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| - I only go to the ER if I absolutely HAVE to. And the only reason I went to this one is because I live down the road & knew I would need to have an MRI done, which smaller clinics are not equipped with. This visit reminded me of why I dislike hospital ER's.
I went in because I hit my head on the bottom of the pool & lost consciousness two days prior. I felt I was fine until I got double black eyes & the swelling on my skull increased around the wound area where it split my head open. Increasingly worse head pain & dizziness was making me worry the extent of the injury may be internal. The purpose of the visit was to make sure I did not have a skull fracture or internal bleeding... The brain area is not an area to ignore!
The initial check in was quick. I was taken back within 15 minutes. But that's when it all started to go down hill. Yes, I said my pain level was an 8-10 being as how my head was swollen and hurting worse than a migraine. No, I was not "shopping for drugs". Because that is exactly the way I was treated. Before they even would hear my explanation/worries or bother to do anything- they made me take a UA, screening for drugs like I was some kind of a junkie looking for easy meds. That was wrong and really made me think twice about their "care" and practice. I asked WHY I had to take a UA for a head injury- not that I had anything to hide or worry about- but it struck me as stereotyping, and I was right when the nurse explained, "because we check random patients" which basically meant: we stereotype based on your looks & age to assume you are a junkie. There was absolutely no reason I should have had to have that slapped onto my bill, or wasted my time with that when I came in for a head injury.
Obviously the results came back clean. And from there it took 8 entire hours just to get an MRI and the results back. With only one other patient admitted. So it is not like they were swamped.
What really upset me, was that the nurse came back 2-3 different times with different medications and told me to take them. 0 explanation of what they were and why I was taking them. When I asked (because I don't just pop random pills someone hands me without knowing WHAT I am ingesting and WHY) she spit out a jumbled & mumbled "it's for this that & the other just take them!" Not okay with me. So there should have been no reason for anyone to get uppity with me when I politely declined to take a hefty amount of what they said was "vitamins" and "blood pressure" pills. That is not the reason I came in. At least after about 5 hours someone came back with an ice pack for my head...
The only good part of this visit was the technician who performed the MRI. He was very kind, friendly and caring. I was appreciative of his efforts to make me comfortable and he made me feel a bit better for that short amount of time.
The results came back as a hairline skull fracture. I'm glad it was not worse. But instead of instructing me on how to care for the wound or help it heal at home- I was rushed out to reception to pay the hefty bill and told "take Tylenol." Gee... Thanks for caring?
The check out receptionist was also very pleasant. I feel bad for them having to be in that position where they genuinely care and talk to you/show you they do, but then have to tell you the scripted spiel of "give us your money now- if you pay in full within 7 days we will discount your bill by 10% of the total balance." Wow...
So I basically paid for a bunch of doctors/nurses to make assumptions, treat me like a drug addict, disregard my concerns & pain/comfort then demand I pay for some of the worst medical "care" I have ever gotten. I feel like I am basically paying for an MRI and sitting on their patient bed for 8 hours while they didn't care.
I would not recommend visiting this ER if you can help it. Not that other places are better, but I probably won't ever go back unless I am rushed in by ambulance or my life depends on it. The only thing they did well was a prompt check-in, finally handing me an ice pack, and two friendly staff members. Also- don't bother to check-in online. I did that prior to visiting and the receptionist disregarded my confirmation number and pretty much said "you still have to check-in here, fill out all the paperwork and wait." So... What is the point?? This place could use some drastic improvement. Especially treating their patients better, not judging/assuming & taking some actual CARE.
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