Kettering Medical Center

Reviews 3

LO

Lora Williams

Although I have received excellent care from the hospital after surgeries or when hospitalized for otehr reasons, the ED can be hit or miss. I went in late one night by myself, told the check in people that I take Coumadin (a blood thinner) but we had changed some of my other meds (which can sometimes increase the action of the blood thinner), and was having spontaneous bruising all over my body (including the soles of my feet and the palms of my hands... which I showed them), and was having abdominal pain. Clearly, I was having some internal bleeding, yet I sat in the waiting area for 45 minutes while they took back an elderly woman who had a cough and had a less than 1 degree fever that all started the day before, and an entire family who had already been waiting but who all just had the flu. (I was sitting where I could hear everyone as they checked in.) My pain was increasing, and I was starting to get scared that I was in real danger, and I expressed my concern to the woman at the desk that people were NOT being seen based on the seriousness of their illness (surely internal bleeding trumps a cough and a one degree every or the flu?!? Well, apparently not at Kettering!). I was told that it was the triage nurse who determined who went back first, and there really wasnt anything she could do. (How about pointing out to the afrementioned triage nurse, or maybe even a doctor, that you have someone with almost certain internal bleeding waiting in your ED waiting room while you screw around treating people with colds/flu?) They couldnt give me any idea how long it might be, and I was so scared that I was in tears, so I told her that I couldnt continue to just wait without any idea how long it would be and would need to leave and go to another ER. She just said "ok"! When I got to the Sycamore emergency room, I gave them the same information that I gave at Kettering (albeit through tears of pain and frustration), showed them the same large spontaneous bruises, and told them that the pain had gotten worse during the hour and a half that passed between the time I arrived at the Kettering ER and when I arrived there. THEY took me right back, drew blood right away and put a rush on it. They also gave me something for pain and for the anxiety. It turned out that my INR (blood clotting time, basically) was so high that the machine couldnt even calculate it! I was admitted immediately and given both whole blood and fresh frozen plasma to reverse this very dangerous condition. The doctor there said it was a really good thing that I did not get in an accident driving from Kettering ED to Sycamore because I very well might have bled to death if it was anything more than a fender bender!) When I was released from Sycamore several days later, I called the Patient Relations department at Kettering to explain how appalled and angry I was at what had happened in the emergency room (and to point out that they would have been sued if I had died while NOT getting treatment at their ED) since I was keeping my mom informed about what was happening and the patients they were taking back while I continued to sit. The Patient Relations woman said she would look at the records (just the check-in notes, of course) and talk with the ER staff who were working that night and call me back. Basically, I got blown off. NO action taken. NO apology. Other times I have had good care from the Kettering Emergency folks, but I will always think twice about going there after this incident, especially since now Miami Valley South hospital is much closer to home. (With them, though, if it is serious, you will likely be transferred to the main hospital downtown, which is a pain if you live south of town.)

JA

Jan S

Kettering Medical Center Emergency Room (ED) is dangerous. Our family member was taken to Kettering Medical ED instead of a closer hospital we requested due to a "trauma" from a fall. We are not sure what the purpose of transporting him quite a distance from our home accomplished since he was parked in an exam room and deemed non-emergent upon arrival. He had multiple fractures including a skull fracture. The skull fracture was missed by the radiologist and his admission focused on his fractures, not the bleeding from his ear! A sling was slapped on his arm for a scapula fracture and he was parked on the trauma floor to “heal”. All of his care given did not result in one bit of improvement with his condition. The bleeding from the ear and displaced jaw were not addressed. He laid on the trauma floor nauseated and in pain. Because his skull fracture was missed he was discharged with inadequate discharge instructions - unable to walk safely (blood in middle ear causing severe nausea and vertigo) or eat. He needed to be readmitted several days later after a follow-up provider read KETTERINGS CT scan and informed us of the skull fracture. We continually laugh at the fact that people living during earlier times on the prairie who lacked todays "resources" probably healed as well as our loved one did. They however were not insulted by two large hospital bills for poor service. The ED physicians were nonexistent, never saw one, REALLY! I couldn’t tell you if they were nice, rude, cute, angry, incompetent or needed a shower. Apparently there was a doctor who did a quick check on our family member when he first arrived by squad but that I guess was sufficient to send a bill. Our family member was not alert enough and has no recollection of who he saw and what was done. We saw several nurses come in and out of the room but nobody told us who they were, took responsibility or ownership over the patient, or appeared to have any concern for the patient’s wellbeing. We complained to Kettering about the incredibly poor quality of care and 30 days later they replied that basically they did nothing wrong. It was not wrong to miss a skull fracture on the first admission (even when outside providers could see the fracture) since it was caught several days later on readmission - when we told them - with another CT scan (more radiation and cost). They never addressed why issues were ignored during admission or why he was discharged in poor condition without proper instructions for patients with head injuries. They did apologized for the ED doctor who was unable to make it back to our room to speak with us and shared Kettering ED nurses work on a “team style” basis. What does that mean? Team style like a relay race? How quick can the nurse give a medication and tag the next nurse to run to another room and take vitals and tag the next nurse to empty a bedpan? This is a great concept for remaining unaccountable and unavailable to the patient. We would strongly recommend avoiding Kettering Medical Center Emergency Room at all costs.

CA

Carlos Scarpero

I recently went to Kettering Hospital ER with a thyroid condition. I had a treatment called radioactive iodine a week before and I knew that I was having some majorly horrible side effects. I was concerned that my blood pressure was too high and my thyroid levels were out of control. In other words, I wanted and needed some help from a competent hospital. I was feeling lightheaded, incoherent, and a little out of my element. Extreme hypothyroid during thyroid cancer and TIA (mini stroke) have very similar outside symptoms. So, I log into the ER. They want to check me out for stroke. Ok, thats cool. Can you count to 10? How many fingers do you see? Hey, I pass. Im ok. Now, can you do something about my thyroid please? No, lets go do more tests and go down this stroke rabbit hole. You have to stay overnight and get the MRI, the ultrasound and this other thing. Jeeez louise, Im safe now. Can you help me fix my thyroid now??? Not that difficult people. I ask to see an Endocrinologist (someone who specializes in thyroid conditions) to help me. None is ordered. Really?? So you order all this stuff thats going down some stroke rabbit hole. Ive already told you that its my thyroid causing this pain. Its pretty obvious how you can help me feel better. Let me see an expert on my thyroid and alleviate my pain so I can go to bed. Not that difficult people!!! Can I at least have some food and water? That makes me feel better. They tell me, "No, you cant have any food and water per stroke protocol" Give it a rest already. Its my thyroid. Alleviate my pain please!!! Well, can you at least tell me my thyroid blood levels. You did the blood work. Well, your TSH is over 100. Well, thats not good. Can I at least see the lab work? No, we cant give it to you. Why not??? We just cant per HIPPA rules. But, its my lab report. If I want to see it, then give me my report. Not that difficult people!!! And can you do a minimum amount of research??? Ive had all my cancer treatments done here at Kettering Hospital. Why do you need to ask me the same questions over and over and over. Look it up. Its 2012. Computerize and coordinate some stuff here. Not that difficult. If its a HIPPA thing, you have my permission. Let me give you a waiver. Geez Louise! So, I stay overnight, run up a big bill for stuff I didnt need only to have the doc tell me the next morning that its my thyroid. No kidding. Thanks for nothing.