell you, what I experienced was the care we should all have. As a Nurse, I was able to ask important question and get honest answers from the staff.

First and formost....they were adequately staffed. Unlike just about every other state in the union-California Nurses fought for AND GOT Nurse to patient ratios. My Nurse had 3 other patients besides my self. It DOES have an impact on the care you receive. As a Nurse, I know first hand the care I am capable of giving. It is a source of frustration and concern to me that I am chronically overstaffed in a hospital or long term care setting. In fact, I have left bedside care over this issue (that and the 12 hour shift issue). What kind of care can anyone expect when their Nurse has 8-12 other patients and is expected to do this for 12 hours.

Don't be brainwashed into believing the Nurse shortage is as bad as it is. Most Nurses have left floor Nursing to go to saner work environments. I encourage folks to support Nurse-patient ratios.

[blueamy66]

51. I have been in many ER situations

and you really need to "know how to work the system".

Just say "cancer patient" and you'll be seen first. Unfortunatley, I learned this because both of my parents died from that insidiuous disease.

With my fiance...just ran in yelling that he was vomitting buckets full so blood...which was true.

All of my family members were "sent to the front of the line".

I cannot believe that those brought in by ambulance are not seen ASAP. WTF.?

[juno jones]

53. I am sorry.

:hug:

I hope you both are well.

[bongbong]

55. my experiences in France & Britain

I had a minor pain whilst staying in London in 2006. Walked into the local hospital waiting room, waited 10 minutes, saw a physician's asst, got an anti-inflamatory (sp) prescription, filled it at the hospital pharmacy. Out in a total of maybe an hour, total cost $6.

I had food poisoning in France om 2000. Pretty bad, as I waited too long with the only symptom of not being able to hold food down, until I basically passed out from dehydration 3 days later. Had a doctor make a "house call" to the hotel on SUNDAY NIGHT. Treated me, then next day we went to a clinic she had specified. Got tested, and got some powder I was to mix with water and drink. Fixed up good as new by noon Monday. Total cost, $60.

BTW, the powder still works today to cure minor stomach problems (I was given about 50 packets).

Fill in the blank with your own conclusion. I prefer "America is doomed".

[ProudDad]

56. The USAmerikan Empire is doomed...

works for me...

[liberal_at_heart]

61. oh my gosh. you are making me so jealous

I already want to move to Europe or the UK. You are just making me want to go even more. I would be able to get behavioral treatment for my autistic son. We've started getting our documents in order, but moving overseas can be very complicated; visas, looking for a job. I'm hoping we'll be ready for a move in a couple of years.

[Ignis]

57. "What if I had not been there?"

I experienced this very problem in a CA hospital over the holidays while caring for my father: We were attentive and got him help immediately when he didn't react well to a new medicine, but his negative reaction was only noticed because his family was there--no nurse was scheduled to check in on him in time to catch a bad reaction.

What happens to those whose families don't have the luxury of watching them 24/7 while they're at a freakin' hospital?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

59. My dad had a stroke and had to wait 10 hours for a room to open up.

[liberal_at_heart]

60. I wish I weren't too late to rec this thread. Thank you for your story.

I'm glad your husband is okay and am sorry so many had to wait and suffer. I actually had a similar experience at a university teaching hospital. I had come to the ER because I had an infected incision from a surgery. There were lots of uninsured people waiting in pain in their ER. It was very sad.

[dysfunctional press]

62. "...one of the largest, most complete, most respected hospitals in Florida"

well there's your problem right there- it's in florida.

i just hope that i live long enough to see the oceans rise up and reclaim that shithole of a state.

[PA Democrat]

63. Had a similar experience at a local hospital with my dad.

He was in excruciating pain from kidney stones (we were sure that was the problem since he's had them several times before) and sat in the emergency room waiting room for more than EIGHT HOURS without being seen. He would have been there longer except we managed to get one of his doctors (this was late at night) to intervene and admit him.

That same emergency room used to be drastically different. It was a nonprofit hospital and I had taken my kids there for stitches and x-rays. Never waited for more than an hour and that was for minor injuries. Now the hospital is part of a big for-profit chain and the emergency room sucks. That's about the least offensive thing I can say about it.

[Tracer]

64. I believe the quality of care depends on three things:

A. The hospital

A large city hospital that must take all comers, including people who must depend on the ER for basic care – vs. a suburban hospital whose ER patients come from the neighboring area.

B. The concept of triage

Yes, I've waited for quite a long time for minor injuries (stitches), yet when I brought in my son who was choking on a piece of meat, I never saw ER people move so fast. They were actually running towards him.

C. The time of day

The last two times I was at the ER, it incorporated all 3 of the above items. It was a suburban hospital (A), I was truly in bad shape (B), and both times it was a summer weekend (C).