Banner Payson Medical Center | Payson, AZ | Ponderosa St. — Attraction in Payson

It is unfortunate that I need to write this review. As with most other things, reviews tend to be written when either something outstanding occurs, or something so horrific that you can't believe it actually happened. My parents live in the Rim Country and have for decades. I grew up in Phoenix, my brother still lives in the Valley. Last Tuesday, my 80 year old mother with Alzheimer's, fell and had hip pain. The Payson Care Center sent her to the hospital for x-rays. At 10:30 pm I woke up to a phone call from a wonderful nurse informing me that mom had broken her hip and her shoulder. She asked if I would like to speak with the Dr. on call from the emergency room. I told her "yes, please", it was down hill from there. The hospital was on divert (they had no hospital beds). I had a 2.5 minute conversation with the Dr., where he yelled at me for being argumentative because I was trying to find out where they would transport her for hip pinning, what about the shoulder fracture ("we don't need to discuss it, it isn't important"), he told me he would speak to me for another 30 seconds and then proceeded to speak to everyone around him saying that I was argumentative and he couldn't talk to me, meanwhile, I called him by name and he never responded to me. In the background, someone else spoke and I heard that they would not have an Orthopedic surgeon on premises for the next week. The Dr. finally responded and said he was giving me back to the nurse to speak with. Lacey, the ER nurse was wonderful. We discussed the pain medications that my mom can and cannot tolerate, she helped while I found out what the possible hospitals she would be transferred to could be. I was trying to make sure that my dad would be able to drive down through the Rim and 17 inches of snow to my brother's in Glendale and be able to get to my mom. Lacey also called me at 2:30 in the morning to inform me that mom was comfortable and in route to Mesa. The nursing staff was excellent, Dr. Beck, not so much. I have been in the health care field since 1979. I am an anesthesia provider, CRNA. I have worked with many Physicians over the past 35 years. I have never spoken with, worked with, or interacted with a ruder Doctor than Dr. Beck. The care mom received at the receiving hospital and the Dr's I spoke with there, hospitalist, Orthopedist, Anesthesiologist, were all wonderful, helpful, and compassionate. This man, not so much. I pray that my mother never has to be attended to by him again. If this is how he treats the cognizant person with the Medical Power of Attorney, I am afraid of how he treats someone with Alzheimer's that...

Zero Stars! I am a 68 year old single individual that had a routine procedure at Banner Payson Medical Center. I live alone, am self-reliant, and over the course of several months ahead of a procedure recommended by my PCP I was asked by several different hospital personnel if I had someone to check in with after the procedure. My initial response was that I didn't have a 'babysitter' and I was told explicitly that I didn't need anyone at my house for 24 hours, just someone to check in with. I had several people that I would be checking in with and that was acceptable. I was asked at least twice, at the hospital before the procedure if I had someone to check in with and I gave them the same answer, 'Yes, there are five different people that I have arranged to be in contact with.'

Everyone I dealt with was wonderful until after the procedure when a 'Big Nurse', 'Nurse Ratched' type butted in, claimed to be in charge, and demanded to know who would be staying with me. I told her, 'No one,' that I had several people lined up that that would be checking in on me. She said that I HAD to have someone staying with me for 24 hours and that she wouldn't discharge me unless I did. I explained again that I had been told all along that a 24 hour babysitter wasn't necessary but that wasn't good enough with Big Nurse. She didn't believe me and wasn't going to let me go home.

In July I had an in-office consultation with the physician that would be performing the procedure and he sent me home with 'Preparation' Instructions. They stated:

...someone needs to check on you for 24 hours later.

The Preparation Instruction made no mention of having to have someone at my house for 24 hours after the procedure.

At the hospital, after the procedure had been completed I was given another document titled, 'INFORMED DISCHARGE'. The 'Discharge Instructions' stated:

Have someone stay with you, if needed.

I emphasis the wording, 'if needed'. 'If needed' does not translate to 'must have'.

I got into a shouting match with Big Nurse and she finally relented and allowed me to go home. This person obviously had not read the discharge instructions issued by the hospital and she should not be in the position of not allowing a patient to be discharged if they don't match her 'expectations' while adhering to what is required to, and stated by, the hospital's own discharge instructions. She caused me a lot of unnecessary grief and distress and she needs to be put in some other capacity where she is not directly involved with the patients. She is a misinformed bully and...

I went in to ER due to blood pressure being 181/138, lethargic, confusion and disoriented. Pre-stroke symptoms. I was put in a room. Nothing was given to me to bring down blood pressure. The doctor kept asking me questons. I could not make a sentence. I finally got "check the computer system I've been here many times for same symptoms". The doctor proceeded to tell me that they had no access to my past medical records due to Banner purchasing the hospital. I found out later that this was not true. I mentioned to the doctor I may need a Nifedipine to lower my systolic blood pressure. Then he put me on nothing by mouth. Which exaggerated the symptoms I was having. I called my dentist, Doctor Beiers, because he had witnessed me having a TIA in his chair when he was treating me and asked permission to give the ER doctor his personal phone number. I requested the ER doctor to call Dr. Beiers and tried giving him the phone number. He wanted nothing to do with my request. They pulled me out of the room and left me on the gurney right in the middle of traffic coming and going due to lack of rooms. Payson is a small town and I am a practicing Pharmacist with a PharmD. Majority of ER patients were familiar with me due to my line of work. Very embarrassing. He then wanted to send me down via ambulance to Mesa Banner to see a Neurologist. I stated that I would have my daughter drive me down. He kept threatening me with a "Leaving Against Medical Advice" (AMA). Finally the Neurologist down at Mesa Banner stated that there was nothing he could do for me that that doctor at Payson ER couldn't do. I also finally got an individual that recognized me to give me a plastic cup of water. Which she did. I sat out in view for just shy of 8 hrs before getting released. I've since then had two episodes. What me and one of my daughters (a certified Nurse) calls my TIAs (episodes). I refuse to return to the Payson Hospital due to lack of care. One of my physicians wrote a letter on my behalf stating I knew what I was experiencing due to my education so I may carry with me at all times for the Payson ER. Now my daughters just keep an eye on me. On a good note the Nurses also recognized me and took very good care of me at times shielding me against other patients that wanted to speak with me. My experience with Payson ER was a complete nightmare. I'm sorry that I could not give a less than one star. No stars would be a better estimate of...