Good experiences in hospitals

Queens General, Kingsbrook Jewish, Coney Island, Maimonides & Winthrop -all the hospitals I trained at.

I’ve had excellent experiences in Columbia. It’s clean,the Drs.are amazing-knowledgeable,smart,great bedside manner,excellent in relating with the patient and family,well versed with the Jewish laws,kind and understanding. We should never need a hospital,but this this one I wouldn’t mind going to if needed.

Health-I don’t know anything about queens gen,kingsbrook,or Winthrop,but I can sure tell you that coney island stinks,even hatzolla won’t take someone there even if they are dying,and Maimonides isn’t any better. They are conveniently located which is probably why so many Jewish people use them,but they are known not to be courteous,not very knowledgeable,and in general,just butchers. They are filthy and the nurses are very overworked and overly rude. Don’t go there if you value your life. City hospitals are much better,

nyu people were very pleased there.

Esther – I see you don’t like Maimonides or Coney. You have the right to your negative opinion, but to me it’s pure Motzay Shem Rah! Any particular incident(s) that have occurred to you or your family in either of these two places that helped formulate this opinion? Or did you formulate your opinions based on what you heard on the grapevine?

I took care of both my parents A”H so my experiences are based on their numerous hospitalizations as well as my own brief (thank G-d) emergencies.

I agree with all the positive things said about Columbia and Cornell. If necessary, I will add my own.

That said, I would not send a dog to Maimonides. That would be cruelty to animals.

Homeowner- It definitely would be cruelty, they aren’t vets.

The problems I’ve found with Maimo is more lack of bedside manner, by certain staff, then lack of decent medical care.

health- i had surgery done by a “top surgeon” in maimo, and guess what – he messed up!! also, as an experienced hatzala member i would NEVER bring a patient to coney. i believe it to be under the category of retzicha! however, i had surgery done as well in Long Island Jewish Hospital as well as Columbia and i had a brief stay (about a week)in Cornell, and they made me feel as comfortable as i can get!

I got appendicitis when I was in high school. My father came to the yeshiva to pick me up and take me to the hospital. One of the heads of Hatzolah was in the yeshiva that night for something, and they had brought him into the office to check me out. When my father came in, he recommended that I go to LIJ. My father said no, I’m going to drive him to Maimonides. The Hatzolah guy said, “Do you want to give your son the best chance to live, or be conveniently close to home? Take him to LIJ, avoid Maimonides whenever possible!”

Health-yes,I’ve had not one,but two bad experiences personally with Maimonides. I agree withHomeowner totally,I wouldn’t bring my dog there. Suffice it to say that I am lucky to be alive after what the butcher in Maimonides did to me and I had to have 2surgeries to undo the damage he caused. Even till today the situation is not perfect,but BH manageable. This is not motzei Shem ra,this is veahavta leraiacha komocha,in warning my sisters and brothers to stay far away from Maimonides.

100 would go to same hospital and tehir experience would be so different. thread is much too general. what are we rating? surgery skills? nursing staff? admin?

someone in my family had a major surgery in a good hospital in NYC

1. Surgeon was selected with Rabbi B – Paid privatly, was skillful and professional – would be rated A

2. Follow up care – couldnt ever see or speak with a doctor, instead had a PA who wasnt too knowledgable, and said she could get all answers, which clearly were not helpful, so rated D

3. Staff in OR – told me another frum patient once died there, while I was waiting in holding area – F, need to complain, didnt know where to complain so didnt so far, but beyond horrible

4. Bikur Cholim room – amazing, cant thank them enough A+++

5. roomate – Horrible. one was yelling all night and didnt allow for patient sleep till I got staff to move her out – lost most of night, next roommate had 100 visitors, loud, every minute. When I asked in nursing why they allow to violate policy, they said patietn was a hospital worker, couldnt enforce it with.

6. nurses refused to bath patient who was at hospital for 4 weeks, saying if they have time at end of shift. really didnt feel like it, and never had time, despite repeating requests from patient, and said showers use in hospital are prohibited for health reasons. I can go on and on.

OK, So overall, how would you rate place?

So all rating above, if you rated hospital is good b/c of a good Bikur Cholim staff – arent you oversimplified??

estherhamalka -First of all, what DID the doc do to you? Also, was the doc on staff there or did he just have rights there? Even if you’re correct and there is one bad surgeon, so every other doctor/surgeon is also no good?

Health: despite what the Hatzolah guy said, my father took me to Maimonides. I got into the emergency room at about 9 pm or so. I sat in excruciating pain for well over 6 hours until anything was done for me.

My sister once broke her leg when she was young. My father took her to Maimonides and she also sat in the ER waiting room for hours on end until someone saw her.

Best way to ensure you don’t have to wait a long time in the ER is to arrive by ambulance…

health i don’t have time to write the experiences I personally observed and it would take hours to type them! one example, my mother was in a major hospital in nyc, one of the ones being raved about higher up. She was in the respiratory icu which should have nurses who are familiar with vents. The INCOMPETENT nurse accidentaly disconnected oxygen supply from the vent. When I pointed out the loose tube he looked around to see where it could possibly be coming from, he did not know what it was so he said it’s probably nothing. Shock of shocks, my mothers sat rates started dropping, i called the nurse in who could find no problem. They called the respiratory therapist who wanted to know who disconnected the oxygen. btw, the nurse is a regular on that unit, not a covering nurse. this was just one mistake in months of daily mistakes that ended up (al pi derech hateva) killing my mother. My mother ended up in the specialty unit in Kimbal Hospital under Dr. Lebovits, no one should ever need them but that is the most amazing place!!! i wish i could turn back time and have my mother have gone there first!!! I know it is not basherte but I think if she had gone there first she would have come home from the hospital. The medical care and the nursing care cannot be beat. btw, my mother went into the hospital originally for a short procedure and was supposed to go home. She was in the respiratory icu because of major mistakes made in the sicu. the mistakes in the sicu were so glaring but they would not let us speak to the drs and my mother was kept sedated. We were finally able to get another dr to take over the case and as soon as that dr saw what was going on she pulled rank and had my mother transfered to a different icu where the care was much better, but so much damage had already been done!

I had surgery at South Nassau Community Hospital, and the level of care which I received was outstanding. The staff informed of everything that was going on with me, and they were generous in allowing me many visitors at once, which greatly helped my recuperation during the several days that I was hospitalized. I have been told that my experience might have been due to the excellence of the surgical division that was taking care of me, but I know many others who were very happy with their level of care.

Professional -Is that nurse frum?

health, the specialty unit rents space from kimbal but is not part of kimbal, it has it’s own dr. and nursing staff that answer to Dr. L. I wish I had known it before because before my mother got admitted to the first major NY hospital someone told us a little about Dr. L. and our reaction was the same as yours, how can we possibly go to kimbal. Huge huge huge mistake! people need to research every unit individually!!! One reason we saw so many mistakes is because we had someone from the family sitting with my mother round the clock for many months until it became not doable and we had to hire help for overnight. We got to see what really happens and not what is written in charts or told over later. You truly would not believe what is considered acceptable today. I may come on strong but I and most of my family are literally traumatised by our experiences. all of us fear going to the hospital for any reason!

St. Barnabas Ambulatory care center in Livingston NJ is like a 5 star hotel. The 9th floor of the Milstien building at Columbia Presbyterian is almost the same but not quite.

Health: You’re looking for personal situations. My Brother amu”s while getting a port installed got Staph infection at Maimonides. Maimonides is known for great Cardiac care. Unfortunately in regards to all other Hospital issues their sort of infamous for lack of Patient care.

I just remembered another personal story. I was having my cast on my hand removed. It was supposed to be one of those saws that are not supposed to cut skin. Well, lo and behold it went right through my skin, I have a scar till today, albeit a minute one. While the Doc was cutting the cast I was screaming in pain that he was cutting me as well but he said it’s not possible. He was proved wrong.

commonsense – I never heard of this unit and I live here. Please elaborate. Also, I thought Dr. L was affilated with CSH of Toms River -this has changed?

HadaLXTP- How do you know his infection was caused by negligence? Did you see them not using sterile technique placing it? Nosocomial infections aren’t just caused by negligence! All hospitals have nosocomial infections.

Also, why would you go to the hospital to have your cast removed and not the orthopedist? The guy removing it probably never used one of those saws before. They don’t cut like a regular saw back and forth, only oscillate. They can’t cut you, but they can get very hot. If you don’t know how to use it, this heat will penetrate or burn the skin. Unluckly you, it was his first time.

Health: Yes it was.

HadaLXTP – “Health: Yes it was.”

On what part are you refering to?

Health: I did need the spinal tap as well as the drainage. I also should have been flat on back for four hours. One dr I wanted to switch to said he diesn’t treat my condition because he isn’t set up for the spinal taps, he doesn’t have room in his office to keep patients flat for four hours.

My issue isn’t with students learning, I’ve been poked so many times by students trying to find veins to draw blood that my arms and hands werre bruised but I them I didn’t mind. I even volunteered to have med students at a local med school examine my eyes bec I’ve had it done so many times that I know how to focus and not move or blink and my eyes are often dilated so it’s easy to see everything. My issue is with a student performing something for the first time without supervision. Yes I blam Maimonodies because of how horrified my drs at other hospitals were when I said how I was treated. They have different protocols which center around the patient not the med student.

Yes the two hopitals in Flatbush are below average, yet suprisingly they have great nursing/patient care. Maimonodies doesn’t have good medical care or nursing/patient. I was in the ER at Maimonodies twice and told by more than one doctor that there is nothing they can do because I wasn’t having a stroke so they can’t page my dr or any dr or resident in the neurology dept. If that is considered average care then i’ll pass and move straight to above average. When I called my dr at Columbia on a saturday night he called back in minutes and called in a prescription for me. I gave him numbers od pharmacies that I thought were open, he called all four until he found one that was open. He couldn’t understand why I thanked him so much because he was only doing his job.

health, now I remeber the frum nurse at Mimo. He was finishing his shift. Looked like a nice guy, no other experience with him.

Health: I gave two examples I didn’t mix both up. They were both horrible experiences.

It makes no difference to me if it was medical student or resident if he didn’t know how to perform a spinal tap he shouldn’t have done it without supervision!

I would have preferred not going to the ER except that the neurology department closes and five PM daily and is closed on weekends. They connect you to the neurology floor who connects you the ED! I was using the assistant director of the department and that is how the department is run. there is no coverage after hours.

I needed a neurologist because I had a reaction to a medication given to control my levels of csf. I was instructed by the ED as well as a friend who is a doctor (who btw practices peds and has rights at Maimonodies. She said their adult neurology department is known to be terriable. They did the same thing to her when she was in the ER with what turned out to be guillene bare.) My itnernist was on the phone with me five times after I released and told me to go back the next day (Sunday) and insist on being seen by a neurologist since my condition constitued an emergency and needed the attention of a neurologist asap. He said he knows about the department not being available and them using the ER and then blaming the ER when their patients complain but that I should insist on being seen by a neurologist. The one decent resident we saw apologized numerous times that he couldn’t get in touch with the neurology department and that they don’t answer their pages except for stroke patients. Sorry but that isn’t an average hospital policy.

I’m not sure why you are defensive about Maimonodies and any negative comments.