Baxter Health — Local services in Mountain Home

Our first visit here, on 7/30, was unfortunately a very disappointing experience. I feel it’s important to share in detail, because there were multiple issues with professionalism, patient care, and even basic safety.

Check-In Experience: From the very beginning, the interaction at the front desk set the tone. The staff member who checked us in was short, rude, and dismissive. On top of that, she made inappropriate comments and attempted to provide legal advice to my partner. This is not only unprofessional but also completely outside her role. When you’re walking into an emergency room already upset and in pain, this kind of treatment makes the experience worse, not better. Thanks Christine 7/30

Triage & Care Delays: When we arrived, my partner was visibly crying and in severe pain. Instead of being seen quickly, we were told to take a seat because the staff was “switching shifts.” I have never been to a hospital where patients in that condition are told to wait due to a schedule change. Emergencies don’t pause for shift changes, and this felt neglectful.

Cleanliness & Safety Concerns: For a healthcare facility, the environment did not feel properly maintained. Workstations were dusty, computers and equipment were left unsecured, and in our exam room (Room 3), medication vials — specifically steroids — were left sitting out on the counter after being administered. That’s not only sloppy but potentially dangerous if another patient or child were to touch them.

Medical Evaluation: The actual care we received felt minimal at best. We were given an X-ray, a shot, and a prescription for anti-inflammatories, then discharged with instructions to see an orthopedic specialist. We already knew that was the next step — it’s exactly what has happened in other ERs when no fracture is found. Essentially, we paid thousands of dollars for confirmation of what we already suspected, without meaningful treatment or guidance.

Professionalism of Staff: The ER doctor who saw us was not wearing a name tag and didn’t even know which room we were in. That did not inspire confidence. The nurse who administered the injection informed us we were being discharged before anything had been explained or discussed with us by the doctor. For the majority of our visit, we saw only one nurse briefly. Meanwhile, we could overhear staff gossiping at length, which left the impression that patient care was not the priority.

Overall Impression: This visit left us feeling dismissed, unheard, and undervalued as patients. Emergency care should feel safe, professional, and attentive, but what we experienced instead was rudeness, lack of urgency, poor communication, and questionable safety practices.

I truly wish our first experience here had been better. At the very least, I hope this review is taken seriously, because patients deserve a higher standard of care than...

If I could give it 0-stars, I would. Since last year, Baxter hospital has gone down hill. The nurses are all new and not trained properly. They lack basic caring and nursing skills needed to make their patients comfortable and safe. They dropped things so many times. They take their time to get to a patient.

One nurse even rolled her eyes at my family member. That was totally unprofessional of her!!! They would run out of the hospital room faster than lightening but getting them to get in there to help takes hours. They say one thing and as a patient you have to keep badgering them about hey, I need this, or I'm running out of...or I need help going to the bathroom.

Baxter keeps you, the patient, waiting until they feel like taking care of you. Their nurses keep you waiting until the last minute. The nurses can't keep up, or they don't communicate with the other nurses well. 🙄 It was a major pain in the a$$. We would ask a nurse, she'd say yes, okay be right there. Then, she disappeared and another nurse comes in and we would ask her. Oh, I'll go get it. And then, another nurse.

It takes about 4 nurses before someone does their job. When they do their job, they drop things, or don't have the right tools, or roll their eyes, or don't check on you to see if something else needs attention. If you don't tell them what's going on with you, they won't check. They run out and don't care.

My family member dealt with heart and other serious issues. It wasn't until we got home, he noticed something they never checked.

Baxter Health (Baxter hospital) is imcompetent, unreliable, and hires the worst staff. No staff member should give attitude to patients. No staff should talk badly about a patient either.

Sadly, it's the only hospital in town. Why did Baxter fall from being great to being the worst? Baxter hospital is more worried about being renovated and being fancy than about the care it's supposed to provide for its patients. Patients are customers.

Baxter gets an F+++ for failure of hospitality, customer service, nursing skills, nursing staff, lack of communication, lack of trained staff, and more.

Do not go to Baxter hospital ever! Do not use their services! Be warned.

The crappiest service. Do not get me started about their discharge service either! That's...

I recently went to this ER after experiencing concerning symptoms — chest tightness, sharp back pain, dizziness, and a strange feeling in my left arm. We gave dispatch a 20-minute heads-up and stayed on the phone during arrival, but no one met us at the ER entrance for several minutes despite using the red phone and waiting right outside.

When I finally got in, I was put in a wheelchair and taken for an EKG, chest X-ray, and bloodwork. The nurse had difficulty finding a vein, which I understand happens, but there was little communication about what tests were being done or what results meant. I never really got a clear answer on my bloodwork, and I still don’t know what was ruled out.

What really alarmed me, though, was the behavior of the ER staff. While I was in a room, I overheard staff joking, saw them blowing ACTUAL bubbles, making fun of patients, talking about how they “don’t care about the job” and even making comments about ethnic groups. That’s not just unprofessional — it’s dangerous in a medical setting where people come in scared and vulnerable.

The only person who showed real compassion was a woman doctor who suggested the pain might be nerve-related. But even that wasn’t followed up properly, and I left feeling more like I was brushed aside than treated.

To make matters worse, when they were done, I was told to remove the EKG leads and the blood pressure cuff myself, set them aside, and basically leave on my own. This was done with no guidance, no staff escort, no final consultation, and no documentation. I was left alone to pack myself up and walk out of the ER — something no patient in a monitored state should be expected to do, especially after reporting cardiac-like symptoms.

I used to work in hospital security myself — I know things get wild. But patients deserve a team that takes emergencies seriously and treats people with respect. I truly hope someone in leadership sees this and works to fix what’s going wrong here.

Until then, I can’t recommend this ER. And based on my experience, I believe the facility urgently needs oversight and accountability.

I am taking the time to report through the right medical channels. I truly hope anyone who experiences the same kind of care...