Ascension St. Vincent Anderson — Local services in Anderson

My mother was a recent patient at Ascension Saint Vincent in Anderson Indiana. I really hoped that our experience would be different than what it was. My 80 year old mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer in January of this year on Monday, march 13 she experience catastrophic complications from immunotherapy, which caused her to be unexpectedly brought in by ambulance and admitted. Our experience in the ED was decent, especially considering the high number of holds and wait times that happen in ED. The nurses were able to treat her and get her upstairs to the room as soon as they could. My experience with the Night Shift staff was much different. As I was waiting in my mothers room to make sure she fell asleep. I was immediately greeted by “ visiting hours are over” and “ well, I guess I won’t telling you that you’re here but you’ll need to leave soon”. I can’t fail to mention about the conversation about her trip to Spain she was taking the next morning that she went on and on about outside my mothers room. This nurse did not give me a number to call to check on my mother. She never offered the Hippa code for me to call to check on my mother. She just wanted me to leave as soon as possible. She made that very clear. As a nurse, I offered to help my mom be bathed because I didn’t mind at all. I also didn’t mind turning her and helping them out in the room. One shift I offered to clean my mother since no one had offered all day and it was close to 5. My mother complained of feeling sweaty and hot and the tech replied “ Thanks for doing my job.”

In my mothers words, she was scared, felt alone because no one come and check on her often. I have to believe so because many times the turn schedule that was posted on the door was never filled out. And most of the time, no one offered to turn her unless I rang out because she was uncomfortable. I ordered her meals every day when I got there, because no one had offered to order her meal for her daily or to help feed her when she was weak.

As an administrator in healthcare, a registered nurse, and someone who was born and raised in Anderson. I expected more from this facility, and my mother was drastically failed.

I wanted to blame staffing since we are all affected by high nurse ratios and the nursing shortage. But it was hard to defend that when the ratios 4:1 per nurse, several techs and a lot of people sitting down at the desk when I went to get help because no one answered the call bell. I can only assume that because medical family was at the bedside, staff felt like the need to check in with my mother was less.

My mother also developed a pressure ulcer while she was there. She came into the hospital with no skin break down but by Wednesday she had at least a stage two pressure ulcer on her sacrum. I had to ask twice to get a wound care consult about my mothers pressure ulcer and finally someone came. A wound care nurse came and saw her and nurses change the dressing daily. But then suddenly day of discharge wasn’t an order for any wound care to be done on her. And again I had to advocate for her to get simple care done.

I’m amazed that there was no rounding by a leadership team member, or charge nurse the entire time my mother was admitted. I honestly believe had I not been advocating for my mother for a lot of things she would’ve been ignored. I am not sure what to do or say to help the next family in need. Our family has always been a facility that picked St. John’s./St. Vincent’s first for our medical care, but I can’t say that that is still the case. I will not be suggesting that families go to St. Vincents for their families care. It truly is a sad state that my mother was left in.

I am a healthcare worker. I proudly worked at St. John’s as my first nursing job in a hospital. But I am ashamed and flabbergasted for the care that my mother received.

5/6/23- I still have never been contacted about my mothers care for the issues we had. It’s...

I had outpatient surgery on 2/2/2024 at this hospital. Everyone I encountered that day was extremely nice and pleasant and after my surgery I left with a very good feeling about this hospital. So why the 1 star rating...

The day before my surgery I was billed $3927.20 during my pre-registration; I found this to be quite odd considering I hadn't had the surgery yet and my insurance had not been billed either. The day of my surgery I found out that I shouldn't have been billed and they didn't understand why I was billed either, but also said there was nothing that could be done at that time.

On 2/7/2024, I saw that the surgeon had billed separately so I spoke with Ascension billing to see if they would be paying the surgeon out of that large sum of money I paid them. The answer was no and they told me that my insurance had not been billed yet. I was offered a refund of the $3927.20 via check and given a reference number.

On 2/26/2024, I still had not received my refund check from the hospital. I called the billing dept to find out what was going on only to find out they denied the refund, stating that they didn't want to refund me any money until my insurance had paid out their portion. I found out later that day from a different Ascension billing dept that my insurance had already paid their portion and Ascension had already received and processed it, but it was unknown as to why my actual refund after my portion of the bill was satisfied out of that money was taken out was being held hostage by Ascension.

Later in the same day, after sending an email to Ascension customer relations, I received a phone call from customer relations and long and short, they said they would do everything in their power to get me my refund.

On 2/27/2024, I received a phone call from Ascension escalations and the person told me my refund was approved and being expedited. The person asked me to check my CC to see if the refund had actually showed up yet. I said it hadn't and they said no problem, give it a couple of days.

Today, 2/29/2024, I still have not received my refund! I called Ascension billing and I was told that my refund was approved but it will take 3.5 weeks to process. UNACCEPTABLE!!

On Ascension's website they claim refunds are processed promptly. Can Ascension please define "promptly"? I think Ascension needs to be a little more transparent and say our customers must jump through a lot of hoops and threaten us with filing complaints with the BBB and reaching out to the local news just to get us to approve the refund; and then it will be 3.5 weeks after that.

Does Ascension have a preferred news outlet they wish for me to reach out to? How would they like for me to word my formal complaint to the BBB? Also, how does Ascension want me to word my complaint with IDOH? Tomorrow, 3/1/2024, I will be reaching out to all 3 entities unless 1 of 2 things happens; either the refund shows up on my CC, or I have a check in my hand for the amount of money...

I am from out of state and have a psychiatric condition. I was bounced around from several hospitals when I desperately needed help due to suicidal thoughts and needed hospitalized I was final told to go to STV in Anderson. I got to the ER and at first they were very nice I was evaluated and told that they felt I needed to be hospitalized. I was given a sedative because I was very anxious. I was there for over 10 hours (still here waiting) they forgot about me for both lunch and dinner and let me sit in the room for over 6 hours with no update. I finally started getting upset asking what the issue was. I was told that they had called another hospital because they did not have a bed for me and that hospital had not answered them yet. I then had a doctor come in that didnt no me more then 2 min who tried to talk me out of hospitalization and told me I shouldn't be taking the drugs that my doctor of 5 years had prescribe me. He was smug and condescending. So I took matters in my own hands and in 10 minutes I was able to do what they couldn't in 10 hours I found a hospital with a bed for me. When I told the nurse the doctor came back in and was a total jerk again. I told him that he needed to do his job and call more then one hospital when you have a psychiatric patient that is suicidal and needed to be hospitalized. He then told me he could discharge me!! What!!! They finally took the information of the other hospital. I am waiting now to find out if they actually called them.

Update: I have been waiting here for an hour for them to call the other hospital. I just called that hospital myself and no referral from here has been sent to them. This is crazy! I have never had a hospital actively try to not help me! It's almost like all they wanted to do was give me a sedative and hope that's all it took and send me away. This is Bull Shit! This is not what medical care is supposed to be.

Update: just heard them out side my room one employee tells the nurse "she knows you didnt make the call you promised to make" They are now discharging me. Know they are letting an actively suicidal person with psychotic episodes out on the street with no treatment.

I came here looking for help that I desperately need and am now in a...