Mercy Hospital South — Attraction in Sappington

Worst experience of all bad experiences, I wasn't the patient, but I guess I was an unpaid nurse instead.

I did not choose for my mother to be brought here, I would never choose to bring anyone here after this last week. I've had trouble with care for myself and with my 2 month old when they overlooked pneumonia, but I could have accepted those as one offs.

I could blame the staff, but that wasn't the problem, the staff all seemed very caring and very apologetic that they couldn't make it in faster than they did. I accidentally overheard a conversation about one position being understaffed on our first day there. I didn't think it would be a big deal. But, later we heard announcements about "code blue, third page," and then a room number. That seemed pretty concerning the first time. I can't count how many times I heard this.

Later that day and night, we were calling the nurses in to help my half paralyzed mom use the restroom, it took so long, she no longer felt like she could go when they arrived. This happened a few more times that day, so I decided I would not leave my mom's side. That night was miserable, the same thing time and time again.

The next day, my sister came to relieve me for a few hours, so that I could care for myself and not worry about my mother, who couldn't speak, so I couldn't call her and check on her. My sister said that she couldn't find a bedpan, and it took 20 minutes for a nurse to help her and the same thing happened, Mom couldn't go when it arrived. In the short time she was there, she heard the "code blue, third page," stuff a few times.

Later that night, at about 12:30 in the morning, my mom could finally could use the restroom, but I messed up and some of it ended up in her bed with her. I called the nurse, looked EVERYWHERE for a gown and a sheet, ready to change the bed myself, there were NONE ANYWHERE in the room. And hour and a half she laid in her urine before I finally got a nurse to help me retrieve a gown and bedding. He felt terrible, and of course, it was my fault so I felt terrible for both of them. He helped me change her and get her back to bed. And an hour later, I was sleeping, and didn't hear her grunting to tell me she had to go and again the pads had slipped out from under her, and again the urine was in the sheets, and again I had to call the nurse (because no sheets or gown in the room 🤦‍♀️ why?!?!) and again she laid in urine for 20 minutes before he was able to assist me.

The next day, I was looking forward to her being discharged/transferred. I ran home to retrieve some things, was told she would be ready and to call from the parking lot, and then just pull around to the front, they'll bring her down. I parked and called, and I waited on hold so long, I figured I was wasting more time and if my mother needed help, she probably wouldn't receive it, so I walked inside while on hold. There are 3 women sitting at the front desk, one of which I assume placed the call back on hold, and they were just talking. I asked the nurse's station if she was ready. They had no idea what I was talking about, called the nurse, and I waited another 20 minutes to find out no one prepared anything. I prepare what I am able to, and waited while they finished the paperwork, we left an hour later. Finally, I go down to the parking lot to pull my car around to the front like I was told, I asked the valet where it would be appropriate for me to park to wait, he was not friendly, nor helpful. I felt like a fool and after 3 days with a total of 7 hours of sleep, I sat in my car and cried until they brought her out, out of grief for her medical situation, relief that she didn't need to be at that hospital any longer, and worry that the next place they sent her to that is associated with the same hospital (that I believe probably understaffs to increase their profit margin while sacrificing patient care) would be just as terribly staffed.

It's not your nurses, or the techs, not even the doctors that I found to be an issue, it's the lack of them...

I gave this hospital a poor review when I was last there. Against my better judgment, but to comply with my doctors instructions I did return today to the ER with chest pains. It was a totally different experience. The staff were friendly, responsive and kept me informed. It was a snowy cold day and they were not nearly as busy as the last time I was there. However, I rated them so poorly during my last visit. Today was much different and it seemed only fair to upgrade my rating.

I have been to this hospital on emergency basis in June of this year before it switched to Mercy and received great treatment. I went back this week on Tuesday evening when I had some symptoms that could have been related to a stroke. When I got there the emergency room was busy, they took me to draw blood, did an EKG, a CT scan, checked my blood pressure and sent me to the waiting room. I sat there for 4 1/2 hours and no one came to tell me a thing. After 4 1/2 hours, I was pretty sure I hadn’t had a stroke or heart attack since I was still sitting in the waiting room. I asked a nurse if I could go home since I was feeling fine, had been sitting there for hours and nothing was happening. She said sure and then took me back to try to draw blood again. Two nurses attempted but were unable to get any blood out of me. I’m not sure why but they couldn’t and said oh well maybe they won’t need it after all. I asked again if I could go home and call my doctor the next day or what was going to happen. I was told I could go home if I wanted to, that I was waiting to see a doctor to go over the results. After another hour or so now it’s over five hours and I asked again if I could just go home and call my doctor the next day. The nurse said sure I could go home just tell the guy at the front desk. I asked about paying for my visit and she said she didn’t know about that. They did take a copy of my Medicare card and my drivers license. I waited a little longer and then went to the gentleman who is sitting at the front desk. I told him the nurse said I could go home and to let him know. He said OK. I then asked if he wanted to know my name and he said sure and looked down at his screen. I assume he checked something but I have no idea and I walked out the door. The next day I called Medicare insurance 24!hour nurse and talked to her about it. She asked me if I had discharge papers and I said no that nobody ever gave me any. She told me to call my doctor that I didn’t do anything wrong and that it was important that I went to ER to check things out but the hospital should have communicated with me. When I called my doctor her assistant told me my paperwork wasn’t complete because I had left against medical advice. I told her I had not left against medical advice. No one at the hospital ever suggested that I stay, no one at any time told me not to leave, or recommended that it would be better if I stayed and at no time did anyone say I was leaving against medical advice, or give me any paperwork, instructions or information of any kind I was only told I could leave if I wanted to tell the guy at the desk if I left. It was the craziest thing I had ever experienced. I looked on here that day and found somebody else take me to complain and there was a phone number where the hospital had responded and asked the person to call. I called that number and left a detailed message yesterday but as of 6:30 PM this evening. No one has called me back. I don’t even know if they know who I am or that I was there but I suspect I will get a bill. I would think twice before I would ever go back to this hospital again. It’s sad because my first experience was quite...

I recently had a distressing experience with Mercy South that left me deeply disappointed and concerned about the level of care provided to patients with serious medical conditions. My sister was admitted to this hospital due to a severe medical issue, and the entire experience was nothing short of a nightmare.

From the moment we arrived at the hospital, it was evident that something was amiss. The staff seemed disorganized and disinterested in providing the necessary care. While the hospital was not visibly busy, it seemed that they were severely understaffed, and patients called for help for at least 30 minutes before receiving assistance.

In the case of my sister, she was told that she had a serious heart condition while the doctors did do tests and provided some explanation of the process, upon discharge they provided a list of medications with no explanation of what they do or any interactions to be aware of. Instead of providing the first set of medications from the hospital pharmacy they instructed her to pick them up at a retail pharmacy that ultimately did not have the medications and said it would take 72 hours to obtain. When we called the Mercy South pharmacy and told them about this, they seemed unbothered. That is, until we pushed for them to call the retail pharmacy, take back the prescription, and provide the medication to us on the same day. This all felt crazy. I could not believe that the staff were totally ok with my sister being left without essential medications for an extended period—this is completely unacceptable. The lack of urgency and concern for a patient's well-being was shocking.

What was even more concerning was the lack of communication and consultation during the patient's discharge. We were given no guidance on my sister’s condition, treatment plan, or follow-up care. It felt as if they were more interested in getting her out the door than ensuring her well-being. Also, my sister is now on a heart monitor, which instructs us to contact her doctor if her heart rate dips. Mercy South provided no numbers to access any of her doctors and told us that we need to call 911 if anything happens. Again, it’s as if they do not offer the level of personal care that could ensure that my sisters’ life is preserved during a crisis, post-discharge.

This level of care is not only subpar; it's downright dangerous, especially for individuals with serious medical conditions. Hospitals are meant to be places of healing, support, and professional care. Sadly, this Mercy South Hospital fell significantly short of those expectations. I cannot emphasize enough how crucial it is for patients to receive proper and timely medical attention when they are in a vulnerable state, and this hospital failed to deliver on that fundamental obligation.

I would strongly advise anyone in need of medical care to look elsewhere for a facility that prioritizes patient safety, offers appropriate consultation, and ensures that necessary medications are available when required. Our experience with this hospital was a harrowing one, and I hope that sharing it will prevent others from enduring the...