Margaret Courtney

Review of Ottumwa Regional Health Center

I took my 12 year old grandson to the E.R with an ...

I took my 12 year old grandson to the E.R with an earache Saturday morning. After keeping us there for over an hour, letting us believe he would be treated, I was informed that, because he was a Medicaid patient and the earache was "non-emergent", which meant the hospital might not get paid, hospital policy dictated that he would not be treated. I was told after his examination by the doctor on duty that he would give us a prescription. It was only after I waited an additional 30 minutes for that prescription that I was advised of the hospital's policy. I was told that he would be treated in Bloomfield or Albia with no problem. So this is not common practice, at least in this area. We went to Davis County Hospital and received treatment. This was our first visit to the E.R. in over 10 years; we are not one of those families who use the E.R. as a primary physician. There was no justification for the way we were treated. I am pursuing the issue through Medicaid and any other agency or organization that I can find. My grandson was in serious pain; no child should be mistreated the way he was by this so-called "health center".