Hoag Hospital - Irvine — Attraction in Irvine

Hoag touts themselves as being "industry leading", and if that's true, then the industry needs a complete renovation. Let's see if anyone from Hoag even puts eyes on this and cares. Here's why I'm ranting into the void: about a month ago I came into Hoag's ER due to some alarming symptoms happening with an injury. This was the 2nd ER I went to, hoping to get better help than a previous one that completely missed that I had a severe fracture. My doctor (PCP) said that it's serious enough to go to the ER b/c I shouldn't wait to get an appointment scheduled with an Orthopedic Surgeon due to the potential risks. Anyways, yada yada yada, they (Hoag) gave me an MRI eventually (after giving me a ton of hardship and claiming MRI's were for "very serious patients"). I guess since I wasn't bleeding out of my eyeballs yet, they didn't take me as seriously...and believe me, the attitudes of the techs, the nurses, and the PA (Grace) was certainly dismissive and kind of condescending. Again, they failed to diagnose the real issue, that again was very serious due to potential blood circulation affecting the rest of my body, bone rot, and even the hip joint breaking off from the socket (per the Ortho Surgeon I finally got to see at a separate appointment in a separate clinic). Anyways, all this has been a horror story, but the worst of it all is the billing of Hoag. If this is how the medical industry is and we're supposed to accept it wholesale, why? If a Medical doctor can operate on you under the hospital's roof (Hoag Irvine in this case), on their tables, yet Hoag claims no responsibility because they have that particular doctor bill the patient separately from Hoag, how is this appropriate? How can they claim that a doctor is fit to operate on someone under their roof and prescribe medicine sitting in their chairs yet claim zero responsibility for what happens? Billing the patient is a matter of internal affairs; it should not be the patient's concern or responsibility to track down those separate dispersed bills. So now, I just spoke with Hoag's "customer service" and they had to call that separate entity that's doing the billing for the doctor that operated under Hoag's umbrella. Now, why would they call them if they didn't have association? Well, the person that answered on behalf of the doctor's separate billing said they can only issue paper bills. I told them I have the money and I'm willing and ready to pay that doctor separately, but I just need TO SEE the bill. They said they sent it, but how can we know? There's no digital footprint? I don't have a copy of the bill. The person said they would send another paper bill in about a week or two. What happens if I move? What happens if there's a fire, or the wind blows, or if someone mistakes it as trash? I suppose I'll keep calling and have them keep sending paper bills. Why can't they send a paper bill AND an email with an online portal access? Do they want to get paid? Let me guess, they probably feel it's within their right to send it to collections thinking I'm absconding on my bill. But you, dear people, are my witnesses that I'm able (at least purportedly) and willing to pay the bill, but I'm not afforded the opportunity. How can they not know what they will all charge and just give patients ONE bill? Or, at the very least, 10 bills all coming from the same place? I pray that you will not have to go to the Emergency Room, and if you do, I hope change can happen beforehand. This is me calling out their broken system that puts fake smiles as if they're really caring and trying. I don't know what the solution is unless we all do something about it. Smells like...

They hate you here if you’re not white and or rich… since you guys want to delete my reviews…. I will not stop posting it so there know to be carful I had a car accident early February…I was two weeks away from my delivery date so I went in due to cramping The doctor was extremely rude asked me why am I here since Hoag is not my primary … I was already scared for my babies life and mine, and she was not helping at all. they checked the Baby sent me home since everything seemed fine babe was just breached… about 2 to 3 days later I started having contractions. My primary doctor is about 25 to 30 minutes away. call it mothers intuition, but all I knew was my baby was coming so I did the only logical thing to do and drive five minutes up the road to urgent care little did I know I was going to be greeted by the same doctor with the same attitude as I was contracting and be taken to the back rooms she was asking me again. What are you doing here we are not your doctors, why didn’t you go to you dr?” but last time I checked the door says urgent care or/and emergency I could be totally wrong, but this seemed like an emergency to me checked around 6am I was checked by the nurses Nobody cared To bring up my file from 3 days earlier, so I needed to remind them that my baby was breached 3 days ago… Nurses checked confirmed Baby was still breached. Nobody had checked my cervix. while nurses were checking me the same doctor from my first visit said “ she needs to wait I have another patient in the operating room” luckily, they were doing shift changes she went in and did her c-section the new doctor came in around 6:30 to check on me and my cervix was finally checked because she witnessed how much in pain I was, and said you have to be dilated at a high number I’m sure enough I was dilated I believe it was 8cm or 9cm Keep in mind my baby was breached. The first doctor made me wait thanks Jesus that everything went well and that second doctor was Quick on her feet didn’t skip a beat. I had to be completely sedated. I was put to sleep, putting me and my baby in danger… living in Irvine for the past three years, i’ve experienced discrimination from people police officers etc. but to receive it from a doctor in urgent care while you’re In active labor with your breached baby is absolutely disgusting… not all the doctors or nurses had the same behavior as her, but if it was done to me, it was definitely done to other people …I have to look at my medical records, so I’ll be back with an edited with the doctors names If I could give this place 0...

DO NOT GO TO THIS HOSPITAL. I am still being hounded for bills for an issue I experienced in August. On August 24th very early in the morning I had to go to the emergency room for a kidney infection. I was in SEVERE pain. After being seen by Dr. Niknafs, she told me to take Advil or over the counter pain medication for a KIDNEY infection when I could barely keep any food in my stomach. I come from a family where most of my relatives are doctors, and I know that this is a dangerous combination. She refused to give me any pain medication and I had to come back less than 24 hours later to be treated for SEVERE PAIN from my kidney infection. I had a fever - from the kidney infection and a few nurses refused to treat me because they were worried I had COVID, which I did not (again fever from the pain from my kidney infection). Dr. Reed spent 5 minutes with me and told me my symptoms didn't make sense so I must have COVID. I went the following day to get a rapid test which proved I did not have Covid-19 (which was a $120 test). After going back and forth with my insurance I am STILL dealing with the medical bills from this issue. I was NOT told that Dr. Niknafs and Dr. Reed were independent contractors and I was NOT informed that my insurance did not cover their "care". I live at home, I don't make that much money, and I am being asked to be paid an amount that I cannot afford on a limited again - again for an issue from AUGUST 2020. I have insurance, and the first visit cost me $700. The second visit is a total of $930. I am also being asked to pay each doctor $1300 EACH. Again this is all for 2 visits that occurred less than 24 hours apart because they refused to treat my pain. I understand that this might not be a huge sum to most, but for someone who doesn't make that much this amount is unreasonable.

Do yourself a favor and avoid this hospital at all costs. They do not care about you, they don't care about your pain, and they don't care about how much money they charge you. I came to them for help and I feel completely taken advantage of. If you have to go to the hospital choose your care somewhere else.

UPDATE After months of fighting this, I received an email from Natasha Makendonski at Patient Relations (who I have tried to call over 10 times) essentially saying that the care I received was adequate, but I would get a 20% courtesy discount off of my bill. This whole experience was so frustrating. They do not care about your health they only care about making money. I hope no one else has to go through...