Rush University Medical Center — Local services in West Chicago Township

Monday July 8th at around 11:50. The tall African American woman with the tiny afro who was working at registration was extremly inconsiderate of my situation and aggressive with me but made it seem like I was being problematic when I was literally doing everything to the best of my ability. She didn't ask for my Id but i took it out thinking she would since the other 2 registration clerks asked for it. I was having problems talking because of the pain but I answered all her questions respectfully even tho she was rude from the start. She asked me for my home number i said "im sorry I don't have a home number" she looked, rolled her eyes and said "ok cell number".. I gave her my cell number. She asked me to repeat it... i repeated the number and she typed it in. I feel like she was just being mean because I was alone and young and she was tired and that is not ok.. after she asked for all my information and I gave it, She asked me to redo my signature 3 times while I was sitting down in a wheelchair and never tried to give the pen pad to me in my hand or even push it close to where i could get it easily so the first 2 times im straining my body trying to lean over so I can do my signiture and she saw i was hurting hunched over. The 2nd time I redid the signature when I saw the light come back on again on the keypad for a 3rd time I asked "was it not going through" she said " no this not good enough" then I said " but its my signature i don't understand and she said "THIS, isyour signature" whilst making a face at me... im 22 and Im 5'0 and came in w abdominal pain, I literally couldn't see the keypad and when I told her that I can't see she got more upset with me & started making it seem like I wasn't signing my signature to be disrespectful or something when I was just trying to finish the process as quivkly as possible. I heard her talking to the nurses right beforehand and she was huffing and sighing complaining that a lot of people called off today and how tired she was. Like ok I get it but you should still be able to have some compassion and professionalism while u work. She was a the tall dark skinned African American woman with a low haircut. She made my stress and anxiety increase to the point where i left the facility completely bc I would rather suffer in pain than to be treated like im a problem just because im in pain& stay in the facility where the worker was causing me more stress.. She rolled her eyes at me when I told her im having pains and she got mad after I still attempted to sigh my name and expressed that im in pain and im not trying to be problematic, she saw me reach for the pad and it fell on ME bc I wasnt able to extend my arm enough so I tried to toss it on the desk lightly since she still wasn't taking it from my hands then said i Thew the pad at her... like what?... I was IN PAIN from doing this process 3 times already and her having me talk when she could've just grabbed my id I had pulled out... she asked for my insurance card, I gave it to her and she said " I don't need it" without even looking at it and putting my insurance in she mustuve out i had no insurance then got up and walked away bc the next person who came to finishe never asked for my insurance card.. after tshe walked away I said "don't take your frustration out on me bc your understaffed and tired then she got even more rude and claiming that's not what was happening and told people im being a disrespectful girl and another woman finished my registration but she never took my insurance card either so I left out beforeI was called to be seen by s real doctor.. all this while still bending over holding my stomach in pain. Worst experience ever!! And for it to come from an older African American woman was even more painful. They didn't want to give me the name at all of the worker. Supposedly her name is "crystal registration" but i don't even know how true that is. 0...

I visited Rush ER at the direction of an urgent care physician who suspected a potentially fatal condition on 11/28/20. Unfortunately I did not receive adequate care. I was in room 41 in the ER until 9:30pm. The wall card noted Dr. Devris, RNs Bre & Shannon and PCT Cynthia were my providers though I can’t confirm it’s accuracy. From 6pm to 9:30pm I kept asking for water. I pushed the button over three tines, speaking with more than three nurses and other staff. They all stated they’d check on it for me. I also spoke with two doctors the latter being Supervising Dr. Tucker Matthews. My throat was so dry it was increasingly difficult to speak. He seemed thorough and kind assuring me he’d already approved water and if it did not arrive while he and I were speaking he would personally get the water for me. The water did not arrive, but as he was exiting he stated he would get the water. I do not doubt his intentions to get water. Anything could have happened and he may have gone to save a life. However he said he’d approved it.

After 20 minutes I considered drinking from the corner faucet, but there was no cup. I was extremely dizzy and my lips were hard. I understand doctors are very busy so I once again pushed the button for assistance. What I did not expect was for no one to acknowledge me or come and speak with me. I also did not expect to overhear them discussing why I was requesting assistance. I heard them say “she wants water.” No one bothered to explain why after hours of asking, after the doctor approved I’d not been granted water. After speaking with so many people, having so much blood drawn, and asking over and over why was I not even worthy of being acknowledged or hearing an explanation upon calling for assistance? I literally began to cry. I got up and dressed myself with difficulty. 30 minutes passed and my confidence in the Rush caregivers dwindled.

If I’m going to die of thirst I can do that at home where your team isn’t humiliating me outside of my room. To Rush medical staff, I’m not worth the breath of an explanation or assurance the water is coming. They can discuss me loudly outside of my room but can’t discuss the matter with me. I exited my room to see an unfamiliar face walking by. She stated she was just getting ready to deliver my meds. I noted the very small cup of water she held and turned to leave. She then followed me asking to remove the IV port right there in the hallway. I removed my jacket to grant her request. I quietly said, I’ve been asking for water for over 4 hours, but I won’t blame you it’s not your fault. She offered no explanation. We parted ways and I left. I called the ER from my phone to discuss it further but no one answered.

Perhaps they reasoned to deliver water once all orders for meds were in. Perhaps they wanted to save a trip! Rush medical I ask you, If I were your grandmother, or your parched and dizzy relative would you still treat me this way? Moreover is this the way you’d want to be treated? I sincerely feel dejected and humiliated. Is this the same Rush Team that encouraged me to sign up for the Rush All of Us program? I happily signed up for it and advocated for your care. My heart is hurt and I want an explanation. Is there a Water God I should have prayed to? Certainly this isn’t the case.

To add insult to injury how dare the staff report I absconded? Who was the lady who followed me in the hallway as I was exited, removing the IV port from my arm? Did she offer an apology after I told her my plight? Did she ask that I stay? No she didn’t. I wasn’t worth an explanation, or assurance when I requested help so of-course I wasn’t getting an apology or sincere interest of caring for me upon my leaving. What are patients worth to your Rush staff? Those who are not well deserve respect. If anything happens to me while I’m seeking adequate care in the interim please reflect on how...

This review pertains to my experiences at the Rush University Medical Center Movement Disorders Center over the past 3-1/2 years. I want to start by saying my doctor there provides me excellent treatment--he alone gets the star. However, the rest of the experience is an ongoing nightmare. I have experienced numerous errors by Rush staff. The level of incompetence is staggering. Repeated errors were made pertaining to medical records, billing, coding of treatments, interaction with the insurance company's specialty pharmacy, and appointment scheduling. When I contact Rush about the errors , I am given incorrect information, lied to, or told it was my insurance company's fault when it was not. Many of my phone calls went unreturned, when I was promised a return call. Billing was horribly mishandled for over a year, turning my finances into a mess and making it difficult or impossible for me to get reimbursements from other entities.

The worst aspect is that, when a mistake is made, there is usually little or no effort made to rectify it. I was either told nothing could be done, or they incompetently made an unsuccessful attempt to handle the situation and made it even worse. Then, I would have to do their work for them so I wouldn't be the victim of their mistakes. I, as the patient, got it done--why couldn't they??? I have spent roughly FIFTY HOURS to ensure the mistakes were rectified over the years, making countless phone calls, writing countless e-mails, and taking copious notes. Many times I had to make lengthy calls to my insurance co. which were pointless, because Rush told me that the insurance co. made errors that the company did not make. They caused me to lose productivity and at my own job, with the repercussion of losing a promotion. I estimate that Rush would owe me over $2,000 if they paid me for all the work I've done to resolve their errors.

I eventually had to contact two people in Rush management to get issues resolved, because the employees below them seemed to be too incompetent, too uncaring, or both, to rectify their errors. I also repeatedly had to bring my doctor into these situations because no one else was helping.

In the latest error , Rush wanted to cancel an appointment I had on the books for months because, due to their error, they did not get prior authorization for the treatment. Cancellation would have meant I would have suffered progressive symptoms that would have interfered with my functioning while I waited weeks for treatment. I was told "sorry, there's nothing we can do, we've exhausted all our options". Knowing that was a lie, I made several phone calls and sent several e-mails, and then I had the appointment I needed. But why do I have to do their work for them and fight for the good service all patients deserve? An institution with integrity would have handled the situation so I could have my appointment and expect me to forgo treatment at the time I really need it because of their mistake.

If you want to go to a very expensive place, spend hours doing the work of the staff, and suffer repeated frustrations from an error-prone employees that don't seem to care what you suffer because of their mistakes, and wait up to 15 months for billing errors to be resolved, then this is the place for you. But if you want to be treated with respect for your time, valued as a customer, and interact with staff that takes the initiative to correct their errors without making you fight for what is rightfully yours as a patient, I highly recommend you go elsewhere if at all possible. Otherwise, you will suffer ongoing aggravation and be treated with disrespect. You will have to fight to be able to have your appointments due to administrative errors. The only reason I have stayed as long as I have is because my disorder is rare, and therefore effective treatment is...