United Hospital Center — Local services in Bridgeport

At the end of November in ‘21 they butchered my mom and blamed it on Covid. She had to have an exploratory surgery done and while they were in there they cut her intestines. She called us over and over to tell us something was wrong but the doctors and nurses told us repeatedly that she was delusional and that she was ok. When my sister went in to see her on Thanksgiving her call bell had been unhooked and they’d taken her cell phone. Everyone in my house was getting over Covid and still working 12 hr days so we did not do our due diligence in checking up on her but you think by taking your loved one to the hospital that they’re in good hands. That’s definitely not always the case. On the night of the 25th my sister and I went back in to see how she was. The room was a mess, there were nurses sitting around at all the different stations, playing on their phones and drinking coffee or monsters. Several other rooms that I saw on the way down to her room looked to be in the same condition. Trash all over the floor with the cans overflowing and nurses just sitting around like there wasn’t anything better to do. One or two rooms even had patience calling out for help with no response from the medical team. Mom was in a lot of pain. Her stomach was distended and nothing was taking her pain away. We decided that fentanyl was the way to go and got her hooked up to a drip and got her cell phone back to her and her call bell hooked back up. When we tried to find out what was making her stomach distended like that we ran into dead ends. No one really knew what the deal was. When we felt like we had done all that we were able to do we left. A couple hours go by and my sister gets a call that my mothers blood pressure is dropping and that we needed to come say our final goodbyes. We were completely shocked. She went in 5 or 6 days prior for an EXPLORATORY SURGERY and now we were going to be with her one last time before she died. We get there and I’m guessing the head nurse on duty told us everything from it’s because she had Covid (even though we were told a couple days before that she had gotten over her Covid) that it had something to do with complications of cancer, or something to do with all that and the fact that she had so many other illnesses. Although they still had absolutely no answers as to why her stomach was distended in the manner that it was and why she was in terrible pain if you even so much as grazed her stomach when you went in for a hug. So my sister being a nurse requests that someone look at that spot. So the get the surgeon on duty to pull her into the OR and apparently when they gave my mom the meds to stabilize her blood pressure enough to do surgery she said she didn’t want surgery because she was tired of being cut on. So they stuck her in the very last room on the 5th floor and my family and I sat with her until she passed at 7:35 am on the 26th. It truly was the blackest of fridays. So fast forward a couple of weeks and we get her death certificate back. It didn’t say “Covid” or “cancer” or even “diabetes” or “C.O.P.D.” It said “Sepsis from a possible bowel perforation” Which means they knicked her in the bowel during her little exploratory surgery, sewed her back up and let her go septic over the next 4 or 5 days, probably because all the decent doctors went on Thanksgiving vacation and were with their families, at home sipping wine and laughing it up, while mine was at the hospital crying and saying goodbye to the woman who gave us life. If I could give 0/ 5 stars I would but it doesn’t give that option. Just a little word of advice, take your loved one to a...

As far as I can tell this hospital is interested in making the most money possible and little else. Was told I needed eye surgery but the wait at Ruby in Morgantown was several months while at United it could be done in a few weeks. Should have raised red flags instantly, but I agreed because it would be the same doctor.

Waited for four hours past my scheduled surgery time at outpatient surgery clinic where was repeatedly told it would happen soon. Taken back four hours late and only then was told everyone knew they were that far behind but nothing of the like had been communicated to me even when I asked. The surgery went okay as far as I knew, but I had a lot of pain, swelling and discomfort afterward at home. Contacted the doctor and was told to put ice on it, continue the recommended treatment and see him for follow up.

They scheduled a follow up two weeks later at an outpatient clinic across town from the hospital in Bridgeport, WV and when seen was told it was not healing properly because the stitches were coming out prematurely and basically was blamed for rubbing my eyes, which had not been the case. He apparently thought I was dumb enough to accept that explanation, but he was the doctor and I clearly needed this repaired so I said nothing. The doctor decided to numb my eyelids and redo them in the office, which entailed sitting in a chair with my head back while he stuck needles in my eyelids and sewed them again. He completed the procedure and sent me home. The entire office time was about 45-50 minutes. The discomfort lessened greatly after this. The doctor never admitted either he or whomever actually did the initial closure in the operating room had not done it satisfactorily but instead put the blame on me for something I hadn’t done.

My insurance and I were billed for the outpatient follow up with two separate bills. The doctor billed around $500 for his services, which seemed high but reasonable. I also received another bill for $3,510 from United Hospital for that outpatient visit. When I questioned it, I was told the hospital owned the outpatient office and treated a visit there like a visit to the hospital itself and those were charges for use of their facilities and equipment. A chair to sit in, a syringe with lidocaine, some latex gloves and a few inches of suture cost $3,510? I was outraged and told their billing department so, but simply got “sorry” and silence while I paid the bill. This would be labeled extortion if done by most any other business, but medical facilities like United Hospital apparently can do as they please.

I had another follow up two weeks after that one in Morgantown and received a bill for the outpatient doctor’s visit but nothing else. They also scheduled me for a three month follow up visit at the same clinic where I had been seen in Bridgeport that is owned by United Hospital. I asked their billing department if I kept that appointment whether I would receive a separate bill from United Hospital for using their facilities in addition to the doctor’s charges and was told yes. I cancelled that appointment and have attempted to reschedule that follow up in Morgantown.

I have considered legal action for the unnecessary pain and discomfort in addition to their billing practices, but there is not enough money involved to make it worth while and apparently their billing practices are legal if ethically questionable. I suggest staying away from United Hospital if you have any other options because in my experience they care far more about their own bottom line than they do about the level of care...

This problem started with me at Salem family medicine where I got taking very good care of, but they suggested that I went to another quick care in Harrison County because they did not have a doctor on duty when I got to medpoint they looked at my arm and thought maybe blood clots cellulitis Blood poisoning wasn’t sure exactly what I had but had me scared plumb to death on speculating what was wrong with me and sent me to UHC I arrived at UHC around 8 PM after having a blowout on the front end of my car on the way from Clarksburg to UHC things went smoothly when I was taking back and being registered and my vitals taken, and then was sent back to the waiting room for about 7 1/2 hours they took me back to run some tests told me after the blood work they should know something within 30 minutes to an hour about my blood well at 2:30 the next day I finally started asking to see a Doctor No doctor ever came in no one never did tell me what was wrong with me. Finally, I got cellulitis out of one of them. The nurses were very rude. Looked down across their nose at me made me feel belittled not one of them ask me how it happened or what I did cause it , I guess luckily, I volunteered I had scraped my arm on a piece of woven wire fence when turning my Rototiller around in my garden and that’s what caused it to be cellulitis which I did have no clue what that was I kept asking for an explanation on what was wrong with me when a nurse came and stood by the door, cross her arms give me her big eyed look and started being very, very rude to me at that point I was done said I wanted to see a doctor immediately an hour and a half later still no doctor I started that’s when another nurse came in. I explain to them what was going on and I was leaving. They did nothing to try to help me. It was the worst experience I had at a hospital since the last time I was at UHC when they belittled me , I’ve made my last trip and will lobby against anybody else going there, there is no compassion or bedside Manor showing to anyone that I had seen don’t get me wrong not all nurses treated me that way, but 90% of them did only a couple of the nurses treated me like I was a human I didn’t know that they were going to keep me had a severe headache because they would not let me get my reading glasses out of the car walked out of there with my head down so I didn’t have to see the nurses shaking their heads at me cause that’s how I felt somebody needs to evaluate the ER department at UHC so nobody else has to have an experience like this. I thought the doctors and nurses were there to serve you to help you make you feel better when you left, I didn’t and still don’t even know other than cellulitis if anything else is wrong because they wouldn’t tell me nothing give me two prescriptions. I live two hours away from UHC had two prescriptions sent down to the local pharmacy in my town once I get there found out that they did not send it there. They sent it to a Walmart in their town, which cost me a trip back up just to pick up my prescription , that shows how much they take care of their patients I suggest nobody goes there thank you and have a nice day. PS just for future references I spent 11 days in Mon General and it was the best experience I’ve ever had...