UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center — Attraction in Santa Monica

I'm planning to deliver my baby at this hospital but am seriously reconsidering my choice due to what seems to have been food poisoning at their facility.

I came in for a standard ultrasound around 5pm. At 6:15 I was told it was my time to start drinking water (had to be done 30 min prior to ultrasound) so I grabbed one of the lovely turkey sandwiches provided by UCLASM and downed the required 4 glasses of water. At 7:30 I sent my husband to find out what was taking so long - I was starting to get cramps and pain in my side, which I attributed to my full/stressed bladder. He returned saying it would be another 15 minutes. I started feeling better but then 5 minutes later I experienced another episode of severe pain in my abdominal area and started getting dizzy, feeling like I was going to vomit.

Well, apparently I did vomit. I passed out after as well so I don't remember it all. I woke up on the floor with the doctor and nurse standing above me and my husband holding my head. The Dr told me I could come back after getting checked out by ER, where I was immediately rushed to. They checked me in and then told me it would be 3 hours until I could be seen. My pants and shoes were covered in vomit and the side of my face was throbbing from my head hitting the floor during the fall. I refused their services as I could not sit there like that for hours as I was already shivering from the cold waiting room. They told me I'd probably still be charged for seeing the ER since I was checked in. What a crock.

The only thing I can figure out is that it was food poisoning. I felt fine all day and also as soon as I woke up after vomiting. I had lunch that day and then didn't have anything until the turkey sandwich. I vomited a little over an hour later and from then on was perfectly fine. The only other time I got food poisoning years ago I also threw up within an hour or two time frame. My husband was very angry and told them to check their sandwiches because that was what I ate. The Dr defended the hospital's sandwiches and I don't blame him given that I work in the food industry and it's not uncommon for people to claim food poisoning even though they arrived obviously feeling sick. In this case, I wasn't.

The reality is that nothing is ever 100% guaranteed and we just do the best we can, which really only starts the moment we receive the food. I'm not blaming UCLASM for bad handling of the food because it does happen - hopefully just once in a blue moon. I'm actually worried that they didn't throw out the sandwiches after what we told them and also unhappy that they'd even THINK of charging me for an ER visit that I only needed because of food from their facility. If they had just taken care of me as an apology for what their food caused I'd have felt much better about the facility.

As it is, I haven't received the bill yet so I will update this to higher stars if they do not charge me for...

First I’d like to start off by saying that the entire nursing staff at this hospital is top notch and this review is not directed toward them in any way.

Dr.Kozlova is easily the worst doctor I’ve ever had the unfortunate experience to be treated by. I have a very extensive background of medical isssues including colon cancer at the age of 30 years old. Since my diagnosis I have been gettting several diagnosis of pyelonephritis, which anyone that has had this knows that it extremely painful to go through.

I always have come to UCLA for my medical needs and I will never return again due to Dr.Kozlova.

Having been in and out of the hospital my entire life, I have built up a tolerance to pain medications. I also started abusing oxycodone after my cancer diagnosis. (Happy to report I’m over 10 years sober now)

Since these kidney infections happen to me quite frequently, Im used to the drill of the hospital. I come in and they give me a mix of IV antibiotics and IV pain pain meds, which are administered at the hospital only and I never once have ever been sent home with pain meds. I refuse to. By the time leave the hospital every time I am basically 100% cured and I’m no pain.

Today Dr.Kozlova decided she was going to try to handle my medical issues her way, which included taking me off my usual meds that have worked for me for literally over a dozen times, and she wanted to switch my pain medication to oxycodone, which is the exact pain medication that I used to abuse 10 years ago. I explained to her that I could not take oxy and there was no reason to switch me from the medicine that has already been tried and tested and proven to work for me. She refused and her argument was because of the “opioid epidemic” which A. Makes no sense because oxy was switching me to is an opioid. And B. Just because some people in the world have created this nightmare opioid crisis, it’s really not fair for people like me that use it in a hospital setting and it works wonders with no dangers at all under hospital supervision.

Dr.Kozlova literally let me sit in my hospital bed for over 8 hours in some of the worse pain I’ve experienced while she tried to push oxy on me, which I refused. As I’m writing this I’m in the process of being discharged on my own accord, since I cannot simply get the pain management under control all due to this nightmare of a doctor.

One of the worse parts I’m going to have to change my entire network of doctors that I was under at UCLA all because of this doctor. Such a shame. I have loved UCLA up until today and I will...

First of all the Doctors are the BEST part of UCLA SANTA MONICA HOSPITAL system .”. NO DOUBTS, “, but the administration is the WORST they lack of a lot of things and nurses don’t even show what they say “We are here to make sure you are safe and COMFORTABLE????? . I understand the hospital is FULL, but they need to organize themselves be prepared for busy times, we were 11 hours seating down outside, my husband diagnosed with pneumonia, after they put him on the antibiotics, they took hours to check on his temperature, I asked for a blanket since he had the chilis, and I had to remind the nurse twice.. Since 6pm nurse keto saying they are looking for a room upstairs because he has to be admitted.. she came severas times repeating is almost ready… IT NEVER HAPPENED… at 11pm I went to ask what was going on that it was almost 12 hours in the waiting room with all people yelling and screaming with different problems…His back was killing him due to his spine problem… Finally they said, We have a bed “in the emergency room because we don’t have any rooms now, but when we have one we will change him… they took us to this absolutely messy room, a storage room.. full off cables, computer stations that they don’t even use, and where they leave what they don’t need.. so most of nurses and CNAs will come to look for stuff all day long, turning on the lights, and careless about patients in the room. It actually looks like a garage!!!!! At the end we have a couple of nurses that were so rude, and instead of apologyzed they will only cover themselves WE DONT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ROOM ASSIGNMENTS.. JUST THE NURSE ON CHARGE???????? So is out of doctors hands.. understandable, but a personas who is diagnosed with PNEUMONIA and is a bacteria, and my husband also has an inmune system disease, we are local to UCLA HEALTH, PAY FOR 2 PPOs to have coverage, however whe we most needed it we got ZERO confort…we even ask for the TV, nurse said .. OH I DONT KNOW WHERE THE CONTROL IS.. I GUESS SHE STILL LOOKING FOR IT, because we never got it, They left my husband for 3 days u til he was discharged !!!!!! for 3 days!!!!!! HORRIBLE SERVICE.. no one came to apolyzed…. But they are so pro active when 15 minutes after we arrived at the emergency room they are already making sure they have your signature to be liable for the service!!!. We didn’t ask much, not for a prívate room, but at least for a more decent space where a person doen’t get depressed...