Altoona Regional Health System Review

When my wife was pregnant we found out that our son had a cleft lip our Doctor set us up with the doctors in Pittsburgh they gave us the option to have birth at home of in Pittsburgh via C-section after talking to our doctor she informed us that she talked to the doctors at Altoona UPMC and said it s not a problem that they have had several babies born with the same condition. so we decided to have the baby in Altoona and drive the next day to Pittsburgh. So the time came to go to the hospital after being put into a room they never checked my wife and a half hour later I had to yell for a nurse that the baby was coming she was in no hurry to get into the room and she comes over to check my wife at the same time an other nurse come pushing the epidural cart into the room the first nurse hurries to get the the phone well telling the second nurse that they won t be needed that it s too late. Then she calls for a doctor then comes over puts my wife into the stirrups the baby already crowning she then pushes on the baby s head to keep him from coming out for almost 15 minutes till the doctor showed up and the doctor tells the nurses she can t deliver the baby till another doctor shows up that she never delivered a baby before, the doctor walks over to check on my wife and tells the nurse to move her hand and my sone comes out and the doctor says guess I just delivered my first one on my own. This was at 5:55am I wait till 8:30am and call the doctors in Pittsburgh and tell them my son was born and updated them on how much he has eaten and they said everything was normal. At 2:15pm my cell phone rings and it s the doctor in Pittsburgh asking me if everything was ok and I said yeah and he asked me why Altoona was transporting my son to Pittsburgh so well on the phone I walk out looking for someone to ask what s going on takes over 5 minutes to find someone well the doctor on the phone tells me theirs no excuses for this that no parents should be left in the dark like we have. Finally finding a nurse she says their not happy with the amount my son has eaten so the doctor on the phone with me asked how many Ounces he s eaten and I told him ( I had everything written down ) he told me that it was perfectly normal but he would be waiting for us to arrive. So it was a good thing my wife didn t get an epidural because by 3pm we were in our car driving to Pittsburgh and if she would have had an epidural she would have had to stay the night in Altoona.

Then 3 weeks later our son gets RSV and we take him back to upmc Altoona where they do rush us right back and put a chest tub into our son and then arrange for him to be transported to Pittsburgh again this time they tell my wife she can go with my son. So I leave go home to get clothes and drive to Pittsburgh, by the time I get to the house pack a bag and start driving again my wife calls just crying and me scared beyond scared ask her what wrong she tells me their not letting her go with him and that CPS and the police were asking here all kinds of questions says a lung just doesn t collapse so I drive back to upmc Altoona and have to answer all kinds of questions( did I drop him, was he in a car wreck, just a sample) finally The test results come back and show he has RSV and they tell us it s ok to leave not once apologizing for what they just put us through. I will never walk into the hospital again.

I was to have a procedure done at 7am I sit and waited till 7 pm before I had it done
I was never offered anything to drink or given any up datrs what the problem was till l said I was going to leave . then you would have thought I was the president of the United States everyone was so sorry l had been pushed back snd not kept informed . these are the same stories I have heard about this hospital by for 20 yesrs

My sister in-law got admitted to the ICU after suffering two heart attacks in the cath lab. After many tests and a bleak outlook, we suggested that she might be septic based on the outstanding testing done and the symptoms. Once I suggested this, the doctor looked at me with a disdained glance and stated, no she is not septic. 4 days later my sister in-law passed away with sepsis. If you care about your loved ones, please have them flown out of this hospital and to Presbyterian in Pittsburgh if you value their life. To add to this, a nurse stated my sister in-law lost 500ml of blood during this tragedy and could not tell much blood that was in laymen's terms. Needless to say, I was the one they ignored when they came to speak with family because I asked too many questions.

First time at the ER at UPMC Altoona. While I waited longe than I wanted to they did help me out a lot.

They went out of there way for us. They were exceptional and very understanding thank God for the nurses we had for the birth of my newborn son and I'm a smoker so im in and out which they let me and asked us if we need anything

Witnessed them misdiagnose one of their own nurses babies.

My father went in with stroke symptoms, they kept him overnight, figured out absolutely nothing and sent him home. No recommendations or information.

I went in after I had passed out one day for no reason. Not a clue as to what could have caused it, no testing then sent on my way. I ve never passed out from anything before.

The doctors here are only doctors on paper and to earn a paycheck, they misdiagnose half of their patients and the other half gets pushed out the door after they rack up the bill.

Disgusting.

Most people that work here won't come here or let loved ones come here, what does that say for quality of service?

been waiting 2hrs and probably longer to see whats wrong with my mom people have stuff they need to do life matters

I hate this place . All I can think about it is that my grandmother had a massive stroke and these people were more eager for us to allow them to pull the plug. Well ya know it s just easier said than done. They didn t take care of her hygiene , they just had no bed side manner and spent more time on their damn cell phones. Sometimes Facebook needs to be for just home. She may have been some stranger to the nurses there but her family valued her more than anything. (ICU)

My father-in-law was taken here after showing symptoms of a stroke. Going in for the first time was interesting. Some parts look new and modern, while other parts looked to be from the 40's or 50's. The staff were nice enough, but I was happy to get my father-in-law and myself out of there.

UPMC Altoona has always treated us very well. UPMC Altoona was amazing when our son was was delivered there last month. Over the past few years we have had a few trips to the ER and they have always been amazing. UPMC Altoona has helped many of our friends and family members lead healthy lives and recover from injury/illness. UPMC Altoona offers the most advanced and high quality care in the area, and we are lucky to have them!

My mom had to stay overnight at UPMC Altoona. The staff was great. They made it so we could worry less about my mom. The nurses were great on taking care of her and made her feel welcome, even though she didn't want to be there. House keeping was even more awesome not only to keep the hospital clean and sanitized but to make sure the patient and visitors needed anything or wanted anything. The doctors that did her surgery kept us well informed from checking her in to checking her out. Thank you so much for taking care of her.

I added a review 8 months ago, this is an edit. I dictated this for my wife to enter. On Friday Nov 20, 2019 I went in yet again with the same issue and added symptom, now I can barely see, my symptoms are worse and I feel as if I am having TIA attacks everyday sometimes twice. I was told that it was Hyperventalation upon even entering a room, with no testing. Apparently their doctors are capable of diagnosis without any actual testing of your person now. Wow, how medicine has advanced. I am in route to another hospital in another STATE as per my old doctors reccomendations based on my symptoms. Let's hope I didn't have a mini stroke like he thinks. I guess it's good you can't get negative ratings, but I a sure that this would fall under Malpractice

I had a joint replaced in April and spent most of the time crying in pain because nurse flat out refused to give me my pain medication! She stood at the bottom of my bed and was,a bully! No one gave me fresh water till the day I went home and no one gave me anything to wash up with the whole stay. I never saw an aide till the last day either. When I was told I could go home after 2 days I was very happy but it was too soon as the nurses had not ordered PT and the day I left was the first time I had got out of bed to walk. Also what right do the nurses have to go thru your things while you are sleeping including your purse? My nurse was a control freak and a bully and I was helpless and at her mercy because I could not get out of bed and walk at all. I will die first before I go to this hospital again!
One last thing, a few yrs ago I had my gallbladder removed there and came down with a horrible strain of MRSA that came very close to getting into my bones and brain and would have killed me. All of my pain and discomfort and 10 weeks of IV antibiotics at home because of a dirty unsterile operating room and an incompetent Dr! MRSA stays in your body for the rest of your life and can become active at any time and kill you. So thank you UPMC! One star is too much!

Dr. David Benado is the most arrogant Doctor I have ever met. I had my first experience ever with this hospital last month and Dr. Benado spent all but 2 seconds seeing me and came up with the most absurd diagnosis that he isnt even qualified to diagnose anyone with because he is an emergency medical doctor and not a neurologist.

So slow it should not take 2 hours to read test results I think they keep you here to charge your insurance more in the 3 hours I've been here I've seen the cleaning lady more than a Dr. Or nurse

For a hospital, everything was decent enough. The public forgets that most of the staff are constantly caring for multiple patients and complain if they aren't waited on immediately. The 3 times I was in, I recovered quickly and didn't require constant care. But, the nurses checked on me regularly, came if I pushed the button, and the food was good. It's a hospital, not a vacation place. Be patient. Most of the staff DO care.

I went for some labs only 2 people working with a full waiting room. There where elderly people standing because there was no place to sit. Worse place ever!!!

They ll tell you just about anything s anxiety unless you re dying. They honestly don t seem to care about patients from what I ve seen and they love to waste your time. I m talking they ll have you wait in a waiting room just to get to another waiting room then they ll take blood or something and send you to another waiting room?! Also gave me a prescription to Xanax for being shaky from the cold which I wasn t able to get filled and my primary doc was furious

Dirty, horrible staff, I even overheard them making fun of patients including me. Gossiping like they were in a schoolyard

My son was recently flown to UPMC Altoona after wrecking his car. He had head injuries, a broken arm and facial cuts, bruises and bumps. The care my son received in the trauma unit and critical care was extraordinary. The nurses were phenomenal!

They incorrectly reduced my fractured wrist and failed to provide a competent surgeon or transfer me to a hospital that had one. A shoulder surgeon with no experience told me he "thinks he can do the surgery." Not very promising, right? So I asked to be transferred and they refused and held me in their "care" for several days, allowing my condition to worsen, rather than providing any kind of treatment. The hospital should not be allowed to stay open, and there orthopedic staff is amateur at best. Never admit yourself or a loved one here unless you want to be deformed for life. The surgeon in question, a man who SHOULD NOT be allowed to practice medicine.

My wife gave birth to twins here. Our midwife was with us here while all this was happening and thankful that she was. My wife was 10 cm dilated but had just a lip left but was not progressing. The nurse was in with us and we waited for almost an hour and still no progress finally our midwife said drain her bladder, that can sometimes hinder the progress. the nurse did so and soon our first baby boy joined the world. The second one was footling breech but thankfully the doctor was willing and delivered him naturally without insisting on c section. We spent a week in the hospital because the second one had problems keepin his temps up. We got a little frustrated with the doctors because they were unclear what goals had to be reached before he could get out. But thankfully the nurses were very helpful and pushed our little fella along and he was discharged a week later. He is doing quite well now. I heard one student doctor I know well who worked there explain it this way. The doctors are good. The nurses are very nice but the facility is not so excellent. The computers kept going down, the lack of communication, etc. I totally see why he says that. So 4 stars out of 5

This Hospital is awful. The nurses sit at the desk and let their patients in pain. The room smelled like urine. Then it took hours to get back the lab results. What really upsets me the patients in so much pain and the Patient Access is there worried about insurance and billing. Really that can be taken care of when the patient is stable. Also Pa s shouldn t be in Ers they should be treating sutures and broken limbs not medical emergency s. My husband is in pain and the pa asked if he was choking really???? I would bring my guinea pigs here.

I would never go there again I waited around for four hours and got no answers and I told them what was wrong they didn't even ask any questions about.. Ened up going to conamaugh hospital and got answers never go to this hospital!!!!!!

Family member was there. Staff was great!!! Big city hospital in a small town.

Very good E.R. and in-patient care. Folks have to understand that this is the only safe and competent E.R. for many miles around and is very busy. Try going to big city er and you will wait MUCH longer. Have had several outpatient and inpatient surgeries at UPMC. Never had BAD experience here. Laid in hallway strapped onto backboard and neck brace for several hours in other hospital.

Waited 3 hours and earned a bill of $2,000 for a doctor to pop in for less than a minute & tell me there was nothing she could do for my symptoms. Received said bill, then, two days later, received a past due notice.

TWO DAYS?? REALLY??

Honestly the only problem I had was the wait. I did have to go 3 times but I did also cause my own pain. But each time except the first was wonderful. The bill is 4000 for 2 nights and alot of bloodwork but my nurses were very comforting that's the best part

Thank you to the 14th floor nurses and doctors. They went above and beyond and I am grateful!!!

Patient care and attentiveness is awful. You don't get a reputation like this for no reason.

The staff is amazing! Their all very friendly and helpful. Very clean and welcoming environment, and the gift shop and food court are good to! Very accommodating of overnight guests!

I had an outpatient procedure done by Dr. Sabatini. I can't say enough good things about him. The pre-op and post-op nurses were very kind.
Not once did I feel that they felt like they were "just doing their job". They let my husband stay with me as long as possible. And called him on our cell phone just to let him know that I was on the operating table even though they give a pin # and family can check the status from the boards in the waiting rooms. Then the next day, one of the nurses called to see how I was doing and to tell me to go ahead and remove the bandage. So, I have to thank Dr. Sabatini and the following nurses: Lisa, Sharon, Faith, Greta, and Greg. I did not get the names of two other nurses in the operating room so thank you to them also. Thank you all so much!!

I went to the emergency room because I was throwing up for 4 days straight and started seeing blood in my spit after throwing up. They have good security and their doctors are very helpful. My only issue is and I know it s not entirely their fault, but I sat in the waiting room for over an hour and when you are as sick as I was, it was not a pleasant time.

Very nice hospital. For those reviews that state how bad the hospital is, they are telling you what they experienced back when UPMC Altoona used to be the Altoona Regional hospital. Altoona Regional was crap and the hospital was horrible back then. Now however, UPMC is cleaning up that mess and making this hospital a better hospital everyday by bringing in top notch technology and better doctors. Very clean, nice staff and doctors, just a well rounded hospital. So happy UPMC decided to come to Altoona!!!

Best hospital in our area i was born here along with three of four of my kid's

I was born in this hospital in 98 and when i go here i get treated nice and the er it takes a little bit to go back but thats cuz they are also taking care of inpatient crisis people but overall this place is better than nason

Worst hospital I have ever been to if you can make it to another hospital push on. This place has the bottom of the barrel doctors and surliest nurses you have ever seen. I would have rather be seen at a vetrinary service. If you dont mind dealing with jerks the food wasnt half bad.

My wife had a broken wrist in idaho 4 weeks prior to moving here. With tricare waiting to be transferred to a new region we spent a few different trips here trying to get them to remove the cast in the ER. They refused to do so and continued telling her she needs 1 more week. They did not at all recognize the orthopedic specialist she saw in idaho that ordered her cast to be on for 3 weeks. The physician assistant that saw us even told her to see a new orthopedic specialist even though our insurance isn't updated! This hospital is a nightmare.

UMPC emergency room staff has forever traumatized my 3yo daughter. My doctor told me to go in bc my daughter was extremely dehydrated, & wasn't eating, due to her refusing to take her antibiotics that were prescribed for her strepped throat 3 days prior. The doctor wanted to give two penicillin steroid shots so my daughter was able to eat and drink something. Luckily, I brought snacks and a drink bc no one ever offered anything for her to drink or eat. The doctor comes back an hour later and says, "Oh, good she's eating and drinking." As he tells me I am going to have to finish the antibiotics that had been sitting in my purse for two hours. I was thinking the shots she had received were antibiotics. I said "She needs an antibiotic shot. I am not able to get any antibiotics in her." He said he would order the antibiotic shot, but yet he didn't. He had another nurse come in to give me a lecture on how to give my child her antibiotics. Finally, the doctor sent over the antibiotic shot to the pharmacy. The nurse, Kaitlin was extremely rude, and unprofessional. After stabbing the shot into my daughter she says,"You need to stop crying, or you aren't getting this lollipop. Oh, nope no lollipop for you,you won't stop crying!" My daughter never got the lollipop The shot wound was bleeding so bad it leaked through the bandage, and through her pants. After 3 hours of being there my daughter cried the whole way home, and most of the night. The emergency room needs a pediatrician that understands children or at least people that don't mistreat my daughter! I will NEVER take my child back to UPMC!

Absolute JOKE of a hospital. Over a 3 hour wait to even get taking back to.be seen in the er. The "highly" trained and "Qualified " nurses can't even get a simple IV started. If you have ANY other option for emergency care then PLEASE use it and AVOID this scummy slum

Extremely disappointed with recent experience at UPMC Altoona. My grandfather was committed to ICU and then later moved to the 12th floor. He suffers from cancer, COPD, Diabetes and a few other serious illnesses. Carbon monoxide built up in his longs and he was unable to breathe - causing brain damage, confusion and loss of speech ability. I am repulsed with how disgusting they have treated my grandfather during his last few weeks with us.

We went to be by his side after a swallowing test was performed - only to find him alone in a hallway, all the test material (whatever it is - reminded me of a thick pudding with chunks in it) was left in his mouth and all over his face. No cleanup was performed on him. His blankets where wet, his pillow was wet, absorbing pads where crunched up underneath him. He looked confused, scared, lost and just extremely discomfortable. This of course brought my grandmother to tears.

The nurses caring on floor 12 do not show any compassion with there career choice. Since he is hard to understand, he is ignored or just made out to be cranky. I shouldn't say all the nurses, a few were great, but overall I was sickened with the care he received at this hospital. Go somewhere else if you or a loved one will be experiences an extended stay - this facility is a nightmare.

Can't give a rating don't know how the care is been in ER for over 4 hours and know one has been called back .Went to Nasons after 5th hour

Horrible hospital I ever been to nurses are horrible and so are the rental police officers! Apparently you do not take our concerns seriously!! I did talk to someone an they did not do anything apparently!

I am here right now at the ER and i got here around 8:30 and i have a swollen lip and dont know what it is it might be cancer because i chew but i have no idea because they have not checked me out yet to see what is wrong with my lip i do not suggest this place to anyone

Some of the staff are excellent. One time I went to the ER because I was in pain and hadn't slept more than 8 hours the last few days. The doctor insinuated I was making it up. They neglected to tell my the insurance I provided was expired. Then I was here after a car accident. Again, some of the nurses made my time there much better. Other times I was ignored. On my last day I needed an xray before I left, I was left outside of radiology in a wheelchair. I saw the person tasked with transporting me sitting on his phone. When he saw that I was looking at him he moved out of my view. Eventually, since my legs were fine, I decided to just go back to my room. A passing security guard wouldn't let me. Delayed me actually leaving the hospital by about 2 hours.

The Dr was amazing! That is the only thing good to say about this place.
My husband sat and waited over a half hour for the nurses to come in to take him to the restroom( he had a total knee replacement, so had to be accompanied). Rang again the 2nd time waited and no one came in so he had to get up n go himself just a few hours after surgery. Next day for discharge , he was finally discharged and waited for more then an hour for a wheelchair so he could leave. Now mind you he had been discharged. This place is pathetic. Im not even going into detail about how he was ignored. Just awful!

I went in for neck surgery. I had to stay over night on the 11th floor. All the nurses were great but one was amazing. His name was Cody. He listened to my needs and brought my pain meds before I asked. My needs were met 100%. He made me feel comfortable and spoke to me as a person not just another patient.

The emergency room is horribly run. Unfortunately I feel like the rest of the hospital is underestimated though because of how ridiculous the ER is. There are some great people and doctors in there, even if they are very few and far between.

Before coming here , I would consider your options. They are either seeing a veterinarian or just letting nature take its course. this place is bad. We all know it. Everyone outside of Altoona knows it. Doctors come here to fail or because no one else wants them.

Horrible experience There wouldn't keep me I was really sick and they throw me out almost with heart monter on had low heart rate was losen weight from some gas they put in my apartment. sad how this hospital is runned

I had the most amazing care during my recent stay at UPMC Altoona!!! The doctors and nurses were on point with my care. They answered any of my questions without hesitation and in a way I could understand. My 1 doctor , Jason Ropp, went above and beyond to help me with my healing. He reminded me that I was "a person before I was a patient". My daughter was in the middle of a chance of a lifetime but I couldn't do my part being laid up. Tje nurses on 14 were just... Amazong!! So sweet and caring. From the bottom of my heart... I thank you all!!!

Worst place in Pennsylvania period! gf had a baby there in they spelled the baby's name wrong now we have insurance cards in a bunch of other ridiculous things to take care of. all because 12 nurses can't check the spelling on paper ,most likely I'd say they threw it out or who even knows. so unorganized not even just the speling of the name could honestly go on for hrs...ect, about it ,but I've learn a very valuable lesson never will any other future children of mine ever be born in that horribly managed hospital!!!!!

Maternity ward is a joke! Especially if you are a new mom, been discharged and have a sick baby. No where for the new mom to sleep, prop her feet up, eat, go to the restroom etc. This is definitely not the environment a post natal mother should be especially if she's trying to breast feed.

Was admitted last week.. Worst experience ever. Never have I been so insulted and degraded. Charge nurse made fun of my husbands appearance. Questioned my ailgment as if I was telling a story. .talk bad about me to oncoming nurse. Had to use a pair of blue nursing pants to dry off with out the shower list goes on and on. Horrible!!!!!!

I dont understand why people give this place 1 star. I've been going here for years. Different Drs different nurses but one thing remains the same. The absolute very best service and medical help. This a real hospital and these people really care.

I wish I could give a minus 10, nothing good! If you have a chronic issue and take meds, dont go here. Most doctors, once you disclose rx, treat you as though you are a criminal.
The nursing staff is wonderful but most doctors are judgmental and have a God complex.

Went to this ER today. The nurses and front desk staff were not at all pleasant and very rude. Absolutely no bedside manor from the nurses and I had to take charge in regards to my care because they did not tell me what they were giving me. The doctor however was very sympathetic and took the time to answer my questions. ER was a wait, but not that long of one. I would recommend a different hospital if compassion and understanding is something you value in your healthcare because there is hardly any of that at this hospital.

CHRISTMAS DAY MY mother in law was in the hospital with pneumonia. Around 11am i decided to go to the cafeteria for an ice tea. Workers were lined up and i asked if the cafeteria opens at 11 and was told yes. When i went in all the coolers were taped shut. I asked if i could get a drink. I WAS TOLD THE CAFETERIA WAS ONLY OPEN TO EMPLOYEES TODAY!! I said cant i get a drink out of the fountain soda, NO ITS FOR EMPLOYEES ONLY TODAY. I said well i guess visitors can't eat today, one of the workers was not happy with me and was telling others did you hear what she said. I turned around and said it louder incase they didn't.

SHAME ON YOU UPMC........

IVE BEEN HERE SINCE 12:00pm AND ITS 5:14pm. THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

On a Thursday.... My daughter has her first ultrasound: at upmc. This is her and her husbands first pregnancy.. She calls me after the test. She is concerned because the ultrasound tech is acting oddly. The tech is waking in and out of the exam room and taking longer than expected.

Saturday.....5am . My daughter Is notified by My Upmc (email) thar her and her husbands child has evidence of a severe birth defect. Yes, and Email ! She calls the upmc doctors office, leaves messages and receives no call back. .

Monday... My daughters routine Upmc doctor appointment . We listen as the doctor removes the chart from from the outside of the exam room and then a 20 minute delay before she enters. The doctor began to sadly explain the test results and what my daughter should expect with the birth defect diagnosis. We explained that we had already been notified by email. The doctor apologized saying that my daughter should not have been sent the results by email. Since we have several doctors in our family we were able to discuss and plan our preparations for this birth defect with professionals over the weekend... My daughter requested a referral to Children s Hospital in Philadelphia.

On Tuesday (the next day)... My daughter has a 5 hour appointment. She meets each doctor/surgeon/NICU case manager/ genetic specialist on my grandsons team. All specialist had read her chart prior to appointment. I can not explain the sense of relief we experienced during this visit. Nothing with the diagnosis/treatment had changed just the tactically approach.

Upmc appears to have changed from a hospital to business only mentality. I hope patients and families realize that they can and should go to hospitals that allow doctors to care and support their patients . Not all hospitals are the same!

I do not blame the doctors, nurses and/or departments but instead the directors and those in the highest power of Upmc. You can do better than this!

All staff at the hospital were great. Elevators need to be working. Only one elevator working that goes to the higher floors. Unacceptable.

Went to the er coz of fever, sore throat and body pain. The wait time was 3 hours. 27 people ahead of me. The UPMC. Altoona hospital, I don t know why they can t take people faster. It was a Saturday. I pay for my insurance and was told I will be billed $350 if they take me in. Lol wish I made less money, then it would be free. Called the members services, they are closed in weekend. Looked up walk in clinics, they only open 8 am 1 pm. I guess people don t get sick on weekends for them. Was able to find a facility in Bedford which was open 8 am - 5 pm according to the website. It s an hour drive, but I took it anyway. Those wondering I did call them, but went to voicemail. When I arrived there it has a 8.5 by 11 paper saying because of summer the hours has changed to 8 am - 2 pm. No official stamp paper, nothing. I also called Medexpress to see if they took my insurance but they don t take partners network insurance. I don t know why anyone has not bring this up yet, UPMC is making lives of people more suffering. As a major provider of health insurance, they should think about the well being of there customer. The customer trust them with there life and well being. Not having customer care in weekends, not opening walk in clinics in weekends, and waiting to see a doctor for multiple hours while suffering in their not so comfortable chairs. Who is responsible for this ? Does the suffering even go to the concerned department ? If so why is there no change ? Is it because they have a monopoly and they don t really care ? There is a saying Health is the first wealth but not for UPMC Altoona. This is just my personal experience from UPMC health network.

This review is based on my elderly mothers experience with Dr. George Cummings of Cove Surgical Associates and UPMC. Dr. Cummings was recommended to my mother by her family doctor. After only waiting two weeks for an appointment to see Dr. Cummings he recommended surgery. The entire process up until this time was very pleasant. Surgery was scheduled two weeks out at Altoona Hospital and everything went fine during surgery or, so it seemed. Two weeks later I called for my mother to schedule her follow-up appointment after surgery because she was having some problems. I was met with rudeness from the unnamed lady that answered the phone at the Roaring Spring office. I was told that the office was booked for the next two months and maybe they could get her in the Altoona office. Three weeks later we go to the Altoona office to see Dr. Cummings. We met with a nurse, who probably was one of the most uncaring and rudest nurses I remember ever meeting. Dr Cummings comes in and see my mom for maybe two minutes, gives her two prescriptions and says these will help her. Two weeks later my mother is still having soreness and a few side other effects from surgery which seem to be only getting worse. I called the Roaring Spring office and again was told they are booked solid. At least this time I wasn t met with rudeness. We had an appointment within one week at the Altoona office and got the same rude nurse we had a few weeks prior. This time Dr. Cummings met with us for about three minutes along with his Physician Assistant. He did nothing to help my mother and vaguely answered are questions. He ended the appointment by saying she needs to continue her prescriptions and hopefully that resolves her issues!!?? That is the statement we got from him ten weeks out of surgery. After three appointments with Dr. Cummings I have concluded he doesn t give a damn about his patients and he is only in this career for the large salary. Sure, he will smile, shake your hand and pretend to care but that is just part of the con job to sign you up for surgery. Once out of surgery the patient is on there own and Dr. Cummings is on to the next money-making adventure.

Had a procedure here. Nurses never smiled. My room was across nurses station and all I heard was their plans for their social gatherings. Not once did one of the n come to ask if I needed anything. Sorry I had to come here.

This place is a joke and all they are doing is monopolizing I just left there most beds where empty in the emergency room everyone sitting out in the waiting room waiting to be seen for 3 to 4 hours because they won't have no employees they're working I mean come on people I don't even really know what to say or think anymore our freaking States letting them do this and all they're doing is taking money out of our pockets and Robin the freaking insurance companies....

I'm rather surprised by the bad reviews. I went to the ER a few weeks back and they took me in immediately. Called my name before I even finished the paperwork. The nurses were very kind. I was admitted and they had to do some emergency surgery. All the staff was very pleasant. From the nurses, the P.A.s, the anesthesiologist, the surgeons, etc... They all went out of their way to explain exactly what was going on, and what they were going to do. When I was discharged, they even called me at home to make sure I was OK. When I went to my follow up appt at the hospital, it was the same way. Polite and informative staff. Very happy with my experience here !

I was assulted on a city sidewalk by a police officer there for no reason and the hospital refused to call me

The male employee at the outpatient registration desk was shockingly rude to an elderly gentleman who was obviously confused. He caused him to become visibly upset. He also insulted a volunteer who was trying to calm the patient by saying the volunteer who wore hearing aids"didn't listen". It was sad to watch and gave a terrible first impression.

When i was admitted the nurses were amazing, after i was discharged and called about a follow-up to have staples removed, the nurse on the line gave me such attitude when i said i had no way to travel the hour there to have my staples removed, and sarcastically said "how you going to get them out then? They just dont come out on their own", when all i was trying to do was try to figure out if there were other options on getting down there, or if i could go somewhere a lot closer to my home..
Today, i called asking if there was a fax number so i can have paperwork filled out for my leave of absence for work, so i dont lose my job, for the day i was in the hospital, as it needs filled out by a doctor, got told they can not do so, and i need to go to my actual doctor. When i explained i had no way to see my doctor in time, and the walk in clinic who removed the staples could not do it, they gave me the run around, then finally told me to call the trauma center Monday to see if they will.
Very unprofessional over the phone..
Thanks UPMC, you tell me im not allowed to return to work til staples are removed, so im out of work for 2weeks,and when i try and figure out paperwork to return to work, i get nothing but attitudes and run arounds.. Very professional..
End note. Hospital stay = staff was amazing.
Follow up phone calls = nurse very unprofessional.

This hospital has employed a registered sex offender. I will not be using this hospital again.

This hospital is a shining example of the state of our medical system in this country.. Honestly, you're probably better off buying plane tickets and flying to Mexico to see a doctor. Not only are the staff and doctors all incompetent and mindless and have no idea what they're talking about, but the prices you'll be charged, even with insurance, are outrageous. Don't expect to get any real answers here. You'll basically just be paying hundreds of dollars to sit around and wait to hear nothing other than that you need to be referred to a specialist, so that you can spend even more money.. Great country we live in.

Horrible experience! My boyfriend has been here 12 times in the last two months for testicular and lower back pain. The hospital has run every test told him he had epididamitis then they told him he had a UTI gave him meds for both within 2 days his pain was back. We came back down to the hospital and they say there is nothing more we can do for you. Basically I m saying they are a pill pushing hospital if you can make it to Hershey or Pittsburgh go!!! Some of the nurses also have attitudes that are unprofessional.

Bad service, bad attitude and rude. Only thing they are concerned about is the money. Just remember they have a monopoly and you are the victim. You may check in, but you won't check out.

My wife spent 5 days in the hospital. The staff, nurses and doctors, were uniformly helpful and compassionate.

This hospital is horrendous. My mother was in here for knee surgery. We were so disgusted with her care and the lack of compassion. Then my dad was just admitted and has not eaten all day. I asked for him to be able to eat and he needs to do a swallow test first. Which might not happen until morning, so he is out of luck. And the nurse had the audacity to laugh.

Unless you are dying, don't bother coming here. You can wait longer than 4 hours for a room. Even going through the ER took forever.

My mom has kept UPMC Altoona quite busy as of late. One such visit took place just over two weeks ago. When I entered the ER, I quickly noticed a young child who was experiencing a significant amount of discomfort while in the waiting area. An employee, Loren Bowman, was working his magic with the child. Loren quickly captivated the boy's attention, and, at the same time, shared with the child's dad the steps that would be taken, AND expedited the process with the nurses and ER attendants. The child quickly calmed while Loren continued his balancing act with the father and with Loren's co-workers. Once the child's needs had been addressed and was passed on to a doctor, Loren quickly tackled my mother's case. It was done genuinely and with full attention. It's difficult for me to believe that this is a one-time thing for Loren. He detailed the steps that would be taken to assist my mom. Since I am from out of state and quite unfamiliar with the layout of the hospital, he walked me to the room where my mom would be staying. Along the walk, he greeted the majority, if not all, of the employees by name and checked in with them on items specific to the individual. The same attention that he paid to the little boy was given to my mom and to his co-workers. My hope is that I will not have to pay another visit to this hospital. If I do, I can trust the process that Loren demonstrated.

Let's say there is no patient care The staff is overworked and do not have time for the patients

If you come here and they can t figure out what s wrong they ll just tell you you have anxiety. Or they ll tell you you look healthy as far as I can tell and send you on your way. like looks define health.. also dealt with an experience where I was cut off by a doctor multiple times and given antibiotics for no reason just because he didn t want to listen to me or try to figure anything out @david benado

This place used to be the best in the area, but UPMC came in and ruined everything.

My wife came in with hi blood pressure and being 8 months pregnant they wanted to keep her over night,fine. But at 6:30 when they ammited her (after being here 7 hrs.). They said she could eat but said the cafeteria was closed if I wasn't here she wouldn't have gotten to eat. Also her bed was broke, called for nurses help to pee never got it I had to get help. There's was no wear for me to rest as I stayed over I case we had the baby I'm cancelling the delivery date here and we are going to maggees women's hospital where they really seem to care will never come here again. 0 stars

Amazing billing incompetence. Charged me $600 for bloodwork, then applied the charges to the wrong insurance. After the fourth phone call (And one from my insurance company while I waited), I just paid them so they don't wreck my credit. I'll try to straighten it out with the insurance company. It's unfortunate I can't deduct the two hours I spent on the phone from my bill. My doctor is UPMC. Apparently, the lab is something separate. I will go out of my way to avoid them from now on.

U dont even want my opinion of this place.. it isnt a very good one! They need to learn how to pay attention to patients charts before giving meds! Not pleased at all with the staff at this hospital! I will be contacting the hospital for some answers to what they did to my mother!

I WOULD RATE IT 0 IF GOOGLE WOULD ALLOW THAT... MY MOTHER HAD GONE TO THE ER DUE AN INFECTION IN HER FINGER... SHE WOUND UP HAVING SURGERY IN THE EARLY MORNING TO REMOVE THE INFECTED AREA. SO AS HER SON I DECIDED TO GO TO THE STORE AND BUY HER SOME BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS AND A CARD AND HAD PLANNED TO DROP IT OFF. WELL I GET TO THE HOSPITAL AND I WAS TOLD I WAS NOT ALLOWED TO SEE MY MOTHER BECAUSE THE PERSON WHO HAD BROUGHT HER TO THE ER WAS THE ONLY VISITOR THEY WOULD ALLOW. AS ANYONE ELSE WOULD BE, I WAS UPSET. AND YOU WOULD THINK THEY WOULD OFFER TO BRING HER FLOWERS TO HER ROOM FOR ME AT LEAST BUT NOPE THEY LOOKED AT THE COPS AND I WAS ASKED TO LEAVE. I DONT UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR STAFF COULD BE SO UNSYMPATHETIC AND RUDE. DO NOT BRING YOUR FAMILY OR LOVED ONES HERE UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE DENIED SEEING THEM.

My daughter was unfortunately a patient in your "So called" emergency room. Waited almost 6 hours to be seen by a doctor. She was not the only one. A person with a recent heart problem was left sitting in the "pending results" for over 2 hours after coming in with chest pain. The ED doc did her assessment in the same area in front of many others waiting for results. Guess she never heard of HIPPA. She also examined another person in the same area. Customers were sitting back there for hours without any employee around for more than 50% if the time. Your Dr Kahn female) decided in a 2 minute evaluation, that my daughter's problem was her weight when
she has weighed around the same for over 15 years and her own Internal Medicine doctor that knew her for over 20 years had no problem with her weight. Maybe she should have read the chart before she came into the room. At least the cardiologist knew why she was there and ordered the appropriate followup. We have already tried to contact relations, but I guess they don't care enough to return calls.

Very nice .and clean ..great docs ..thanks Dr.Swain