HMH Hackensack University Medical Center — Local services in Hackensack

Review from visit on July 2023. Everyone, literally everyone was very nice, helpful, super kind and caring. I am greatful and super thankful for Dr. Ditkowsky (supervising DR) and his team amazing, including Dr. Patrick (Resident DR) they were an AMAZING TEAM, I was super fortunate to have gotten them as my care team during my visit.

I also did notice how Dr. Ditkowsky treated his group of Resident Doctors, with such respect, kindness and trust.

There were 3 things I disliked about my visit:

1: My discharge forms state my BP was 170/65 (never! In my life had my BP gone over 130, I am always on the lower side) when the last ER TECH/Nurse took my vitals both my husband and I saw it at 120/65, the ER TECH wrote in a piece of paper too.

I walked in to HUMC my initial vitals show my BP at 107/(over something I can not recall) and for it to shoot to 170 during my ER visit, that is not normal, the that fact that it was overlooked, is upsetting. How could I be let out of the hospital with a BP that was at 109 when I walked in and shooting up to 170 within hours?

What makes me more upset, is that it is now noted in EPIC as part of my BP history and it is not accurate at all for future providers treating me at this hospital or any offices affiliated.

I understand this could have been an honest error, they probably put someone else’s BP in my chart but they should’ve realized this big error and fixed it promptly.

I am assuming it should have gone through MULTIPLE eyes prior to me being discharged, the ER TECH (took the vitals), nurse should have supervised it, treating Doctors should have triple supervised it prior to being discharged, unfortunately it was to late when I noticed, I was in my car and going back home (although I though about returning to the hospital and making them aware).

2: This I am 50/50 on but my bloodwork was drawn at 4:00pm, the nurse put it behind my bed in case the DR ordered blood work which I know they didn’t (or at least it was not mentioned to me).

I checked behind my bed around 11:00p (which was supposed to be my initial discharge time) my blood was still behind me.

I ended up getting discharged at around 1:00a due to excruciating pain I experienced during the initial 11:00p discharge attempt.

How does my discharge papers have blood work results when at 11:00p my blood work was still behind me…..on my bed?

This is why I am 50/50, maybe the nurse took it after 11:00p, realizing it was never sent for testing. But to be honest, I am not 100% sure being I did not check after.

Reading the blood work today, I compared it with a recent bloodwork the week prior, some off the numbers that should be off (that have been off and abnormal for months) were normal.

3: I was taken from the ER waiting to Area E where I was put on a stretcher and wheeled over. The poor ER ETCH did not know where to put me (it was a Monday and super, super busy) finally we found a spot! she put in front of the door of the “Shock, Trauma and Resuscitation” department.

As the night continued a lot of the rooms became available but yet no one in the hall was being moved to these available rooms.

But I figured there are probably a lot patients in the ER waiting area and it is easier to put them directly in a room than transferring the patients from the halls to the rooms having to update the charts, can cause confusion between the nurses and Doctors.

When I left at 1:00a, I walked a little and notice A LOT of rooms empty, the ER waiting area died down a lot and it was much less busier for the nurses in Area E, that would have been a great time to make these patients in the hall way much more comfortable to vomit, complain loudly about there pain, cough etc. in a much more private room.

But again, the Doctors and Staff were extremely amazing and I am super happy with the care, compassion, bed-side manner and kindness of everyone! Above and beyond care provider and staff wise and that made me super happy,...

If I could give Hackensack University Medical Center zero stars, I would! This place has gone completely downhill. Let me start by saying that Hackensack is NOT the same hospital it used to be. My father, who had lung cancer in 2013, was treated here, and we had no issues back then. Fast forward to now—my mother was diagnosed with large B-cell lymphoma, and the difference in care is staggering.

We first found out about her diagnosis at Holy Name Hospital, and the care there was in a whole different league. Every time my mother received medication at Holy Name, we were informed about what to expect and how her treatment would proceed. Hackensack, on the other hand? It’s a nightmare.

Only reason we went to Hackensack is because they pay 80% of the chemotherapy and holy name pays 65%. But I must say I would rather pay more to have quality care.

For one, they strictly enforce a two-person visitation limit—no exceptions, no flexibility. But that’s just the start of the issues. My mother doesn’t speak English, and when she came into the emergency room, they refused to let any family members stay with her. Instead, they assigned a translator she was clearly uncomfortable with.

Now let’s get into the real problems. First, a male nurse came in to change my mother, despite her discomfort with him. We asked if a female nurse could help instead, and were basically told, “Too bad.” In a billion-dollar hospital, you’d think they could accommodate such a basic request.

It only gets worse from there. When they were changing her, one of the nurses looked at her and chuckled, making a degrading comment about her body. She was also forced to give up her monitor because another patient “needed it.” Again—a billion-dollar hospital, but only one monitor for cancer patients?

And communication? Absolutely terrible. One nurse told us she wasn’t getting chemo that day, only for another nurse to rush in five minutes later, saying they were prepping her for chemo. There’s clearly no coordination among the staff.

Adding insult to injury, my mother—who’s very prone to infection—was placed in a room with a patient who was coughing. They even performed a biopsy on my mom while this other patient was actively coughing in the same room. At Holy Name, rooms are cleaned daily. Here? Once a week, unless you’re cleaning it yourself. And when they do clean, it’s with straight bleach.

We told the nurses repeatedly that my mom hadn’t had a bowel movement in over 10 days. When the doctor finally came in two days later, he had no clue. It was like the staff didn’t even communicate with each other.

The lowest point was when my mother looked at me and said she felt like they were trying to kill her. Imagine your loved one saying that in a place that’s supposed to be healing them.

When we requested a transfer to Holy Name, they immediately got the ball rolling without any issues. But Hackensack? They were the ones dragging their feet. We updated all our contact information right outside the emergency room, but, just as I said, communication here is nonexistent. They didn’t even bother to pass along our updated cell numbers and contact details to the cancer unit upstairs. This lack of basic coordination is inexcusable.

If you’re seeking treatment for cancer—or anything serious—run from this place. The care at Hackensack University Medical Center is nowhere close to what we experienced at Holy Name. Find another hospital that truly cares about its patients, because Hackensack...

So for starters i'll start off with the cons : For the most part the staff / nurses & surgeon were very passive aggressive toward me being in excruciating pain. I had an emergency Gallbladder removal which is very painful to recover from. I know that there has been a few cases of people having a fast healing process from this surgery but I am not one of them nor am I the first or last! My abdominal area was completely sore to the point where I couldnt move that much even if I tried. I expressed this to the doctor and instead of him being empathetic towards my pain he made a mockery of it. Saying "well usually people heal very quickly" and that he knew someone that went to the work the same day. Kudos to them but respectfully , I dont give a damn that is not how you treat a patient , period!

Secondly , I was greeted literally the day after my surgery with a loud nursing assistant that was yelling at me to get out of bed and to sit up in a chair. I've done a lot of research on this procedure im damn near obsessed with the "ends and outs" because its my new reality! Yes , moving and allowing my body to get some type of motion is important! However, why was I being spoken to as if I didn't just have a surgery done (an organ taking out of my body). Then , to make matters worse she offered no assistance to help me get out of bed at all! All she did was slap a white cottony binder to support my body across the room!

Thirdly , I think its very important to mention that I am a Black woman and yes this plays a big part on how im treated. No matter how kind or receptive I am I'm still unfortunately met with harmful micro aggressive BS! Another thing I also expressed to them is that my current living quarters has a eight flight walk up with no elevator! Guess what! They had me walk up a whole bunch of stairs for "physical therapy".

Lastly , The surgeon discharged me without my consent. I know that insurance plays a big part in this which is why I do have it! ; But these clowns didnt even put my card in the system! So the whole entire time I was listed as a non insured patient. I told him that I am a single woman and I just need a few more days to heal and he went right along and discharged me ! No sentiments or anything! My whole experience after surgery just seemed very robotic and sad. Also , I have to mention that I was told prior to the procedure that I wouldn't be rushed out and that they would totally understand if I needed more time.

Now lets get into the Pros:

The pros are the hospital room looked very much like a hotel. Big window to enjoy sunrises and sunsets, big flat screen TV , Impeccably clean room and a bathroom that was inside of my assigned room as well. Also , the TV had a variety of channels making my stay somewhat bearable. Another pro was the food. It was definitely edible and they had a feature that allowed you to order food up once you scanned the QR Code.

Aesthetically my room didnt feel like a hospital room at all I felt like I was in a 3-4 star hotel that had a hospital bed in it. I appreciated that!

Also , the first nurse I was assigned to was very caring and had a real personality. Unfortunately, I was in too much pain to get everyone's name but ill definitely be doing a full YouTube video on my experience and including the surgeons name for sure! I also plan on talking to a patient...