This is the story of the medical treatment I received this summer....Read this and decide what you think of Sky Ridge Hospital in Lone Tree and the American medical system in general (ER's are notorious for being horrible, but this is the United States of America, so I would expect top medical care)...
_______________________________________________________________
I had all the symptoms of a stomach flu: severe nausea, vomiting, and headaches, but I knew this was not a stomach flu and something much worse. It all started on July 8, 2008 as I dropped my sister to the airport and I experienced these symptoms. At home, I decided I needed to go to the ER and so my father and I rushed to Sky Ridge Hospital.
When Sky Ridge Hospital opened in August 2003, it was the “talk to the town” with ultramodern facilities, top of the line equipment and technology, an amazing kitchen staff, private hospital rooms with views, and top-notch doctors. Sky Ridge even boasted of valet parking. Sky Ridge was fit for a king, or at least an A-list celebrity. What impressed me most were the descriptions of how Sky Ridge cared for their patients and made them feel very comfortable at the hospital.
Sky Ridge’s vision is to “set the standard in the new century for health, healing and comfort.” Their mission is to provide patients, their families and the community with extraordinary healthcare service; to ensure peace of mind through high quality, compassionate treatment; and to deliver care beyond their expectations.”
I was shocked when I arrived at the Sky Ridge ER and dealt with a variety of problems right from the start. The staff was truly incompetent, which was surprising. First, they measured my heart rate, and it was extremely high at 140 beats per minute. A typical heart rate is 80-90 beats per minute. I was asked by a nurse if I was nervous, to which I replied no. The staff did not conduct any further investigation as to why my heart rate was so high. This would have been important in determining a diagnosis to my problem.
In addition, a nurse tried to withdraw blood from my left arm, but to no avail. After leaving the hospital, the traumatic blood draw caused a large scar to remain on my arm for more than two weeks.
The staff finally took me into the back room to wait for a doctor. I waited for approximately 45 minutes before Dr. Eric Bratz came into to see me. After relaying my information and symptoms to him, he stated that someone would come to see me with an I.V. I was severely dehydrated as I was not able to eat or drink anything for several days. After 1 hour, an I.V. was finally brought in. I was given medication called Zofran to control the nausea with the I.V. and left alone for another hour.
The doctors and staff treated me like a second class citizen and they thought that my case was not as important as the other cases. However, my case was extremely important and severe. After three hours, the doctor told me I would be able to go home as I had a “viral infection,” to drink plenty of fluids, and gave me a prescription of Zofran. My doctor did not discuss my blood work with me, no diagnosis came out of the blood work, and no further testing was done.
The next morning, I woke up with the same symptoms that I had encountered the previous day. The doctors at Sky Ridge did not spend enough time with me to come up with a diagnosis. After going to Sky Ridge, I was sick for two weeks with the same symptoms. Even when I took the nausea medication, Zofran , I continued to deal with the same symptoms .
After going to my local doctor who noticed that my heart rate was extremely high, I was sent to Littleton Hospital. The high heart rate was serious and was causing my body to work harder. As one doctor put it, “it’s as though you are running a 10 mile marathon, while sitting down.” After testing, it was determined that I suffered from a serious condition known as hyperthyroidism and a simple medication was given to me which solved all my problems.
After a one month ordeal, I would have to disagree with Sky Ridge mission statement and vision. They did not care for me in the same way that I would have expected. They did not keep me overnight for observation nor look into why my heart rate was so high. Sky Ridge failed to provide me with the proper medical service that I would expect from a top-notch hospital.
Finally, to top off this horrible ordeal, Sky Ridge stuck me with a $150 bill. My insurance paid Sky Ridge over $1,500. I talked to the Director of the ER, Chris Duran, as well as the patient advocate, and they stated that a Sky Ridge doctor had reviewed my case, but unfortunately, the doctor sided with the ER doctors and staff. Of course, the doctor was not neutral and thought that the ER did the right thing. After going to this nightmare I completely disagree with this doctor.
Finally, I was supposed to leave for Japan, but due to my complications and being left undiagnosed and untreated at Sky Ridge, I was not able to go with my group. Luckily I left for Japan in mid-August, but it was touch and go for awhile (I did not know if I would be able to go to Japan...it was one of the scariest times of my life)!
In the future, if you are thinking of going to an ER or hospital, please reconsider and do not choose Sky Ridge. Every patient is important and deserves the best care at a hospital. Sky Ridge cannot provide the best care and service to their patients. Doctors are supposed to diagnose any and all problems, but if Sky Ridge cannot, then no patient is safe.
Will I pay the $150. Sure, but I won’t be happy about it, especially because Sky Ridge, did not deliver.
