Rich Dorsi

Review of Bayshore Medical Center

I have not been to the emergency room in decades. ...

I have not been to the emergency room in decades. On July 31, I went to Riverview Medical Center (Red Bank, NJ) emergency room with pain in my right leg that was 8-10 on the severity scale. If it were not so severe, I would have waited the 2 weeks it takes to get an appointment with an Orthopedic. They made me comfortable for a few hours and released me with prescriptions that did nothing for the pain. The next day, the pain was so severe, I had to go to the emergency room again, Bayshore Hospital (Holmdel, NJ) this time, and the same drill, comfortable for a few hours and released with medication that did nothing to manage the excruciating pain. Two days later, I was back in the emergency room and had to be driven by ambulance because I could not walk anymore without blinding pain. Finally, I was admitted and treated for the severity of my condition.
After speaking with Hackensack Meridian billing and Bayshore Patient Experience, explaining my situation, a review was initiated. I received the outcome of that review yesterday. Not surprisingly, when the independent party researched my emergency room care, it was determined nothing was done wrong. Also no one contacted me and asked my opinion. I was the one suffering and had the overwhelming expense of 3 emergency room visits in 4 days. How can a determination be made without interviewing the patient? I am sure the healthcare providers that tended to me on each visit all had good intentions. However, I am outraged by the additional pain and suffering I had to endure before they finally got it right and admitted me and administered the proper treatment for my condition. Additionally, Hackensack Meridian did nothing to mitigate the absurd cost of the experience which included an ambulance ride on my 3rd visit which was an additional $1300 net to me, to get driven a half mile to the hospital. If I received the proper care on my first visit, the cost for my treatment would be thousands of dollars less. The fact that Hackensack Meridian is taking no action to acknowledge and make things right is disgusting and shameful.