I live in a small rural town. We have the only hospital in the county and it is just barely a hospital. The ER is not certified for significant trauma and stabilizes then transfers patients.philip964 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 16, 2022 12:35 pm I hope it is not the case.
I am only here now because of the healthcare system that existed 15 years ago.
My recent experience with hospital emergency rooms has not been favorable, compared with 15 years ago.
I recently have gone to a Doc in the Box urgent care facility and those visits have been very acceptable.
In 2010, I thought I was having a heart attack and went to my local ER. They stabilized me, did enough tests to say it was not a heart attack but a case of pneumonia, and transferred me to a hospital in Austin for further treatment. I was satisfied with my care though not terribly impressed either way.
In November last year, my wife was having trouble catching her breath so I took her to the same local ER. They were smarter than me and recognized that she was having a heart attack. They called in extra help and started working on her. After she was stabilized she got her first helicopter ride in her life taking her to Austin. A couple days in ICU and the hospital was able to identify the problem that she needed a triple bypass. They could not operate that time due to a skin rash from shingles. She came home for a few weeks and was scheduled for the operation. At my request, they rescheduled the operation to December 30 to help save me insurance money (I had already paid the limit on the deductible).
I am a firm believer that she is only here now because of the current ER staff. The two biggest problems we had were getting her from Luling to Austin (the local EMS did not have enough oxygen for the trip and the chopper could not fly at first due to fog) and getting her into rehabilitation after the operation (pre-approval required from insurance). My medical care is as good as anything I have had since I left the Army in 83. The insurance is another story, and not a happy one.