Hospitals in Area - Suggestions Please

[beachwanabe]

After 2 weeks of cool rainy weather, this past week started out great. My wife and I had our afternoon planned on Wednesday, Goatfeathers for lunch, walk the beach a little, get her prescription filled at Santa Rosa Pharmacy, enjoy an ice cream at Miss Lucille's Gossip Parlor.

My wife got a praline ice cream cone with walnuts, the server was extra generous on the scoop. Near the end of eating it, my wife starts choking, a walnut went down the wrong way. She was ok in a couple of minutes, but we knew it was bad as she started wheezing right away. She wanted to go back to our cottage, see if it would come out on it's own.

Thursdsay morning her chest was still hurting, wheezing bad, so we decided to go to Sacred Heart on 98, she made sure she didn't eat anything knowing she would need it removed since it was near or almost in her lung.

After 2 1/2 hours and an xray, we were told a Pulmonary doctor was called and would be down to see her. After 3 hours we were told there was only one Pulmonary doctor on staff, he had just left for vacation. So we needed to go to Sacred Heart in Pensacola to have it removed.

At that point we had to make a choice drive 60 miles on 98 or start over somewhere else, I chose not to put my wife through waiting at another ER. The drive to Pensacola sucked, but in the end all went well so we were very happy. A Dr. Bray, super person, in Endoscopy put her under had it removed quickly, an hour in recovery, we were done. The staff at both Sacred Heart Hopitals were wonderful.

I talked to Administration here at Sacred Heart on Friday morning asking them to please put a procedure in place that the ER knows up front that an important staff member isn't available, they should have told us that up front. Since we are staying at Camp Creek, it was around a 160 mile round trip.

Now for the reason of my LONG post, any suggestions on other hopitals, I know Bay County has one, we stayed at the west end of 30A the last two winters, so that is why I picked Sacred Heart. Not saying I wouldn't go back there, will call first to see if the doctors are in... :floor:

[Beach Runner]

This relates to why we have pretty much decided not to retire in SoWal. I don't want to die because of limited medical personnel and facilities. I think we'll probably retire in Atlanta -- all of my doctors are there. We've also considered Gainesville, FL (great medical facilities at UF and we could go to all of the Gator games). Next choice would be in the Jacksonville area near the beach because Mayo Clinic is there.

Dunno. We've got many years to decide, but time flies.

Sorry your wife had to go through this, but glad she's okay. What a freak accident and inconvenience to occur while you're vacationing!

[beachmouse]

If you need a significant medical procedure, and you've got the time for the drive, it's worth it to drive to Pensacola to go to either Sacred Heart or Baptist. Those two plaaces are just head and shoulders over any other hospitals in the Panhandle, IMO.

Bay Medical and Ft. Walton Beach MC are adequate enough, but why settle for adequate enough when it comes to health?

[Tootsie]

I think we're so lucky to be getting medical facilities in sowal. and Sacred Heart will expand its services and staff. I know that in critical situations they airlift patients to Pensacola when needed.

There are also larger hospitals in Fort Walton Beach and Panama City. We've had good experiences in these as well.

After my ankle surgery at Mayo in Jacksonville, I know that's the place to be for anything really major. and will gladly make the trip from sowal if needed in the years to come. but I wouldn't live there - well, I would love to live in Fernandina Beach. But, I think we'll stay right here...

[beachwanabe]

Thanks for the input, I will be on mapquest later to make sure I have all bases covered for my future visits.

Grandkids coming along for next vist to Seacrest, so even more reason to be prepared.

Sunset was great tonight, best since we arrived here Jan 20th. Water was totally calm, there was an afterglow on the water and redish clouds till 6:00pm. This place is heaven to me.

[goodwitch58]

We have really good EMS in So Walton. In an emergency don't hestitate to call 911. My experience (limited TGoodness) with Sacred Heart here has been outstanding...one emergency, two minor procedures.

[Cap'nCrazy]

BWB,

So glad it worked out.

Thanks for following up with Sacred Heart locally to express yourself and suggest better asset awareness. Given our population, and the fact that our area's expansion is recent, we are fortunate to have the level of service currently available. I hope you'll continue to come to SOWAL and feel safe and sound. I do. :D

[ckhagen]

I have done significant research into the average billing amounts for all of our Panhandle hospitals...

If Sacred Heart EC can't help you and you're not going to die before you can get to Pensacola... Go to Sacred Heart in Pensacola!!! Or Baptist, but SH first.

SH is a non-profit system and their charges on average, are three times less than FWBMC.

I specifically have most of my knowledge in the labor and delivery units where a c-section with 2.3 day stay n FWBMC will cost you almost $21,000. At SH in Pensacola, the same treatment, with an average 3.8 day stay only comes in at a little over $7500! How insane is that??? All of their billings follow that trend :(

Especially for the un-insured, stick with SH.

[Ocean Lover]

I have done significant research into the average billing amounts for all of our Panhandle hospitals...

If Sacred Heart EC can't help you and you're not going to die before you can get to Pensacola... Go to Sacred Heart in Pensacola!!! Or Baptist, but SH first.

SH is a non-profit system and their charges on average, are three times less than FWBMC.

I specifically have most of my knowledge in the labor and delivery units where a c-section with 2.3 day stay n FWBMC will cost you almost $21,000. At SH in Pensacola, the same treatment, with an average 3.8 day stay only comes in at a little over $7500! How insane is that??? All of their billings follow that trend :(

Especially for the un-insured, stick with SH.


:eek:

[beachmouse]

Columbia HCA has an effective monopoly in Okaloosa County, since they own both FWBMC and Twin Cities Hospital. (North Okaloosa is too much of a hike for south county residents) I've heard that the Ft. Walton Beach metro area has the most expensive hospitalization charges in the Southeast, presumably because of that.

And also presumably because of that, it's darn hard for employers to get reasonably-priced good but not luxury-level group health insurance for their employees. There are several large health insurance groups that effectively no longer write policies in the county because of the prices Columbia HCA charges compared to other hospitals in the state.

[Here4Good]

I am really sorry to hear about your experience at SHEC - I have had (unfortunately) a lot of experience with the hospital and the doctors in the group there, and it has all been very positive. I think my parents got better care here than they did in Central Illinois, where they moved from, and I have found the doctors, on the whole, to be excellent. The staff there was always attentive and caring - if I had to bet, I would bet that this snafu is the fault of the doctor, not the SHEC staff.

[beachwanabe]

I am really sorry to hear about your experience at SHEC - I have had (unfortunately) a lot of experience with the hospital and the doctors in the group there, and it has all been very positive. I think my parents got better care here than they did in Central Illinois, where they moved from, and I have found the doctors, on the whole, to be excellent. The staff there was always attentive and caring - if I had to bet, I would bet that this snafu is the fault of the doctor, not the SHEC staff.
Yea, I hope it was clear in my original message that staff at both SH's was great. If we would have gone anywhere else, up front we would have spent 2 to 3 hours in ER. Whole thing was simply a breakdown in communications with having only 1 doc in pulmonary.

Since talking to administration truely would feel comfortable going back to SH here, since it is a link to the main center in Pensacola, I'm sure it will only grow. I just want alternatives depending on what part of beach I am staying. That said, since 1986 have never stayed east of Pinnnacle Port/Carillon.

Have a great day everybody, sun is out, beach waiting for me, I have only this week left here.

[sunshine]

The children's wing at Sacred Heart Pensacola is fabulous. My 12 year old son (and I) were there for close to a week before Christmas. I did not have a single negative experience with any of the Doctors, nurses or staff members. Well, I guess the nurse that came in at 5 each morning to draw blood wasn't the highlight of the day :( . Everyone was busy, but always smiling. It absolutely appeared to me that Sacred Heart treats it's employees well. Even the orderlies that drive the wheelchair to X-Ray, or the bed to surgery were calm, smiling and did not bump into walls. (I've seen that more often than not in Memphis when my father has been hospitalized).

I imagine that the Sacred Heart in Sandestin is just as good for adults, and when they open the women's and children's wing next year, it should be great for specialized women's and for children's care. Our experience with the closer Sacred Heart has been with the lab, and they are always good and professional.

[ckhagen]

My sisters spent 2 weeks each in PICU in SH Pensacola 3 years ago. I would say it was a pretty good experience. Nothing too out of the ordinary. My dad did have to go through the bills by line item though and found tons of double, triple, and never performed charges. They weren't insured so that was a big deal. The care was very good though.