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Because of a recent stay in the hospital and because my bro-in-law is currently in the hospital, it occurred to me that sometimes it is a bad idea to leave the hospital shopping until it’s needed. Frankly, it should be done when a person is in their right mind, making sure that things are as needed when needed and, of course, that your doctor goes there if he or she is the one that you need to see for the particular affliction. If they are not needed, then another hospital might be something to seek out.
Why am I saying this? Because of a recent awakening to what hospitals are willing to put you through. For instance, a private room…no matter what anyone says…is the best way to go. You get the control of the television and if you are a tv buff, you will want that. In our experience, the other guy always gets the control and you get to watch things you never intended to watch.
In addition to that, you might want to check out what the rooms look like before committing to being there. When my husband went in for a heart cath and a stent put in a couple of weeks ago, he was supposed to lie still for a total of almost 10 hours. Obviously, it would be better if he could have something to do during that time period. They put him in a room that was constructed by a complete moron. He was put by the window. The other guy had control of the television which was mostly on his side of the curtain. The bathroom was way over on his side too. In fact, except for the equipment that was specifically for that bed, nothing was accessible on that side of the room. The truly horrifying part is that this particular wing was just built last year. It’s brand new. With no bathroom on the one side. You have to go completely into the other guy’s room to get to the bathroom. How stupid is that?
We were finally able to bed them to put him in a single room so that I could stay with him. We live quite a few miles from the hospital and it would be a hardship to drive back and to the hospital again. In the other room, I couldn’t really have stayed with him. It was a nightmare.
The next week, he had chest pains. Since he had just had that procedure done, it was necessary to go back to that hospital again. The pain was from a muscle but we did not know that at the time. Guess where they put him? Back in the same double room. ACK!!! And his doctor deemed it medically unnecessary for him to have a single room. We got one anyway but it cost us out of pocket to do that. Insurance will not pay anything the doctor does not authorize.
Another thing to watch for is simple patient care. In that hospital, they come in at all hours of the night, snap on a bright light even if you are asleep, take tests and stats. That snapping on of a bright light sometimes can scare a person who is fully asleep. And that has to be a major stress thing especially for a heart patient. They sometimes talk so loudly you would think that it was the middle of the day instead of the middle of the night. In comparison, my bil is at another hospital where they respect the patient by using flashlights and not taking any tests or stats that are not completely necessary. The rooms are all private too. There was no question about that.
Yes, it is very important to check the hospital out that you are intending to trust with your life or the lives of your loved ones. And the truth is that I never really thought about shopping for hospitals before but it is a smart thing to do, don’t you agree?
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