The University of Kansas Hospital — Local services in Kansas City

Be sure to read the entire post as to why I gave a 3 star. The staff gets a 5 plus star. The hospital room and parking not so much. Do not make any conclusion that this is about the hospital itself. KU is one of the BEST in the nation. This is strictly about how wonderful staff is and the rest is strictly about the hospital room and parking alone.

A big 5 plus star to my doctor. I had just met him on December 22, 2016 for a surgery consultation . He was so genuine that he gained my trust almost immediately. By the end of the consultation I had no doubt I wanted this doctor to perform this surgery.

A big 5 plus stars to all the hospital staff as they all are absolutely wonderful. Each and everyone of them took care of my needs and has a caring heart. I probably could not say enough about each and everyone of them. Everyone that took care of me was kind, caring, friendly, helpful and respectful. If I could remember all their names I would list everyone of them for being such a caring and wonderful person. Each and everyone of them is an asset to this hospital. To my overnight RN Kelly and CA Christina a big thank you for all that you do.

1 star for the room. What the heck is up with sharing rooms. My biggest issue is due to the type of surgery I had I was very uncomfortable talking about it to my wife and not only did I want to talk to her but needed to talk to her but felt I could not all because I had a roommate that could overhear my personal life about this surgery. I know I will feel just as uncomfortable when the doctor comes in to discuss my surgery and it is of no business of my roommate. I feel as if all my privacy has been violated. This particular surgery is private to me and even embarrassing to me as a man but yet others could hear about it. Also, I have been up all night long and because of this I am sure I kept my roommate up as well. I felt like I could not watch TV as it would bother my roommate.so needless to say I have had no rest what so ever I have had no entertainment what so ever. It would be nice to watch a little TV but I feel disrespectful to my roommate if I turn on the TV. I wonder if anyone from the hospital will read this and even care as to what I had to say.

Parking gets 1 star. I am a patient and I have to pay for parking, so wrong. I would rather you hide that fee in a bill then make me pay for parking. First hospital in my life I had to pay for parking. I realize the fee is not much but come on charging patients to park really? I can afford the fee but what about the patients and their family where that is hard on them.

I also believe I saw a sign in the garage that said cash only. What the heck is up with that? I was not told this nor knew anything about cash only. Good thing I had car was money in my car. What would have happen to me if I had not had any cash only a card? Would they have let me out? Fined me? Hmmm I wonder. Suck it up and eat the credit card fee you are making a ton of money off parking.

Here is another issue I found. Depending on what department you visit and get your parking ticket validated is how much you pay. One validation I had was free the others was $3. You would think at the least it would be the same throughout the hospital.

I feel bad for staff on their parking as well. Every staff member I asked about their parking I got pretty much the same comment #parkingsucks.

To close, I ask this of KU Med Center figure out your rooms, no one should ever have to over hear someone else's private medical issues. It makes people feel uncomfortable and violated. Figure out your parking, no patient should ever be charged for parking. I would be willing to bet the CEO makes better then 2 million a year but yet he/she charges patients for parking? I know parking seems petty and this is a multi billion dollar business as well as not for profit but don't make the simple tough. As it is people feel like health care nickels and dimes them and then addd in a parking fee. I truly feel sorry for the person that the parking fee could buy them a meal...

I saw Dr Krase at KU for prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum checkups. Let me begin there - she is, hands down, one of the best doctors I have ever met. She's kind, absolutely wonderful with crazy anxious pregnant ladies, and is incredibly knowledgeable. Never once did she judge, get exasperated at my requests for more information or explanation, or let any difference of opinion color how she delivered her care. I never felt less than respected or treated like an intelligent human being (rare with doctors, especially ones of her caliber). She promised she'd do everything she could to be there for the birth, and not only was she (at 2am) but she skipped most of her lunch break the next day to check up on me. I cannot thank her (and her awesome nurse Angie) enough. She is why I gave KU 2 stars instead of one.

My experience with Labor, delivery and postpartum recovery, as well as the billing department, was so frustrating and stressful, that I decided to skip them for the birth of my third child.

In short, staff repeatedly didn't communicate (I was told pain management was coming "soon," but it took 3 hours to be told the resident had said I couldn't have any til I dilated more), didn't take me seriously (I was initially sent home from labor and delivery and told my rapid contractions and level of pain were just something I'd have to deal with. There wasn't blood and I wasn't dilating well, but they didn't bother to take my assertions that something was wrong seriously. Thankfully my daughter survived her partial placental abruption without issue) really just didn't care (I asked to put my daughter in the nursery because my family was watching my son, my SO was training at a new job and couldn't get away, and I hadn't slept in 48 hours. My nurse said I should get used to sleepless nights and it was better for baby to room with me and refused to take her. At one point I fell asleep getting her to sleep and dropped her, and woke up with her wedged between my legs. When I asked about the nursery again, the nurse told me I should just learn to be more careful) The recovery rooms were cramped and uncomfortable for post partum (stand up shower with a hard plastic seat in it, no bath, a small chair for one overnight visitor). I have celiac disease and no one in the kitchen either knew what it was, or could find me their gluten free menu they swore they had. I let them know I had an allergy and got biscuits and toast several times. At one point the staff logged that they gave my daughter donor milk. They freaked out when I said that had never been discussed, and quickly said that had been a mistake. Either way, their organization wasn't great.

Billing - never once was I informed that physicians and hospital bill separately under the same type of bill. Neither department communicates, so changes of address and insurance were not registered (so I was told) and the bills look the same. There were repeated issues with billing trying to charge my insurance for my daughter, my daughter's insurance for my bill, and it took a call from my insurance company's legal department to absolve me of a collections claim because the max, under their contract with the hospital, had already been paid. I had several calls with ku billing where I was told it'd be taken care of they'd call me back, only to find out when collections called me they hadn't sorted it out. It took 7 months to set everything straight and zero of it was with issues of me not paying what I, myself, needed to pay. Complete nightmare.

The doctors are excellent, and I guess that's all that matters, but unless I find myself in a situation that's way more serious than routine, I'll go elsewhere with excellent doctors and...

The only reason I give it two stars is because of a couple of doctors that were wonderful. However, the overall experience was horrible. It took over two weeks to figure out that my husband's quadriceps muscle was barely attached and required surgery. Then after surgery, the doctor told me I'd be taken to recovery in about 5 minutes. Two hours later, I was crying and worried and no one could tell me if my husband was awake and why they hadn't taken me to him. Finally I got to see him and he was just waking up. The next morning, I came to find that his IV had been turned off but was still connected. I told two nurses but finally the third nurse saw it and said it was supposed to be replaced but at this point he was being discharged. The discharge was poorly managed and chaotic. They set up a two-week follow up until I shared concern that the wound may need to receive a new dressing before two weeks!! Nurses agreed and contacted the doctor who was supposed to come and change the dressing but he never did. They handed me gauze and tape and told me to change it every day. My husband was in a locked knee brace and his leg was entirely wrapped in ace bandages and some sort of gauze wrapping that covered the wound dressing. I cannot tell you the hell of trying to unwrap all of that without bending his leg. Ridiculous. He should have been released with pain meds and some discussion on putting him into the backseat or something because we had a really hard time getting him in the car and he was hurting all the way home (the meds had worn off) and then he had to go up 15 stairs in pain! Despite repeated calls that his leg was cramping and hurting and his foot was swollen, we were assured that this was normal. When he called again the next week to say that the pain was worse in his calf and foot even though the surgery had been on his thigh and knee, they said this too was normal from fluid buildup. He suffered through but called AGAIN to say the pain was keeping him from being able to stand because the blood pressure would build and felt like his leg would explode. Finally, this doctor told him to get to EMERGENCY ROOM IMMEDIATELY. Blood clots had formed and could travel to his lungs and heart and kill him. Even still, they were going to send him home that night!!! Instead they put him in some side wing where he could be monitored. His pulse was 120-130 even when pain was managed and he was sleeping. I could not get a straight answer about what keeps the clot from breaking loose even on blood thinner until the second day! Upon discharge, we were told that a primary care physician MUST MONITOR his blood because of the dangers of the drug and the clots. I caught that they had put down the wrong doctor and asked them to correct that. Apparently they didn't. They sent out a home health nurse to draw his blood and that was a fiasco in itself but the results did not make it to his doctor!!! We had to call all over trying to get the results sent before the office closed until Monday. We were told that the level was too low and that they had never seen anyone released with such a low dosage. they more than doubled the blood thinner. AWFUL experience and I DO NOT...