Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Review

My visit at SMH Lab on University Parkway on 3/2/20 for blood work was very good. I had a prescription but no appointment but did not have to wait more than 5 minutes, in spite of all the work currently taking place.
The staff was very efficient and pleasant.

went to emergency after motorcycle accident.......was in severe pain with torn pants and bleeding legs, sat in er for 3 hrs while people with sniffles went ahead of me, I was moaning in pain which caused drs there to grin and smile.......finally, they took an xray and said I had no broken bones and sent me home with my pants soaked in blood adhered to my knees. no cleansing of wounds,nothing. next day i went to dr of my own that looked at their xrays and found 4 broken ribs!!!!!!!!!!! the pants had to be torn off my legs and painfully scrubbed to remove dirt and bloody debris.... go here if you are dead already!!!!

I went for bloodwork and couldn t have felt safer. They were as cautious as possible, and always nice and friendly. Really professional too.

This review will be in two parts, one for the ER and one for an in-patient stay.

-The ER: I am, thankfully, not overly knowledgeable about hospital ER's lately. That said, I am a bit educated about how the system is designed to work. The first thing that I'll say is be careful with how you present your problem. Things can quickly get pushed onto an algorithm and there you'll stay. My wife's complaint during the visit was 'I had surgery recently and now my heart is beating too fast.' She quickly got on the heart problem algorithm. That's good in terms of saving a person with a heart problem. It is less good for someone whose heart is beating fast because of something related to a surgery on a completely different part. The end result was six hours, labs and studies related to the heart, and some IV's. The end result was 'Your heart is fine' and a prescription containing something that we had listed an allergy to (it contained Tylenol/acetaminophen which causes...wait for it...rapid heart beat. You can run into trouble if your heart is displaying a symptom of a problem somewhere else.

-In-patient stay: We got to spend two separate periods here while my wife was undergoing two surgeries. They were largely the same with some minor differences. The first time, her room was a bit crowded for someone needing space for mobility. The nursing care was really quite good, though. The second (and longer) stay, the room was very nice but the care was spotty. My opinion based on this stay is that the support people (CNA's/MST's/LPN's) were largely very helpful and polite. The RN's ran the gamut from kind and experienced to evasive/uneducated/inexperienced/pushy/rude. Be advised: get on top of managing the care of your loved one. Don't rely on the hospital staff. If you don't know how to overwatch their care, learn before you go. Some of the nurses are just checking blocks and aren't terribly empathetic.

Now I have leveled some criticism. I feel it is only fair to say that I don't think that this is a SMH-specific problem but rather a slow degradation of our society. The hospital itself can affect the mood of employees to some degree though. I experienced some time in another local hospital during this recovery process and found the nurses seemed more satisfied and happy with their jobs.

As a family member, I will say that SMH has all the things that you need to make your time there reasonably comfortable. There is good food and drink available and there is valet parking. The facility overall is well cared for, clean, and functional.

I could ramble on but I think that I should stop now in case anyone actually reads this and has better things to do with their time.

First appointment with Dr Somer. Reception went quickly as I had pre-filled all of the documents. Staff was very friendly. Dr Somer was on time and spent more time with me than I expected. He was very thorough and answered all of my questions as well as asking me very relevant questions.

My father had open heart surgery and all I can say is wow. The Physicians are amazing, everything else was a disappointment. The nurses on the floor came into his room @ 7am, and 4, and never came back. They actually had a birthday party for one of the nurses right outside of his room, and ignored the patients. He had vomited coming from ICU to his step down floor and no one wiped his mouth or changed his clothes. The food was awful, high in sodium, and not nutritious for a cardiac patient at all.
He went without pain meds because the nurse forgot to come to his room. For a 5 star hospital this was really sad, he had a procedure last year at Doctor s hospital and can t speak more highly of it.

Staff, nurses, doctors excellent, but the insanity of the pricing is well beyond logic and morality.
Visit in the emergency room for 4:30 hours including long wait time:
$1,320.00 + $ 350.00 = 1,670.00 (that is without, pharmacy, Chemistry, Hematology, Urology ) and a scan, about I will talk later.
Right after that I went to Portugal and had to go to the emergency room of a hospital in Porto, where I spent 9 hours.
What they did was equivalent to what had been done in Sarasota, minus the scan. When I left I paid $ 210.00 because I was a foreigner, having only my US passport and no insurance.
Earlier this summer while traveling in France I had to have a lot of procedures, one of which was a PET SCAN of my whole body. It took almost three hours because you firs have to be injected with a dye, wait for it to travel a bit in your body. Th scan itself is one hour. Then you wait a little more to rest and wait for the doctor to read you what he saw. As a US citizen not producing any insurance I paid 639.54 Euros = $720.
In Sarasota, while in the emergence room, I had a scan with 2 passes, which lasted 2 minutes, one pass for my abdomen, the other for my pelvis. The cost for those 2 minutes combined scan: $ 6047.00.
We are to be the best at racking so much money out of people or their insurance. Talk about a racket. Who came up with those prices, John Gotti, Vincent Gigante? The discrepancy is astonishing. No wonder that we are ranked number 37 in the World. It is not the quality of the doctors or nurses, it is the immoral cost of whatever is needed. Another example is an injection that I had to buy in France in a pharmacy with a prescription: 363 Euros or $ 410. The same, by the same lab, in the GOOD OLD US is $ 2500 minimum. We are definitely number 1 at ripping off people. And don't start with other countries pay more taxes. It is not completely that different. At least they don't have a military budget equivalent to the 12 richest countries put together.
Again, the staff and the doctors and the nurses are not what I am complaining about. And the insurance paid for it. But it is a the immoral illogical dishonest absurdity of the pricing that really depresses me.

Dude charged me 1019 bucks to slide his hand over my wrist i was uncomfortable also they gave me a 13$ amazon brace after he guessed it was carpel tunnel

Emergency room very nasty employee...left my mom on a plastic mattress after she vomited on her sheets..did not change her gown then left her sittin for hours n her room was ready....totally disrespectful...people like this should not b working in healthcare

They are always efficient, timely and very friendly. I highly recommend this facility at Blackburn Point when you need a medical service.

Upon entering room 1 we waited 45 minutes until we went to room 2 for another 45 minutes we finally made it to room 3 and waited another hour and a half to get some quack who didn't want to put forth any effort to do anything for my fiance who just got in a car accident while pregnant. We had to insist on an ultrasound because he said that it would be absolutely pointless to do blood work on her keep in mind after a car accident. He said the same thing about doing an ultrasound being pointless. I do not exaggerate when I say the cleaning crew would do a much better job treating the patients here.

My mother was brought to the Emergency Room which is a disaster. The long wait was awful. The ER has serious problems that needs to be addressed by hospital administration. SOmetimes hospital staff do not realize who is walking through their doors. Firstly, listen to your patients and their families in ER! My mother thought she was going to die in your ER. She got transferred up to ICU and Thank God for the ICU nurses who advocated for her. They got a surgeon who was on the ball and saved my mother's life. I give this surgeon a 5 star. The care in ICU Pod I must say was outstanding and I give all the nurses a 5 star rating. Medsurg nursing care seemed to be okay. Care should be standard in all areas of the hospital.. Staff sometimes appears overwhelmed by number of patients, no one in hallways, techs sitting around chatting in I guess break rooms being lazy. Look nursing is tough! I have 10 years of hospital experience and it's hard work! Hospitals do outstanding work and no doubt about that! I can name some of your nurses by first name off hand that should receive awards and a pay raise! There should be a form of professionalism and respect across the board not just in ICU from patient to family but from also within your ER your first contact. Again, I can't complain about your ICU nursing staff. Again Hospitals do outstanding work I'm not saying your totally bad but your ER is deplorable. Three stars to the med surg unit especially to a few nurses, 0 stars to ER, and 5 stars to ICU. . Lower staff to patient ratio and having excellent patient care outcomes will make you the hospital people want to go to! Remember your nurses are your customer service and the front lines! Your ER is the what brings the customer into your front doors and word of mouth is powerful!

I was born and at smh plus my son. It seems like we always get the worst rooms yo the back end plus it seems like My voice and concerns never matters. The doctor gives orders that's it. Nothing I suggest seems to matter. The nurse comes in rude hard to communicate with. Am always reminded to go somewhere else because. When I leave the ER I NEVER FEEL LIKE I WAS TAKEN CARE OF FAIRLY No that's different when being admitted. I could almost write a book.

NOT a memorable experience.
Mainly because everything went smoothly and easily from finding parking nearby to checking into the facility to the professional and caring technician who did the lab work.

I have been on 4th floor NW tower last several days for an ailing parent. More times than not the nursing staff at the nursing desk display and act like every question is a bother and a nuisance. They also seem very uncoordinated in the flow of information from one shift to the next. But the most egregious act is the sincere lack of customer/patient helpfulness and sincerity is trying to answer questions ... (eg., I see my father was moved do you know why .... answer with no eye contact: no my shift just started ... which ended the discussion until someone else heard how rude and unprofessional it was and tried to help).

Excellent care, great staff, 100% satisfied with my medical treatment.

I had a blood test taken at a health center off Clark Road which must be an extension of Sarasota Memorial. It's near my home so it's very convenient. The process was smooth as could be. Not sure if it's always so quick but they took my info minutes after I arrived and within 10-15 minutes took samples of my blood.

PATIENTS BEWARE... ask how much cash payment will be compared to your insurance payment when making appointments. When you are going in to have a breast lump evaluated you are focused on the unknowns of the lump, not asking the hospital if cash payment is higher or lower than submitting through insurance. I had a mammogram done at SMH and am paying ~$1000 through insurance compared to ~$400 cash, without insurance. SMH will not tell you this before appointment. When I received high bill, I tried to work with SMH to pay cash payment and they said I am now trapped into insurance payment. SMH has billing advocates, however, these advocates are not advocates for the patient.

Sarasota memorial is a giant money machine with a low standard of care I have been there a few times and all were bad experiences from my heart cath on down they admit you into the hospital but when you get the bill you were in observed care never an in patient so they charge you accordingly which happens to turn out they make more money hmmmm then I supposedly have to wait all day for the doctor to discharge me and he does and you get the bill and they say you were never admitted that s why that 4 grand was charged to you now that sounds shady for sure then while your in the hospital every doctor that walks by your room comes in says hello checks your chart walks out and sends you a bill. You even have doctors you never even saw or know sending you bills so for 30 grand I got a night of observation couple tests and an MRI and when it was all said and done a couple antibiotics and I was set

The nurses were very kind and tried to help in every way they could. My care could not have been any better.
My experience 11 years ago with Memorial was horrible, so this was some transformation. 11 years ago it was in the general hospital, the other day it was in the heart center.

I was treated with the best of care, My husband died, And the same day I had a stroke. Without the care I recieved there I would not have lived, The care was great, Doctors were wonderful , And even after I came home, They followed up with care at home!

Great full service hospital. They handle all emergencies including overdoses. They are a trauma center as well.

You have an appt at the hospital and the scheduler tells you where to check in, the woman who calls you days later to confirm the appt tells you a different place to check in, you get to the hospital a 1/2 hr early (thankfully) to find that NEITHER place is right and no one can tell you where it is you need to go. So, after 3 miles of roaming the hospital with incorrect directions from staff and the last person directing me to the 10th floor, incorrectly, a nurse was trying her best to figure out where I was supposed to go, when a gentleman just so happened to be walking by and overheard, I guess, enough to direct me down 6 floors with enough lefts and rights to get me where I needed to go. So, 58 minutes later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, I got to my appt...so ridiculous.

SMH is always professional and caring. Will utilize their facility whenever I need health care@

Thank you to the staff on the Respiratory floor, we saw how hard you all worked to serve your patients during my husband's 5 day stay.

The Breast Health Center does a great job! The staff is very helpful, knowledgeable and kind! Love the zen music in the waiting room.

This was one of the worst experiences of my life. My wife was admitted for a stroke. The rooms are small and cluttered. They were not clean, there was stuff all over the floor. The food was inedible. The nursing staff was incompetent and uncaring. My wife was left on a commode and no one came to check on her. She could have been seriously injured. We selected SMH because our doctors practice there. And there are not many other options but I would say this was a totally unpleasant experience. I would give it a D. What a sad thing that Sarasota only has two hospitals and SMH is a disaster.

Overall, I think that Sarasota Memorial Hospital does a fine job of addressing my health care needs. However, it has gotten to be very large and suffers from the same administrative diseases that all large organizations experience.

Love this hospital! Clean, customer focused. Great staff!

Very good overall experience during the day. Terrible patient care with night shift medical staff. Very unfriendly, abrupt mannerisms, forgetful and not at all attentive.

When I asked for 2 tylenol it took 30 minutes to get them and when the male night nurse delivered them he just gave me a cup with 2 pills.
I asked if I could get some water to take them with he said he'd get some. He never returned. I had to call again and finally a nurses assistant brought me a small cup of lukewarm water.

One of the nurses assistants took my blood pressure around midnight and told me what it was. When I remarked that it seemed a little high she said maybe the next time you could take it yourself.

I was also disappointed with the pr-admission testing nurse who administered the pre admission questionnaire. She was very aloof and not at all pleasant. She would not let my wife be in the room when she was administering the questionnaire. I have a hearing disability that I acquired in the military and in all other similar situations the nurses have always asked if my wife would like to be with me. It just makes these types of processes go a lot more efficiently.

I have had numerous procedures and a number of other dealings with SMH and have always been overly satisfied with my experiences. I am sorry to say that I was lees than pleased this time.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to relay my thoughts and concerns. I feel that this was just an aberration and not the norm at SMH.

They have saved my fathers life 3 times now. Both my kids were born at this hospital and the experience was truly wonderful. Great service from Great people. I don't know what some of these people are talking about in there reviews but I have been to dirty hospitals in bad areas and Sarasota Memorial is by far one of the best hospitals in the country.

A bunch of crooks. I would rather die than go back to one the offices. Billing is horrible and the most untrustworthy people I have ever dealt with in my life

Very organized and great phlebotomist. My husband has difficult veins and your people are the best.

SMH laboratory on Rand is excellent. Staff are competent and caring.

Always a good experience. Friendliness, & expertise of all, from the reception area to my final destination. In & out in a timely manner.

My dad died last month, and Dr Kirk George Voelker took 2 entire weeks to sign my dad's dead certificate. Doctors there have zero empathy. They barely communicate to inform you about your relative.

Does not even provide basic medical care waist of the $1000 it cost to sit here for 2hours

I had a TIA. SMH treated me wonderful -the staff of 5ET were
sweet & caring .

Terrible experience these hospitals are a joke!they collect a lot of money do nothing. We need better health care system.

I ve always heard great things about this hospital and when I came in here I was not disappointed. They take great care of you. The doctors are really helpful and even the nurses and the technicians take their job very seriously. Thankful that Sarasota has such a great hospital in an awesome location.

I was so impressed and thrilled with the care I received while receiving IV antibiotics for 3 weeks a the SMH Infusion Center. First and foremost, the nurses and CNA's are so skilled, caring and efficient. They all work together as a cohesive and happy team...that makes their patient care and the patient experience perfect.
Secondly, the Infusion Center is CLEAN and organized. They care about keeping patients safe and protected.
Lastly, the physical setting honors a patient's desire for privacy - if they want it. The separate areas are comfortable and pleasant...making what is a somewhat unpleasant experience actually pleasant.
This is a five star operation. And, I am so grateful I was able to do my treatments there.

We just moved here from Massachusetts, my girlfriend had covid symptoms, I took her to SMH ER, rude staff, I was there for 7 hrs no one upgraded me on her status, I had to call back to the nurses, totally rude, 3 of them were sitting up front sitting around talking for 2 hours, obviously I'll never go back.

Staff was warm and friendly and I got in and out quickly. Results were done in 24 hours, but not sent to the prescribing doctor. At the Dr.'s office, they were able to download the results of the blood work.

I've been to this clinic many times over the past 5+ years. Even during busy times, their system accommodates the patients in an orderly, and usually minimal time delay to receive services. Also, for those who need near immediate results for a doctor's use, their policy is blood work and other analyses gets inputted into the records system within 24 hours. Yesterday was not exception. The Phlebotomist had excellent technique.

Caring, efficient staff in a wonderful facility. Very technically up to date.

Shop around - for non emergency diagnostic services we found that SMH's prices were 7 times the average. How do they justify it? "You're free to check for prices before hand." So that's what i would recommend - shop around! SMH prices are highway robbery!

I have never experienced such high quality of care for people from medical staff members ever as I have experienced in this hospital. My expereince with the doctors, nurses, cna, the lab personnel, dietary , housekeeping the liaison personnel, radiology. Everyone has been awesome compassionate helpful sympathetic empathetic. All the things needed at a stressful time like this. I am absolutely thankful that my mother came to this hospital. I can appreciate totally how this hospital received magnet recognition. Praises go to all the staff on the 8th floor. They were and are all exceptional!!. I hope this hospital appreciates the staff they have.

I was born here and recently my great grandma feel... They did a wonderful job of taking care of her

Wonderful nurses and aids but the food is awful. I don t understand how Englewood Community Hospital can have such excellent food for their patients and other hospitals and rehab places don t. How are patients expected to heal if they can t eat the food ? I have tried each of my husband s meals and I couldn t eat them either. Nutrition is healing both physically and emotionally. Perplexing and frustrating.

We chose to go to Sarasota Memorial Hospital because we believe the Trauma Unit is the best in the area. And we were right.

Never go to this hospital. They only want to tell you what they "can't do". One womans son came in violently ill from black mold poisoning. The nurses actually lied to him and said they don't have any way of testing for it. Also, the 5 star reviews are fake, and from the staff... We can't do this and that + cover up via fake reviews = dangerous. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

The care, treatment, and professionalism of the workers and professionals of unit D could not have been any better. Thank all of them
Horace B. Tourtellott

This review covers Sarasota memorial Hospital nursing and rehab center on Rand Road, Sarasota, FL.

Nursing care - five stars. The nurses never missed a timed pain reliever, and being on time with pain management is critical to me.

Food and kitchen: they worked well with my Keto diet requirements . As with most care centers, the food is very bland, so plan on taking salt and pepper (those packets do not have enough) and your favorite seasoning to spice things up a but.

Occupational therapy - "" or one star, or no star at all.

Physical therapy, "F". The reason is that the therapists are working for another company, and are contracted to SMH. This means you do not get the same therapist on repeat visits. NO continuity. Commonly the therapists will be working with one or two additional patients at the same time.

Since the therapist has not worked with you before, they will need to read the case file, and that makes the first 15 minutes with you doing unrelated exercised until the therapist is finished. That leaves 30 minutes, but remember that the also have to read the notes on one additional patient.

In addition, the gym rooms are very small and crowded with equipment. Total size may just meed the legal requirements, but it is cut up into four rooms. Very noisy. My recommendation is that if you need physical therapy, go elsewhere.

On the urging of the paramedic went for emergency services.

The prices are inflated three to four times what the same services cost elsewhere in town at imaging centers. We were not told what your prices were at the time of service or told that we would be charged several times more than other service providers in the area charge. When a company does what Sarasota Memorial did, it is called price gouging. It is illegal in other industries.

Definition of Price Gouging
Noun
1. The practice of raising prices on certain types of goods and services to an unfair level, especially during a state of emergency.
Whether illegal or not, it is unethical. Please respond to the insurance companies request and adjust the prices to match the market prices in the area.

Whether illegal or not, it is unethical.

3D mammograms are advertised to report results the same day. That did not happen. It took 3 additional days to receive my results. Otherwise, I would report that the reception and technician taking care of me, were professional and kind.

I had hip replacement surgery and walked the first day.. Dr. Stolarski is a real pro - 10 surgeries a day - 70 a week. Great room on 9th floor with bronze plaque- a wealthy couple donated money for room - white leather sofa, great view of city. Great food and excellent staff! Was there 2 1/2 days then to Sarasota Memorial Rehab Center on Rand & Clark Rd. Was there for 15 days and it was like a vacation. Great therapy, food, entertainment!! A hurricane was going on and I felt very safe!!!

Had my second knee replacement surgery 2 weeks ago. The Orthopedic floor staff was terrific. Pre-op, Operating team, and Dr. Stolarski are outstanding. Sarasota Memorial Hospital has earned the top notch reputation it deserves. Everyone from Pre-registration, Food Service to the discharge team all deserve a big Thank You!!!!!!!

Awesome Care! We went to Doctors Hospital last night and spent 2 hours there with zero care, then went to Sarasota Memorial this morning and got excellent care in the same amount of time it took Doctors Hospital to do nothing! What a huge difference! Thank you for your friendly staff, patient doctor and excellent service!

ER is impossible. Go to an Urgent Care. Clinic--perhaps try Doctor's Hospital. My experience was no fun.

My wife and I just had our first baby. We decided to have him at Sarasota Memorial. It was a decision that I wont ever regret! Every nurse we had the opportunity to work with was awesome! Thank you so much!

Good surgeon. Some employees were compassionate, but procedures followed after a knee replacement were not consistent with each nurse. One evening shift nurse left my husband on a portable commode and did not answer his light, so he had to get himself back in bed a day after surgery. Needless to say, this left him in more pain. Discharge procedures consisted of handing us a packet of papers. Nothing was explained and they did not even have the administered med times listed for that day. Good thing we had recently been through another knee replacement at a hospital in another state, so we were familiar with what to expect and read their patient white board, so we knew when the last pain pills had been administered. Overall, sloppy care.

My 3rd time giving birth at SMH. The care is good, me and my daughters were well taken care of every time. But I REALLY wish the L&D staff would of taken me more seriously when I tell them my labors progress QUICK and I'd like to have the request for the epidural put in asap. Otherwise, it was a overall good experience.

Went in to the ER with severe pain in the lower right abdomen. I assumed at the time it was my appendix. Upon entering the ER, wincing and writhing, I was asked for my basic information, was given a wheelchair and was told go to the waiting room and come to the window when you hear your name called. I could not wheel myself anywhere as I was too busy holding the area where the pain was and trying not to scream. I was wheeled to a hallway area by a helper/volunteer(?) and left there for about 5 minutes when the person whom I had spoke to said I need to talk to another person that would expedite my visit. This next person asked me the same questions as the first and told me the same thing. A few minutes later I was wheeled to an exam room. My vitals were taken and oddly enough the pain began to subside. It was like a rush of relief that came over me and I fell asleep. I was awoken some unknown time later by a doctor and had explained what I had went through. He applied pressure to where I had indicated and the surrounding area and concluded that it was not my appendix but may be that I had passed a kidney stone. He wanted to be certain that the pain wasn't episodal and risk a recurrence. He ordered a CT, blood work and urinalysis. I waited an hour and a half for the young techs to draw blood and give a urine sample. Then took a hour long nap while waiting for the CT which took an additional hour. Thankfully I had already passed the stone and wasn't in pain the entire time. I went in about 11AM and was released around 4PM. The bill for the CT was a reasonable 234.00 where as the bill for some basic tests and 10 minutes of a doctors time was 9075.00. First of all, a complaint of possible appendicitis should be seen immediately. If an appendix were to burst the patient can suffer from sepsis and serious complications including death. It takes two minutes to properly triage such a condition. Secondly, with the complaint of appendicitis, when a patient is seen asleep/unconscious in the exam room, someone should have immediately checked my condition. I was not on a monitor. For all they knew the aforementioned condition could have killed me. Thirdly, during the time I was awake, I was watching the staff screwing around and having boisterous conversations that had nothing to do with work. There were elder patients (2) who were there longer than me that were asking if they could get something to eat as they had missed lunch by being in the ER. The response I heard was "You can go to the cafeteria and see about a sandwich." I wonder how much that bill was? Model of inefficiency.

I've had no issue with my care at SMH, however, I have issues with their demands for payment, but yet sit on funds that should be refunded. They have been sitting on almost $500 of mine, and have yet to see a refund. I would not have known I had a credit without calling SMH, not good at all. Be diligent when looking at their bills. Billed for items I didn't use and didn't ask for.

This is the worst hospital that I ve ever had the displease of dealing with. If this rating system offered the ability to give them a negative star I would. The staff tried to keep my spouse in the hospital AFTER he refused treatment for an unnecessary and extremely expensive test. My spouse is a Clinical Pharmacist who had more experience than any of the staff combined in this area. They threatened I have us both arrested for disobeying the head nurse s order that she entered into the computer 5 minutes after my spouse refused treatment. It was the worst experience I ve ever had and the worse level on care I ve ever witnessed. The threats Ali e should land them on the front page of the paper!

Update!

After NUMEROUS attempts to reach the department who initially responded to my first review... I have gotten nothing but voicemail and the run around. They stated that they were concerned and wanted to rectify my complaint. Yet, after all of this time since my first review.... I have spoken with literally ZERO people from that department. If anyone thinks that this hospital actually cares about you or your concerns, you can rest assured that they do NOT! I suspect that the best reason that they won t respond is because I recorded on my cell phone the entire encounter with them when things went bad. They know I have that recording and that I believe is why they won t respond. They KNOW they were wrong and just can t admit it or apologize for it. I m sure that they believe that if they admitted they were wrong they would be sued. However, I am publicly stating that we will NOT sue for what happened. We just expect people to do the right thing and to act accordingly to their hipprocratic oath. That s it! Still.... crickets. The short answer is.... they just don t give a S#!^ about their patients or their level of care. Good riddance to them.

efficient & professional

not particularly caring or warm

I had to have many exrays. Went to the one in Waldermere , by mistake. They were SO gracious. They took me right away and Michele Reopell was so knowledgeable. She was so sweet and fast. What ccould have been a terrible experience turned into a a pleasant one.Thank you all.
Linda Geller

24 hours of testing to try and figure out my problem. Walked in per my doctors orders, got thru registration, got a room and then the testing started. All the nurses were friendly and knew what they were doing. The only negative is I have a port for easy access to blood etc. I don t think the phlebotomists are allowed to use ports so they kept sticking me looking for blood

For the first time in my life I had to go to the emergency room. My condition was not life threatening but extremely painful. When the EMTs arrived and were asked they said most trips were around $1000. As I was in excruciating pain and that seemed normal I did not say no and the EMTs did a professional job at an acceptable charge. While I was being treated my wife was also told the Flat fee was $1000. Somehow they took our insurance information and we later received a bill for $3000 plus $700 for the 5 minute doctor visit. A sum we cannot afford to pay. When I called they confirmed that $1000 was the normal price, but since we had insurance they sent a $3000 bill the AETNA who then charged us the ENTIRE amount as a deductable. I have since called the hospital twice and tried to pay the $1000 to settle our debt, but they insist we must pay 3 times that much for no good reason. I work part-time and attend school, with a wife and 2 children to support. We also no longer can afford health insurance or the unfairly inflated bill from SMH. I have never had a debt sent to a collection agency, but I do not know what can be done. How can a company triple their bill after stating the original lower price 3 times? If I had known what they were going to charge I would never had gone. I wish I could feel differently, but I will have to be bleeding to death before I will ever take a chance on trusting a word the SMH ER staff has to say.

WORST HOSPITAL IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA! Save ur family or friends life by taken them some where else! Brought husband to the er guy in er check in fills out paper work. I tell him why my husband needed to be seen and he looks at him says he probably has fluid so he writes flu of why he was at er. He then sends us to the "fasttrack" we get there and the lady says on wow he has a lot more going on than the flu he should of staid in main part cause he needs a Iv n fluids for sure! Finally they get a dr to agree to see him in the "fasttrack" they gave him a bad of fluids n nauseous meds, Dr comes bk and husband explains he still feels bad, stomach hurts, still nauseous and dr says well nothing else I can do for you. Keep in mind they ran no test, no blood work nothing! Dr says call ur primary care doctor you sound like you have a GI issue. They came in gave him another dose of nauseous meds, takes his iv out and tells him go sit in waiting area for 20mins he can't leave tho. I ask why we cany stay in room and Todd says cause we need the room. He's (husband) pale white n freezing n shaking standing in a hallway cause there is no room for him to sit. I yell down the hall at nurse where would u like him to sit on the floor, a lady nurse comes around corner and tells me she's gonna call surcurity on me for being loud. Finally after 3 other nurses come around she decides to then put him in another room. They have done nothing to help him! PEOPLE IN THIS HOSPITAL DOES NOT CARE FOR PATIENTS!

I would give this hospital's maternity ward an A+

Though I don't have a comment for any other section of this hospital. I unfortunately delivered my son at the horrible MMH (you can find my google review for that hospital too), but I have visited family and friends who delivered here at SMH. I only have good recommendations for any woman in Manatee/Sarasota looking to deliver here. I LOVED their private recovery suites with furniture for visitors and those staying overnight with you. They have a level 3 NICU which is higher than other local hospitals, leaving you with piece of mind, and they know what they're doing!!

My Mom suffered a stroke on St. Patrick's Day and was airlifted to Sarasota Memorial. The rest of the family lives in Michigan, and the distance didn't keep the staff from keeping us up-to-date on all of the things that happened so quickly. The staff was so patient with my calls, and when I arrived in Sarasota, they were so efficient and just plain excellent! The Critical Care nursing staff was excellent, the physicians and specialists were excellent, and the case management staff was excellent too! I am so thankful for this hospital and staff. My Mom is recovering nicely and I truly believe her life was saved because of their expertise and care. Thank you isn't enough!

I have been sitting here for over a hour have not seen a doctor or even taken to room but they put a IV in me and sat me in the waiting room , very strange and uncomfortable especially not feeling well and having so much pain

I went in for a total knee replacement on Sept. 9th, to SMH. Everything went perfectly with intake and the surgery. I had a 2 night stay scheduled post op because I live alone and had no one to help me at home. The first 2 nights went smoothly, although I have to say some nursing staff are much better than others. This pertains to prompt responses for pain meds and also for assistance in and out of bed. My room was right across from the nursing station, so I could see that there were nurses and assistants available, but they were busy with paper work or just talking to each other. I am a very patient person, but having to wait 20 minutes after asking for assistance to use the facilities was too much, and I had to call twice many times. My worst negative experience was on my third night stay which I requested, due to still have difficulty getting in and out of bed. All was going well until 11:30 PM when all the lights went on and screaming and ruckus on the admission of a new patient from the ER into my adjoining room. Half the wall of the ortho rooms are curtains adjoining to the next room so the restroom can be shared. All lights and noise are the same as having a double room. They admitted a difficult patient who kept screaming for more pain meds due to back pain. Also between her screaming for more oxy, every 10 minutes, she kept asking to smoke in the room, or be taken out to smoke her cigarettes.I believe she was a homeless person, but not sure. My sleep was disturbed for the rest of the evening, and due to her excessive demands all night long I had long waits to have anyone help me get to the restroom. The whole nursing staff seemed to be in her room trying to help her. I asked to be discharged first thing the next morning, due to sleeplessness and anxiety from this excessively demanding patient, with her demands of "more Oxy" all night long. I belief she should have been admitted to the psych ward, not orthopedics!!! My last night in SMH ruined my whole stay which was going very well until then.

This hospital has failed to help our daughter three times in 2 weeks. Our pediatrician instructed us to go there. This scenario has gone on for over 2 weeks now. Back n forth to pediatrician and smh ER. Their nurses and doctors are not concerned with the patients in ER. I already knew the North Port facility should be plowed down but now our recent experiences at the Sarasota facility have proved the same. I have contacted admin with no resolve. They refuse to help our child!! Going to All Children's in Saint Petersburg for diagnosis. This hospital used to be great. No more! Stay away!

Courteous staff, easy in and out, convenient to my primary care physician's office.

Always treated with respect and courtesy. Dr. Nabizada, Chelsea and staff are the best. Dr. Nabizada always takes the time to listen to and address my concerns.

Sincerely,

A. C. (Chris.) Moquin

Carol Lehman, wife

I was treated with utmost respect at the Breast Health Center. Your concerns/methods for my privacy were obvious and appreciated. I always feel as though I've received great care at SMH.

As I entered the facility I was approached by a smiling staff member who asked if I was there for Xrays and upon hearing I was there for lab work she asked me to take a number and have a seat. About a minute later Michelle escorted me to her station and efficiently registered me. She then ushered me into the waiting room for labwork. Rose introduced herself and quickly and painlessly filled several tubes with blood. She is a longtime employee and a wonderful phlebotomist. The facility is clean, comfortable and quiet. Everyone was busy and there were no personal conversations going on.. I always use this facility. Over the years I have had chest X-rays, CT scans, mammograms and bone density scans as well as lots of labwork. I have never had a bad experience and the turn around time fior getting results is fast.

What happened to "we'll see you within 30 minutes?" I sat in the waiting room for 6 1/2 hours, finally saw a PA in the "fast track" area for 30 minutes then discharged. I got a bill for $991 for "ER Visit Moderate"! WTH!!! Why charge me $991 for taking up a chair in the waiting room?!

Aweful!!!!

Great. And i m just visiting. No its not dirty. Nice people. Smiling. There to help if you get lost.

Got 5 stitches here and was charged way too much also there wait time is long

CT scan: on time, easy check in, quick service , out in 5 minutes. Competent and friendly staff.

My experience at the Blackburn Lab facility was totally positive. Everyone was very kind, professional and efficient. I would highly recommend this place to anyone.