My Trip to University of Louisville Hospital

I decided to forgo the small town hospitals and seek medical attention in the "big" city since no one was willing to help me in my county and the surrounding ones as well.
We loaded up the vehicle and left around 8 am got to U of L by 10:45 where I was checked in and deposited in the waiting room to "wait" my turn. I was number 4 in line. I was called to triage 3 times for vitals, paperwork and then blood drawn. All of this within a mere and ONLY 4 hours.
By this time number one patient had still not been seen so I went to the window to ask how much longer and the nurse wouldn't even guess for me how long it would take and WHILE she was going on about how she wouldn't EVEN guess she informed me she LOST my admittance paper BUT not to worry because they didn't really need it.
Somehow I knew this was true since earlier whilst I was waiting the 20 mins in the triage waiting area for them to draw my blood the poor little lady that was flown in on LIFEFLIGHT was on a gurney in the middle of the room moaning with half her face mashed up had been forgotten! How would I know this you ask? Well while I was sitting there watching her wondering why it took so long for them to draw blood a RN turned from her computer and asked another RN, "Have you checked her in? The reply was a surprised, "OH? NO!" and then they proceeded to take the womans vitals.
Back in the triage waiting area the patients were becoming very impatient and after nearly 5 friggin hours I admit I was ready use my shoe to check some triage colons myself. Once again I went to the window to try to get some answers but again was turned away. Heading back to the waiting area a hospital worker informed me that it would possibly be around 1 am before I was seen and longer if they had more LIFEFLIGHTs coming in or ambulances.
Now mind you, within the 6 hours I was waiting, there were only 2 LIFEFLIGHTS and one ambulance, a total of 3 people they had to treat on top of the mere 6 patients in the waiting room none of which had been seen since 10:45.
By the 6th hour we were packing up our stuff, my limit had been reached. On the wall I noticed a sign that said if you were going to leave BEFORE being SEEN tell the RN. Soo, still capable of mustering up my Miss Manners attitude I ventured to the window once again. 2 nurses (different from the one I had asked about the wait) saw me standing there and scurried around the corner out of sight so I waved the bird at the window, obviously to no one since there was no one there to benefit from it, which in turn irked me even further and send my Miss Manners 'tude on a downward spiral. I called to my family and we left dragging our tired rigor mortis butts behind us.
Once in the parking garage the snow started coming down hard and before we got out of Louisville the roads were covered in snow, traffic was only moving at tops 20 mph. When we hit outside of Lville the sleet decided to visit awhile. Driving was treacherous to say the least and several found themselves in ditches. I didn't think we would make it home alive.
I entertained the thought of taping a Post It Note to my forehead that said, "IN CASE OF EMERGENCY PLEASE LIFEFLIGHT ME TO NORTONS,JEWISH OR EVEN F*KING TACO BELL!
ANYWHERE BUT U OF L!"
Yeah I think I was channeling Dr. Suess a bit there but after the the day I had who could blame me?
Now you are probably asking yourself why on earth would she travel all that way? I was told that if I went to U of L that it didn't matter if you couldn't pay, they had FREE clinics and would help me finally get the surgery I desperately need. Since I have been turned down and turned away by everyone else because I have no health insurance I was willing to go. Apparently pain will drive you to seek help even within the bowels of Hell.
It finally dawned on me once I was home why it's considered FREE,because your butt never gets past the waiting room to rack up a bill!
America...home of the tired, sick and poor...

I use to work at University Hospital, the number one trauma hospital in the state.
It seems to me, things have not changed.
As for freebies, the intake worker sends you to the social service area, where the fine intellectual, highly educated worker will ask you very needed info, such as I need your soc. sec number and a copy of last year's W2's. They will enter this into the system to see how much you made last year, if too much base on size of family, forget it.
I am sure they didnot tell you this info up front,just make you wait a century til their minds suddenly become from brain-dead to functioning.
If you did not work, don't worry, they still can track you down, if you are buying a house or have several car loans, they take this into account,
on account if you can afford this, you should be able to afford your surgery.
As I stated, I use to work there, had many problems, especially with the ER and outpatient services.
Donot bother sending them a letter or even a call inre to your complaint, they will say sorry but things happen.

Beware, just because they say they are great, there not. Mostly, 1st, 2nd or 3rd year residents will wait on you and believe me, they are still in training.
Always, but always look at any itemized bill you receive, they will add on charges, our resident physician use because they are in training. For
example, you may be charged 7 needles, because they could not inject the needle correctly or it took 7 times to do it. This is fraud--medical fraud. Why should anyone pay for someone else's training?

You don't have enough money to afford insurance, but can afford a computer?

takion1 wrote:

YOU WERE NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU HAD NO HEALTH INSURANCE AND THERE WAS NO PROFIT TO BE MADE FROM YOU. ALL YOU REPRESENTED TO THEM WAS A RISK.
BUT REST ASSURED UNLESS YOU LIED ABOUT YOUR ADDRESS THERE WILL CERTAINLY BE A BILL COMING YOUR WAY!
THIS JUST PROVES THAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO HAVE ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE THAT IS NOT PROFIT DRIVEN.

This is not true, as a matter of fact, this type of patient is exactly what they want.

They take in indigent people, bill the state for payment (University Hosp has a contract with the state to pay for all bills on indigent).

People with Ins. is the ones last on the totem pole.
Believe me, we had Ins., two Ins., they sent me home the next day with staples in my head from a 10 inch laceration for a auto wreck. The person in the next bed with a DX of a cough, was there 1 1/2 weeks, she had Medicaid.

When this hosp. bills the state, they are billing tax payers.

Isn't this sad.

If you can pay, less care with more oop money.
If you cannot pay, better care with no oop money.

Wonder why alot of tax payers are sick of paying for young able-body women who can work but refuse to while getting all their health care bills paid with no OOP because they are on welfare.

This is why we are being invaded, esp. from below the southern border and pay billions in free health care to people from another country. Sick, isn't it. Pun intended.

OBVIOUS WROTE:
You don't have enough money to afford insurance, but can afford a computer?

MY COMPUTER COST LESS THAN A MONTHS WORTH OF HEALTHCARE INSURANCE AND DIDN'T HAVE TO PAY THE BILL OVER AND OVER EVERY MONTH TO KEEP IT!

There is so much misinformation in this thread I wouldnt know where to start. Chylloh...What did you do there?

The Uninformed wrote:

There is so much misinformation in this thread I wouldnt know where to start. Chylloh...What did you do there?

Lets say, they group me in with the Admin. dept.
I became ill due to the bullying and harassment because, by accident, I came across many, many things which I should not had. I, like the dope I was, reported these findings and requested corrections and reviews, this is when the harassment begin. Sorry, this is all I can tell you.

Please, no offense, let me explain how our health care and our gov. is treating their paying citizens.

When you have health Ins., they have guidelines called payment by UCR (usual customary rates).
Lets say I went to the doctor and the OV (office visit) is $150. but the Ins. has set payment at $65.----the patient pays their $35. copay, the Ins. pays the remainder $30. and the doctor writes off $85. as a loss.

Plus, the Ins. Co. can dictate how long you can stay in the hospital. With indigent, you can stay along time and still the hospital can bill the state for it.

The patient with Ins. usually has a large OOP such as deduct, co-insurance, non-covered. The patients with Ins. usually are the ones stuck with paying alot in which the Ins. does not covered.

The indigent or medicaid patient, pay nothing because the tax payers pay for it.

Just think, no ins., indigent people donot pay a Ins. premium, no oop, no bills, etc. Isn't this nice.

I thought UofL Hospital was a trauma hospital.

University Hosp is a trauma hospital but it is also an indigent hospital. They have a contract with the state to treat poor people for free. At the end of a fiscal year, they bill the state (tax payers) for services rendered.

This use to be the old General Hospital, where do you think non-paying patients would go to? This is why the state contracturally agree with a profit-making Humana to keep part of the hospital for the indigent.

As for the trauma hospital, this was combine when Humana first bought it......for more revenue.

P.S. this info was in the CJ newspaper today and it confirms what I have commented. (2/14/08)

Chylloh wrote:

Please, no offense, let me explain how our health care and our gov. is treating their paying citizens.
When you have health Ins., they have guidelines called payment by UCR (usual customary rates).
Lets say I went to the doctor and the OV (office visit) is $150. but the Ins. has set payment at $65.----the patient pays their $35. copay, the Ins. pays the remainder $30. and the doctor writes off $85. as a loss.
Plus, the Ins. Co. can dictate how long you can stay in the hospital. With indigent, you can stay along time and still the hospital can bill the state for it.
The patient with Ins. usually has a large OOP such as deduct, co-insurance, non-covered. The patients with Ins. usually are the ones stuck with paying alot in which the Ins. does not covered.
The indigent or medicaid patient, pay nothing because the tax payers pay for it.
Just think, no ins., indigent people donot pay a Ins. premium, no oop, no bills, etc. Isn't this nice.

what is OOP?

OOP = Out of Pocket expense the patient with Insurance has to pay.

It gets more expensive each year. Last year, my husband and I, had to pay $4500.OOP in which we did not have. Still making payments. This is just for two people.

Look at the amt. the doctor has to write off to bad debt.

Insurance companies donot want to pay anything. They used to but have gotten greedy just like most corp. bus. now who have either out source to another country and pay almost no wages or hire illegal aliens at low wages with no benefits.

Chylloh wrote:

OOP = Out of Pocket expense the patient with Insurance has to pay.
It gets more expensive each year. Last year, my husband and I, had to pay $4500.OOP in which we did not have. Still making payments. This is just for two people.
Look at the amt. the doctor has to write off to bad debt.
Insurance companies do not want to pay anything. They used to but have gotten greedy just like most corp. bus. now who have either out source to another country and pay almost no wages or hire illegal aliens at low wages with no benefits.

every dollar not spent on the insured persons care is another dollar diverted to the profit margin and like any other business, ins co's want to make a profit. the problem with ins as i see it is that while premiums continue to rise, coverage is being shrunk to almost nothing and includes more out of pocket expense to the policy holder than ever before. there is too much profit in insurance for the companies now. their profit should be controlled by the govt. as a matter of fact, i believe that general medicine should be universal and that all people should have access to it. of course we're a long way from that.

Chylloh wrote:

University Hosp is a trauma hospital but it is also an indigent hospital. They have a contract with the state to treat poor people for free. At the end of a fiscal year, they bill the state (tax payers) for services rendered.
This use to be the old General Hospital, where do you think non-paying patients would go to? This is why the state contracturally agree with a profit-making Humana to keep part of the hospital for the indigent.
As for the trauma hospital, this was combine when Humana first bought it......for more revenue.

Should have known David Jones was involved.

To Takion, I agree with you completely.

Are you also aware, illegal aliens from any country get their health care free here?

Who do you think is paying for it?

This is why most OB units are closing due to the multi-births via illegal aliens. Even though the hospital IF it has a CONTRACT with the state, gets paid. The OB doctors donot.

They had an article in the CJ not too long ago inre to OB and into other areas of medical.

I live in Shelbyville and we HAD only one OB unit in the hospital, it closed down due to Shelbyville has the highest number of illegal aliens utilizing it and leaving millions in unpaid bills.

This is a domino affect, the hosp., the doctors, the labs, the pharmacy, the paying and insurance patients will need to go to other areas in the state to deliver, this is loss revenue.

Chylloh wrote:

To Takion, I agree with you completely.
Are you also aware, illegal aliens from any country get their health care free here?
Who do you think is paying for it?
This is why most OB units are closing due to the multi-births via illegal aliens. Even though the hospital IF it has a CONTRACT with the state, gets paid. The OB doctors donot.
They had an article in the CJ not too long ago inre to OB and into other areas of medical.
I live in Shelbyville and we HAD only one OB unit in the hospital, it closed down due to Shelbyville has the highest number of illegal aliens utilizing it and leaving millions in unpaid bills.
This is a domino affect, the hosp., the doctors, the labs, the pharmacy, the paying and insurance patients will need to go to other areas in the state to deliver, this is loss revenue.

i believe that illegal aliens getting free healthcare, while so many americans are doing without, to be repugnant! and of course when people run out on paying their bill, prices have to go up, because i'm sure the govt will only allow a percentage of the loss to be claimed.
so the doctors and the hospital bill separately, didn't think about that.
i vaguely remember seeing that story about the illegal aliens healthcare on the news too!
i believe shelbyville probably has a lot of illegals in the area due the lazy farmers who can get a boatload of mexicans for about the cost of 5 americans.
i do believe that you are correct about the domino effect as well.
thanks for the info.

takion1 wrote:

<quoted text> i believe that illegal aliens getting free healthcare, while so many americans are doing without, to be repugnant! and of course when people run out on paying their bill, prices have to go up, because i'm sure the govt will only allow a percentage of the loss to be claimed.
so the doctors and the hospital bill separately, didn't think about that.
i vaguely remember seeing that story about the illegal aliens healthcare on the news too!
i believe shelbyville probably has a lot of illegals in the area due the lazy farmers who can get a boatload of mexicans for about the cost of 5 americans.
i do believe that you are correct about the domino effect as well.
thanks for the info.

Glad you came back to respond to this. also an area you didn't comment on or thought of on the other thread (The domino effect)