Mount Sinai Medical Center — Local services in New York

Had an appt for 2:15 PM and arrived about 1:45 PM.

I go to the main check-in area, they (I thought) checked me in and told me go down the hall to the left (Urology). I saw my prepaid copay was already on hold the minute I checked in, but apparently the actual check-in never went through.

I went to Urology, packed office, no reception area and everyone just waiting. I take a seat. Wait till about 2:30 and still packed. After it thinned out at 3:30 PM, and only one other person was waiting who was there before me, I went up to the first operator who was a female (and apparently the same less than helpful person who I spoke to a few times on the phone) and I asked her if I was still waiting to be seen (as there was no receptionists here). The second operator helped, as she couldn't be bothered as she looked and turned away even though she wasn't on a call and they all had nothing to do. Come to find I was never checked in, even though I should have been when I went to the main check-in. They're check-in for Badani's office, but you would never know. No one is facing the entrance area, they're desks are all facing the wall, and they're all looking their computers and don't pay attention to anyone entering. I assumed they're appointment operators. It's just the horrible layout of the place.

Also doesn't help they had a check-in sign, but it was pushed all the way against the wall like it wasn't supposed to be there. There's also a check-out desk on the left and a sign also pushed back against the wall, which that desk was empty the whole time I was there, so I assumed the check-in WAS that main area where they took my name, DOB, appt, etc.

DO BETTER!

Move the damn sign in front of your operators if you need to check in twice! Also make it so when I checked in the first time, it should have checked me in already, the guy said. I wasn't checked in at all!

Also if you make an appt with Badani, you don't see him, you see Vassar his P.A. Usually they don't tell you this and just do the switcheroo. I wonder how that gets billed. This time though, the operator told me I wouldn't see Badani (who I've never actually seen and don't believe he exists as every appt with him I've never seen the guy).

Hot as hell, left work 4 hours early to make the only available appt. The guy is done for the day and had teleconferences the rest of the day. I could wait, but they can't tell me when it would be done. 5, 6, 7, 8 and even then, would he still honor the appt? OR, I can reschedule with the same incompetent office. I chose the latter and will never be back!

What the hell kinda reception area do you have where there's a main one that checks you in, doesn't work and then the smaller area, they ignore you and don't even look at you and look to be operators on the phone doing phone appts, even though it seems one person could do that job and they don't need 3 just sitting and waiting for calls while they surf their phones, make personal calls, etc. And if you do say excuse me, the woman acts like you interrupted her mid-surgery.

HORRIBLE!

Also, I received an email when I first sat down, made sure everything was in order, went to hit the "Check-in" button and it didn't work. It said go see reception. (This was after I had ALREADY checked-in so I didn't pay it any mind.) If you go here, make sure when you hit the waiting area to tell a phone operator you're there or you'll be waiting in perpetuity!

The whole check-in in person main desk, Badani's smaller check-in and the online check-in all needs a full reconstruction! So many fails had to happen for them to...

UPDATE: this review that was posted on 10/13/24 was deleted off Mount Sinai somehow. Reposting with updates. They billed me a sky high amount for visiting ER where they took my bloods 2 times & kept me waiting for 6 hours (nothing else, no resolution just shocked how i am alive with 250 BP) and DISCHARGED me with 250 blood pressure which is illegal. No one followed up with my condition & did not get back to my attempts of seeking medical help.

On 10/10/24 around 3:45pm my wife and I arrived to the ER entrance where we were nicely greeted by the security guard. As we proceed after that, everything went left. The front desk person that was sitting there made sure to not acknowledge us, while i had 240 blood pressure with a crisis and my wife who came to admit me. After being ignored, we decided to approach the lady in the green scrubs since we thought maybe thats not her department until another person pops and mumbles we have to refer to the other front person (the same one with a careless attitude who obviously had a problem with assisting us). As we walked to her direction, she was extra slow and made it obvious she had 0 interest in helping us. I, the patient started getting infuriated and exclaimed I have abnormal high blood pressure and this treatment is absurd. Then some random person behind the desk (woman in late 50’s) pops in with a passive aggressive attitude demanding information. My wife started providing the full name, although prior to arriving we called the hospital to schedule a scan (from my PCP’s prescription to this location) and the phone clerk confirmed my name & DOB does NOT exist in the system. The older woman started getting nasty and demanding the address, my wife gave the most recent address and she started acting condescending stating thats not the address, then we provided an older address and then some other random nurse in the back sitting started chiming in to stop talking to my wife but ask the patient and ignore her. My blood pressure started spiking higher and higher because their incompetence and racism was taking over rather than caring for a patient in crisis. Thankfully a different nurse with a nurse hat working that shift was able to admit us into the ER room and isolate us from the racist, condescending, hostile, lazy and incompetent workers. The bedside manner of the medical professionals inside the ER room completely shifted thankfully. All the doctors were very polite and gave me attention but sadly I left without a resolution and was advised to be seen my pcp. I was discharged with 240 blood pressure because they stated it was “livable” since I had this issue for about 2 years and not 1 doctor can figure out the root of the problem to help me. I did return to my pcp the next day and they wanted to call the ambulance for me to be sent to the hospital because my blood pressure stayed high, at that time around 220. I did receive a message to see an endocrinologist but I want to know if they can relocate me to a Brooklyn location as the experience in the Manhattan location was horrible (minus the bedside manner of the doctors, they were very nice and tried to assist me, although refused to run any tests advised by my pcp). Management please retrain your staff to save their personal issues towards people who come with peace in need of desperate help, racism & hostility should be the last thing I should experience at a place where I should feel safe....

Watch out for backwardness. They are not as smart as they pretend to be. They are even opportunistic.

Generally, I would consider this the best hospital in New York City. I was born here. I have spent 300+ hours in their operating rooms. And I have spent months on their psych ward.

Again, they are trying. It is just hard. But also, they are a little old school and slow to update. I wish I had been treated with more respect. And sadly, I was witness to a gruesome example of surgeons 'practicing' on an open leg receiving a metal rod with screws. They invited me to participate, I said I didn't think it would be kosher. They understood.

I was misdiagnosed before I was admitted there, coming unconscious from St Luke's near Columbia I think, and they did nothing good to me. They even sent me to another facility for 6 months without good reason, I think. But I was generally comfortable and safe on the psych ward when I was there.

The food is always good on psych wards. The kitchens have...