CEDARS-SINAI IS A LOUSY HOSPITAL!

By David J. Stewart, surgical victim as an abused patient at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, California

There are some really lousy hospitals in America. Unless you've been a victim of hospital abuse, you can't even imagine what kind of abuse goes on in medical centers.

If you have pneumonia, they'll just reduce your water intake and dehydrate you to death. They turn the air-conditioning way low and then don't bring you a blanket, and so you freeze. This is a common problem in hospitals. They keep hospitals extra cold to reduce infections; but often fail to properly warm patients who freeze. If you have a loved one in the hospital, make sure they are properly warned.

It is standard practice that if you refuse to sign a financial commitment in the Emergency Room, they won't treat you. They are breaking the law. The problem is that even if you have insurance, they'll make you sign a financial commitment form. They'll send you the bill and sometimes your insurance won't pay it, because it wasn't preauthorized. That's one way they cheat you. Sad to say, hospitals would rather you die on the street than treat you if you have no money. Although this may seem understandable, a hospital has certain obligations to society when they open their doors. They aren't legally supposed to turn anyone away.

I don't even like to mention this place, but I feel better getting it off my chest and warning others why they shouldn't go to this hospital. I have thought much whether or not I should say anything, but it needs to be said. Ask Cedars if they have the lowest downtime after surgery. That will prove my point. They told me they had the lowest hospital stay after surgery in the country back in 2009. I thought that was a good thing, but it wasn't. They did a Mickey-mouse job on my neck and threw me out of the hospital while I was still messed up and things not working after surgery. They figured if they didn't do a bone graft, didn't grind down my bone spurs in my neck; then they could minimize their risk and could discharge me sooner... and they did while I was still bleeding from where the catheter was removed, I had stabbing pain in my chest sternum, I was dizzy, I had horrible pain across my shoulders and neck in the back, I could barely urinate from the anesthesia affects, and I just didn't feel that I was ready to leave. They didn't care... NEXT!

In July of 2009 I went to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles for ACDF surgery, but they didn't help me. They mixed up the surgery charts before surgery with another patient. He freaked out when I shared his own personal information with him to see if he had my chart. They did ACDF surgery and I'm no better for it. In fact, they did the surgery wrong and I had to have it redone. Some people say Cedars is good, and I'm sure some people are satisfied; but that's certainly not my experience going to them. I am messed up more than before. They abandoned me after surgery.

Before my surgery, Cedar's security guard riffled through my wallet, removing each and every item without my permission, nor did he even bother to tell me what he was doing. He did this while I had about 3 dozens wires attached to me, prepped for surgery. It caused me distress going into surgery, feeling like I had just been violated. I felt like I was in a Police State hospital. The guy was a jerk. As far as I'm concerned, Cedars is one of the worst hospitals in the country, because what good is medical expertise if you do a slack job and throw patients out the door to keep your numbers up? All I can say is that I was there. I went though their system from beginning to end. They cut into me. They left me to suffer after my surgery. They didn't care. When I ran out of electrode pads for my neck stimulator (which had been prescribed to me after surgery to promote bone fusion in my neck), they refused to send any more. I tried to buy them online, but couldn't find them. I only wore the unit for 2 months instead of 9, and to no surprise, my neck bones hadn't fused a year later. Only God knows the damage caused by Cedars-Sinai to my neck.

I was readmitted back into the hospital 2 days after my surgery for pain management, but the pain specialist disappeared for the weekend and no one could contact her. I laid in a hospital bed in tears without proper pain meds and they couldn't find a doctor to help me. Everybody says to sue them, but I couldn't get a lawyer to even listen to me in California because the State is so corrupt.

I'm telling you, California is a Sodom and Gomorrah. They've banned home schooling. You MUST have a degree in education from a heathen State university or else you can't homeschool your kids there. In 2011 the State voted to include the history of homosexuals into their school's curriculum. It's a hellhole State... quack doctors, a corrupt Medical Board, adultery, divorce, homosexuality, nudity, false prophets, high taxes, lousy thug police, the State is bankrupt... no thanks!

Cedars boasts of having the shortest hospital stay after surgery, which is why they cold-heartedly threw me out in the street while I was still bleeding from where the catheter was removed (ouch), felt dizzy, had stabbing chest pains, and told them I wasn't ready to leave. They don't want to ruin their numbers. I had blood in my underwear when I got back to the hotel. I bleed for days. I told the pre-op doctor, but he didn't care. I told the nurse, but she didn't care either. They just said I had been checked out and stuck me in a cab, who gunned the gas pedal to get into traffic and my head lunged back. I ended up back in the hospital for x-rays to see if the hardware came loose in my neck. That's what Cedars did to me.

They really mistreated me and abused me in their emergency room, not even 48-hours after my surgery. I still had my IV bandage, hospital tag, and neck brace when I walked into their emergency room. The young people working there were punks. They refused to help me unless I signed a financial form. I told them that the nurse handling my insurance told me to have them call her, but they refused. It's like they were demon-possessed. I couldn't believe it. The head nurse was even yelling at me. One jerk stuck his chest in my face and ordered me into a side room. I called the pre-op surgery doctor at home and he asked to talk to the head nurse. She was a total witch and refused to talk with my doctor or anybody else. I saw the Devil at work that night in Cedar-Sinai Hospital.

I saw a bunch of wicked Hollywood brats whose parents had spoiled them rotten. I left in pain, tears, and grief because they wouldn't help me. I was almost twice the age of most of them, old enough to be their father. There were about 7 of them. I went to the hospital ER because my neck pain was unbearable. One woman from a volunteer group saw what happened and came up to me almost in tears as I was about to enter a cab, asking if she could help. She didn't work for the hospital. I thanked her, but told her I would rather die than go back into that insane asylum. I'll tell you what, California is a wicked, wicked place! That's why their divorce rate is now 75.54%.

They also did a poor job on my neck, failing to grind down the bone spur, using an artificial z-tech implant to avoid a hip bone graft. They figured that by avoiding a hip graft, they could discharge me sooner (gotta keep those statistic up). Cedars is so insane about maintaining their reputation for the shortest hospital stay after surgery, that they'll do the bare minimum and discharge patients that need to be in the hospital longer. It's a rotten way to run a hospital. Cedar's reputation means much more to them than their patients. They act like they care, sending paid volunteers to patient's rooms to sing; but that's just something else they can boast about while they mistreat patients. You can read online about other patients who have had problems at Cedars too, but the Medical Board looks the other way. When the truth be told, Cedars didn't do my surgery right and they heartlessly put me out of the hospital after surgery when I desperately needed to stay in the hospital until my symptoms cleared. They didn't care.

It is my opinion that the Medical regulatory agencies protect bad doctors and hospitals in California. I filed a complaint and after 3-months the Medical Board did absolutely nothing; then they sent me a letter asking me if I really wanted to file a complaint. I gave up in frustration, which is what they wanted. They are evil people. This is why you CANNOT trust a surgeon who has no complaints against him. It's almost impossible to complain about a doctor, because the Medical Board won't go after a prestigious place like Cedars (which is in the Hollywood area and is Jewish owned). They suppress the truth about bad doctors and irresponsible hospitals. Cedars is Jewish owned and no doubt donates lots of money to the right places. I regret ever going there, but they couldn't care less, which is what they're best at. Their customer service even refused to have a person contact me to apologize.

One nurse said the manager of the Emergency Room would contact me, but she refused and I never heard from anybody. I complained again, but they told me off when I called customer service back. I gave up trying to deal with them. Nobody cared. Talk about arrogant jerks. No one should have to be abused, abandoned after surgery, and humiliated the way I was at Cedars-Sinai. I want people to know what happened, because it shouldn't have happened; but they want to keep their statistics looking good. That's what upsets me the most. The put their image over the well-being of patients. It's not just a matter of what they did to me, it's the fact that they did a slop job on my surgery and put me out of the hospital when I was alone and in need of medical care. Consider yourself warned. Anytime a hospital boasts of having the LOWEST HOSPITAL STAY after surgery, you know they're going to throw you out.

The Dallas veterans hospital is so dirty, dangerous and poorly managed, federal investigators have found, that it ranks as the worst such medical center in the country.

An inspector general's report for the Department of Veterans Affairs said the scores for the North Texas Health Care System place it last among all veterans facilities. The report assessed 80 percent of the system's performance indicators below the "fully satisfactory" level.

The flagship of the North Texas system is the Dallas VA Medical Center. Investigators there found that "most patient rooms and bathrooms we inspected were unclean." Also, floors and walls "had buildups of grime," and some stretchers displayed "dried residue suggestive of body fluids."

Those in charge "did not maintain a consistently clean and safe environment," the report said. And investigators found no evidence of a plan for better management.

The deadline for the system's formal written response to the inspector general is Wednesday. Hospital officials said they already have eliminated most of the problems identified in the report, which was released late last year.

"Frankly, that's the job of the I.G.," Dr. Robert Cronin, the system's chief of staff, said of the report. "They don't come and give you a pat on the back and say you're doing a great job.

"We got the message. We're working hard to correct those things. ... We've added a number of people to help us get the job done."

Alan G. Harper, who had been director of the VA's North Texas system for 14 years, left that position several weeks ago. Allen Clark, public affairs officer, said no conclusions should be drawn from the timing of the inspector general's report and Mr. Harper's departure.

The Dallas hospital complex covers 84 acres near Lancaster Road and Loop 12 in Oak Cliff. It is the center of a system that serves 38 counties in Texas and two in Oklahoma. Last year, the hospital had more than 13,000 admissions and almost 626,000 outpatient visits.

The system also operates an outpatient clinic in Fort Worth and a small hospital in Bonham.

Patient assessments

Gary Gingrow, who has undergone spinal surgery, is working to regain his ability to walk at a physical therapy lab at the Dallas veterans hospital.

"It's the worst VA I've been in," said Joe Hillyard of Waxahachie. The 48-year-old Army veteran said he has been treated at five veterans hospitals for post-traumatic stress disorder.

He complained of long waits to see a doctor and delays in the filling of prescriptions at the Dallas medical center. "I was here at eight o'clock yesterday morning," he said. "I didn't get out of here until six o'clock in the evening."

But 80-year-old Jim Neatherlin of Paris, Texas, a patient since 1980, praised the hospital and its staff. "They always treated me real nice," he said.

And cancer patient Louis Powell, a 76-year-old Army veteran from Hurst, said he has high regard for the medical center. "They treat you real good, no problem," he said.

The inspector general's report, however, cited a variety of shortcomings. Among them:

•There were unspecified deficiencies in a number of "high-risk processes," including medication management, restraint use, invasive procedures, resuscitation and mortality review.

•The system administration's quality management program "was not planned, systematic or coordinated." Managers did not "collect, trend or analyze mortality data."

•No one in management analyzed complaints collected by the hospital's patient advocate.

•"Not all patient injuries were recorded, and nurse managers did not receive reports relating to medication errors or falls."

•"Floors and walls had buildups of grime and the rooms had foul odors, suggesting they had not been thoroughly cleaned over a significant period."

•Exposed electrical connections, such as uncovered heater switches, were found in patient bathrooms. Patients' refrigerators needed cleaning.

•In one unit, "the medication refrigerator temperature was consistently below the required range, possibly altering the effectiveness of the medications."

•Several crash carts – portable cabinets containing life-saving equipment to use in case of cardiac arrest – "were in disrepair and required tape to keep the doors closed."

•"An IV pole, soiled linen, a mop pail of dirty water, an oxygen tank and a biohazard can were inappropriately stored in the radiology dressing area. Radiology equipment was covered with thick dust."

•"We concluded there was no evidence of a planned, collaborative effort to improve organizational performance."

Dr. Cronin, the chief of staff, said inspectors "found more than we might have expected" but said improvements are under way.

"Frankly, we didn't pay enough attention to them," he said of the problems. "But we are now."

In 2013 I was in Hilo, Hawaii and needed a refill on my pain medications. I called the Hilo Medical Center weeks in advance to make an appointment. I had all my medical records, MRI's, X-rays, and contact information for my regular licensed doctor. When I arrived, the doctor was a coward and wouldn't even meet with me, to tell me to my face that he refused to help me. He sent some jerk male nurse instead. They treated me like a drug addict. I had called weeks ahead of time to the Hilo Medical Center, notifying the hospital that I was coming. I called to ask if I should make an appointment, because I needed medication refill. They were rotten people at Hilo Medical Center when I needed their medical help. They abused me and refused to help me, paranoid about pain medications. As mentioned, I had all my medical records, doctor's contact information, and necessary documentation; but they refused to help me. THEY WERE JERKS! The security were thugs. The female witch behind the billing counter was uncooperative, rude and had a very negative attitude. What uncaring people! Hawaii truly has a dark side when it comes to the Hilo Medical Center. They were rude, inconsiderate and ungodly!

The problem is our insane paranoid drug culture in America. We live in a very hypocritical society in the United States, where pain sufferers who desperately need opiate pain medications are treated as criminals, but booze drinkers who are perfectly healthy can consume all the alcohol they want legally. Most medical staff in hospitals and medical offices have never suffered real pain, nor have they ever been prescribed opiate medications (for more than perhaps a once a year toothache); therefore, they are woefully IGNORANT, absolutely paranoid about opiate drugs, and they freak out and treat the patient like a criminal drug abuser! I've had it happen to me multiple times. I am not a drug abuser. I don't look like a drug abuser. I drove a rent car to the hospital. I had all my prescription bottles from the month before. So what was the problem? They were paranoid idiots!

In summary, in 2013 I was mistreated, abused and treated like a druggy criminal at the Hilo Medical Center in Hilo, Hawaii. THEY DIDN'T CARE!!! The doctor wasn't even professional enough to see me for the appointment, so he sent his lame male nurse instead. The male nurse was rude, insulting and incompetent. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I wouldn't send my dog to Hilo Medical Center. In my opinion they are a very bad hospital, and something needs to be done about their arrogance, lack of accountability and abuse of patients (at least that was my experience at the hands of their lack of compassion, mercy or humanity). I have a right to my opinion. I believe in word of mouth. When I needed their help, they cast me aside. I'm glad that God judges all men for their actions (Ecclesiastes 12:14), words (Matthew 12:36) and thoughts (Proverbs 24:12). When you mistreat someone, it is recorded in Heaven for judgment day (Revelation 20:12-15; Matthew 12:36; Proverbs 24:12). When Jesus came to the Hilo Medical Center in pain, they refused to help Him...

Matthew 25:40, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”