Dignity Health - Northridge Hospital Medical Center — Local services in Los Angeles

a little warning: this is about mental health and it's long so only read if you want to

I voluntarily went to the mental hospital here in February. It's the only one for miles that takes kaiser (I live in Palmdale.) I struggle with adhd and depression. In February, I started contemplating suicide, but decided to call a help line because I didn't want to make a selfish action.

The only therapist in the entire adult unit (I'm 19) wasn't even present most days. She only led 1 group therapy (in which she mostly talked about her ex husbands and gave relationship advice to everyone???) and 0 individual therapy for the 10 days I was there. If you aren't aware this is NOT normal. There should be daily therapy sessions, how else do you expect mentally ill people to improve? There were also almost no available resources for anyone to get better/make improvements. The only thing I was able to do all day was draw, since the staff was so busy with patients with dementia. It's not their fault those patients get put in there, but I believe everyone else felt overlooked and even mistreated at times. It's hard to deal with impatient, angry staff when you're there for a mental health crisis and need support. Also, the psychiatrist I was assigned barely listened to me and rushed our meetings so he could write down tons of different prescriptions. I was overmedicated and still felt no improvement. I felt so depressed here, I barely ate and lost 9 pounds in 10 days, and even fainted. I also had terrible insomnia. Back to the therapist, after many days of not being there, she shows up and starts telling me how she's surprised I was still there. I told her it was because I was still feeling the same as when I first came in, and thought it was best I stayed there until I at least didn't feel suicidal. She kept telling me I "looked fine." The next day I was struggling with some really depressive thoughts as usual and decided since she was finally there to talk to her because she's a therapist, but she proceeded to tell me how I'm not depressed, what I'm dealing with isn't "real" depression. Then she started raising her voice and told me depressed people can't talk, get out of bed, and they certainly can't draw, and i draw all the time so she could see how I don't have "real" depression. And how I didn't need care there and then pointed at one of the older patients and said "this is how really depression looks like!" That is not how depression works at all, and I was shocked a therapist out of all people had just told me this. I didn't say a word. I never even got the chance to tell her a single problem I am dealing with the entire time I was there. I was only there for one day after that interaction, and she kept petting the other patient's head from the day before and saying "Poor thing poor thing," and "This is REAL depression" everytime she saw me. I was humiliated and hurt. I couldn't understand why she acted like this. I was really quiet and kept to myself most of the time just drawing, trying to keep it together, and I actually thought she was kinda nice the first 3 days, but when she came back, she was immediately annoyed at my presence and I don't understand why. I think acting that way as a therapist is extremely unprofessional. I just really wanted help, or a least a few resources, but I instead got bullied. I also want to add that it is usually extremely rare for me to talk about my mental health, let alone seek help. I don't want to complain or seem weak or bother anyone or use depression as an excuse to not get things done, but struggling so hard for years with ADHD and depression and the immense guilt I feel because of it was(and is) ruining all aspects of my life. That's the reason why I chose to try and get help. To improve myself. But my experience here crushed me. I was already at such a low point, but it only got lower in there. I get bad dreams of this place often. The only reason I share this is because I just want to warn people who are thinking of going in order to get better and to hopefully bring about...

$3,000/hr ER Visit

PSA TO THE UNINSURED AND OUT OF NETWORK

Disclaimer: I was uninsured, but this is just out of hand...

$2,658 hermatology, chemistry and vein puncture (blood tests) $2,289 Level 4 ER “Procedure” $1,721 other imaging services $921 physician charges $256 urine test $163 radiology

I was experiencing an anxiety attack and had nothing physically wrong with me, but at the beginning I did feel symptoms I thought to be real; elevated heart rate, a bit of upper right abdomen pain and a feeling of faintness. Everyone who worked with me was very compassionate in helping me to understand I was experiencing an anxiety problem, but nobody made much of an effort to help me understand the drastic financial consequences of seeking care.

Not one charge was disclosed before I agreed to any test or care and the only figure I was quoted after all treatment was completed was an $833 “estimate” that did not (and does not) include any test, medication, procedure or physician charge. So in other words, the $833 “estimate” I was quoted was the cost of my walking through the door. After all treatment was completed, what other choice did I have, but to sign and agree to this billing system? Nevertheless, I did, but I was not prepared for these insane bills to come in the mail.

They say on their estimate agreement to “please understand that it is impossible to predict, with complete accuracy, the final costs of a healthcare procedure.” Legally speaking, I assume this gave Dignity Health the power to freely charge whatever they wanted, but I would like to know first why I wasn’t told what they were testing for and why I wasn’t told that a few vials of blood drawn and whatever corresponding tests warranted an almost $2700 charge. Surely someone at Dignity Health can understand that it was pertinent for me to know that the hospital was about to charge $2,658 for bloodwork before I agreed that it was a good idea. I assumed the tests they were suggesting were relatively routine and far more reasonably priced. By contrast, Exer Urgent Care tested me for a couple of diseases last year, after I went in uninsured with a minor skin rash, and charged me only $30. So I would also like to know why the urgent care down the street could mitigate the cost of simple bloodwork to $30 when Dignity Health felt the need to charge this exorbitant amount.

Perhaps the $2,289 level 4 ER procedure included the routine vitals check, the 45 minutes I spent unattended on an ER bed or the phone charger I asked to borrow from a nurse; I’m not sure exactly. Perhaps it really does cost over $100 for someone to put a needle in my arm and then an additional $2500 for some other folks to perform routine bloodwork; I’m not sure about that either. Perhaps it also costs over $1700 to run the ultrasound equipment for 30 minutes; I can’t speak to that because I’m not a radiologist. But from the viewpoint of a patient, it certainly sounds like they treated that estimate agreement like a blank check.

To Dignity Health and Northridge Medical Center:

It is not my intention, whatsoever, to make false claims or statements about your business, so if I’ve gotten some of the details wrong, I truly apologize. However, in examining the facts of the matter, I feel you have a lot to answer for. You gave me an “estimate”, after all treatment was completed, that represented only 14% of the total cost of the visit. I understand that you disclosed that separate bills were coming, but I want you to understand how stressful it is to be surprised with a $4,013.80 hospital bill, a $921 physician bill and a $163 ultrasound bill; over $5,000 of charges that you and the healthcare industry have decided weren’t necessary for me to know about before I agreed to further testing and examinations.

I have an unresolved, closed complaint with Better Business Bureau and I have mailed letters to 51 California-based members of the House of Representatives, the two California state senators, Governor Newsom and the mayor of...

If I could give negative stars, I would. I have NEVER experienced such rude, unprofessional, condescending attitudes and complete lack of compassion in my entire life!

I was transported via ambulance on 4/23/24 for a hand injury - severed tendon/gash. Was left in the back of the ED crying -begging for a Tylenol or something to help with the pain. No one came to check on me - except security to scan me for weapons - as I have blood dripping down my arm and visible tears from the pain!!! They did not scan anyone else there...only me.

After about 2 hours, one doctor came and looked and said, "yeah I can fix that".... I asked for something for the pain - no response!! About 30 minutes later I was taken for x-rays - the x-ray tech didn't even know where I was supposed to go and sent me to the wrong area! Complete lack of communication and organization.

The first doctor did not come back - some other guy shows up about another 30 minutes later who said that nothing would help as much as the lidocane which has to be injected into the open gash via needle...he proceeds to inject me several times (as is necessary) I went through this with no pain meds so of course I am crying and shaking from the horrific pain all the while he and his nurse are having a personal convo - the lack of compassion and human decency was shocking!! Then AFTER all the injections were done - the nurse shoves a pill in my face - doesn't even tell me what it is - I am reluctant to take it but also know that I will be in a lot of pain later if I don't, she is so rude..."well do you want it or not?!" I reluctantly take it and she makes this impatient huffing sound and walks off. It was Oxy and it made me so sick - I broke out into a sweat, threw up and soiled myself - no one checked on me except the nurse they sent who was to put a splint on my hand to keep my thumb in place due to the tendon being cut/damaged. Martin was the only kind soul in that hell-hole of a place!!

Mind you, several people came in AFTER me, with less severe issues, one guy even fell asleep, they were all offered pain medication without even asking for it. Then the girl who does the intake information came around, while in the middle of conversations with her co-workers, asks me questions - then stops - so she can continue with more personal convos with others - zero professionalism - tells me she knows I don't have my wallet since I was transported via ambulance, decides now is the best time to tell me I had better make sure I pay or they will send me to collections!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! She hands me some pprwrk and says I am all set. So I thought this meant I am clear to leave - I get home and the rude nurse calls me and says, verbatim...."uh yeah Ms. Silva remember when I asked you if you had your paperwork and you said yes? Well, you didn't! Your discharge instructions and prescriptions are here are you coming back to get them or not?".... I told her no, I don't think I can make is and I ask if they could call the prescription in... she answers so rudely again, raising her voice, "we don't even have your pharmacy information!"....um ok, so I think a better response could have been, "sure, what's your pharmacy info?" She acts like I was inconveniencing her..."I guess I can ask the doctor if he'll do that!" Wow - thanks?

Completely horrible people / experience!!!! There was absolutely no reason for them to treat me this way. I was not rude to them - nor impatient. I was in PAIN. I get they were busy, no problem - I'm not going anywhere but standard triage was not performed (less severe cases were given priority over mine) - standard protocol care was denied me. How hard is it to give a crying patient a Tylenol or Ibuprofen in the five hours she was there with an open gash, exposed/damaged tendon?...