Nacogdoches Medical Center — Local services in Nacogdoches

I went into the hospital concerned about a feeling I had in my left arm and upper chest. Also felt a little light headed which was all new to me as I have almost never been to the hospital in my life. I was given an EKG, had blood pressure checked, urinalysis, blood work, and 2 chest x-rays. The hospital was fairly busy so I understood the 4 hours it took for the tests and results to come back. The EKG and Blood pressure was done basically in the waiting room before I even came back to a room and when I got to the room, the EKG was not connected to me there once so they must not have thought it was too bad in the waiting room. Dr saw me 3 times for maybe 5 minutes total to ask me what was wrong the first time (which may have been 4 of the 5 minutes) and then later to tell me that the lab work looked fine , xrays fine and it was nothing. Did not seem to know about some of my specific results like Blood pressure and Glucose levels but since it was not a heart attack I was told it was essentially nothing and I was good to go. I was happy to know that it was nothing and I must have just been paranoid or having anxiety about something. No medication administered. I paid some money out of pocket while at the hospital and gave my insurance information but that was just the beginning... The ER sent one bill and I guess because I mentioned my chest, everything from that point on was billed at a higher rate regardless of the actual test results! I know this because I asked when I was going over my bill with the billing department. If I was a high level emergency I figured they would have at least kept me hooked up to blood pressure or EKG but I was not so it seems like they were not really that worried about me but knew they could get by with higher charges since I mentioned my chest. I also got bills separately from the Lab dept, Radiology dept, and who knows if I will get charged something else down the road. It was not like these things were in different locations, they are under the same roof. The charges just keep piling up all to be told nothing was wrong. I understand that it is not free but very shady that I am getting a higher than normal charge by the ER which included the lab work, radiology, EKG, and one charge because it was a higher level Emergency, but then to get other charges from the other departments that are in the same hospital just feels ridiculous. I can only image what it would be if something was actually done other than test. I will give them 2 stars because the nurse and lab people were very nice but buyer beware. I say buyer beware because you are not really a patient, you are a customer! Be prepared for your multiple bills if anything happens while you are there. I think I had to be wheel chaired to the X-Ray so waiting to get a bill from the mobility department!

Sincerely, Healthy...

Honestly, I would go to a different town. It is very clear that this hospital does not abide by the Hippocratic Oath that states: I will treat the ill to the best of my ability. My grandmother, 64 years old, fell head first on the pavement outside of the apartment I am staying at. Her head was bleeding profusely and she was having tremendous pain in her left shoulder. She was rushed to ER in an ambulance and put into a room at 10:58 am. The nurse took her vitals after several failed attempts which increased my grandmothers discomfort. We were then told to wait. At this point she had dried blood all over her face, in her hair, and on her knees which was largely neglected throughout the entire stay. My grandmother was to the point of wailing when I went to track down a nurse to give her something to ease the pain in her shoulder. I went to the nurses station where I was condescendingly told to wait for the doctor, even though we could both hear my grandmas cries down the hall. She was not given any pain medication until 11:57 am almost an hour after arrival and it was only 10 mg of morphine. Ten minutes later she was taken to x-ray by herself. She told me that they treated her extremely roughly, and were very reluctant to offer any aid in moving her from one bed to another and tried to force her to do it herself, even though she was in obvious pain. To make the case worse when the x-rays came back they showed that her shoulder was broken. When they found out she was uninsured, they all but pushed us out of the hospital. She has heart conditions that make it difficult for her to work so she is unable to afford it. However, she will be receiving medicaid August 1st of 2018. Which covers medical bills up to three months prior to that date. She continued to be in severe pain, and they still had not administered care to her open wounds. In under twenty minutes they forced and when I say forced, I mean forced, an arm brace on her. They finally gave her another shot for the pain after moving the injured arm causing her to scream out repeatedly. Then they barely swiped down her face and knees with a wipe and stuck a band-aid over them. We had to take the wipes and clean her of excess blood ourselves. After that they threw her into a wheel chair, made her sign some papers, and removed her. As soon as we got in the car to go her head injury had opened up and blood was pouring down her face. I wanted to take her back, but she refused due to how she was treated. If I could rate negative stars, I would. I am truly disgusted with the way this was handled. If this is the kind of care I should expect for not having insurance, then my heart truly goes out to everyone out there who can...

*Going to edit again…over one year later September 2025 here we are, still no one, not one single person has tried to reach out. There is so much more I could add to this situation now that I’m doing better & can see and comprehend what actually happened and my timeline at this horrific place. I’ll also add Nacogdoches Memorial is fantastic. I’ve had to use the for tests & other care. *Edited to add August 26th . Still no follow up or contact from anyone! Went to the ER experiencing weakness & slurred speech on a Sunday morning in April around 1am, I was thinking a stroke. They had no one to do an MRI , no neurologist on call. They did telemedicine/video with a neurologist who laughed & ask if I was on drugs. They ended up admitting me for observation . Drug tested me, after my husband told them I don’t use drugs, which I understand standard protocol but even after a negative drug screen they still used narcan. Once in a room, I was very uncomfortable, vomiting , aspirated & the nurse left the vomit on the floor. I then was telling them I could not breathe, they gave me nasal oxygen. (Last thing i remember) Never checked on me unless my family went to look for a nurse or doctor. Ended up with CO2 poison & they had to call rapid response. I was put in ICU on a vent due to negligence. Every test they ran was negative. So with my family begging, and also a local pulmonologist telling them I needed to be transferred out, they still kept me. Finally it was no longer a request or advice, my family demanded them to transfer me out immediately after I was intubated. I will NEVER use this ER or hospital again. I almost died as a healthy woman. Once in Houston, they were able to diagnose with Guillain Barre, an auto immune disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system by a lumbar puncture . Also, another procedure there was no one to do at Nacogdoches Medical Center. I spent 2 months in Houston, 6 weeks on a vent , while I was still in ICU the billing department for medical center was calling & texting for payment to be made when no one had even been home to look at a statement or bill. I’ve always used this hospital for family needs & both my children were born here. Just be aware if you need a higher level of care this is not the place to be. Kimberly...