Lutheran Medical Center

04/10/09

They didn't call me until a half hour after my mother died

by wrwatters at Citysearch

When your loved one gets sucked into Lutheran Medical Center - it's like they have entered a "black hole" and you have to do alot of work to get any info. They don't try very hard or make much of an effort, in my opinion and it gets very frustrating. God forbid you are not physically in Brooklyn to personally attend to things (like I was). When you are trying to do things remotely via phone it gets to be a quite a challenge. I had to have friends go to LMC to set up mom's bedside phone or nothing would get done. The doctors will sometimes call you, but very sporadically and usually they have a heavy accent, so you'd better pay attention (I wish I had recorded the calls) and listen closely! My mom died on 3/18 at 11am (she was rushed to LMC on the morning of 3/16). I got a call on that Monday (3/16) morning by a nurse who only said "Your mom fell at home." I did not find out until Wednesday 3/18 at 11:30am (when she was already dead) that she actually had suffered a heart attack either Sunday night or Monday (3/16) morning at home alone. Then the doctor tells me she choked on her food on Tuesday (the next morning, St. Patrick's Day) and that some food went down into her lungs (which then caused aspiration pneumonia)! I asked her why they didn't call me sooner and she (Dr.) says "We couldn't find your phone number." Give me a break, she was in that hospital from the end of January until mid-February then went over to the Augustana (rehab) Center (for about 1 month) which is right across the street from LMC and she was released on Friday, 3/13. I later found out that (conveniently) LMC and Augustana do not communicate with each other (they are "separate entities") and my idea of a social worker was all wrong ( I thought the SW was acting as some kind of a "bridge person" between LMC and Augustana) for the patient. I still do not understand the role of the social worker after this sad episode. I certainly cannot recommend Lutheran Medical Center. Having dealt with them over the last few years for my mother (she died at 72) - every time it was the same thing: little or no information (all oral and never seemed to have written important health related facts down for the family). She would go into that place in years past and we didn't even get a straight answer as far as what had happened. Maybe it is not just LMC, maybe it is a national problem with health care in general, but I never liked LMC and I will never go there for any treatment for myself. I had told my mother she should go to another hospital (I personally like Methodist). But in the end she kept going to the same place (LMC) - I guess from force of habit. I am sure there are plenty of good doctors working there but I have to say that every time mom went in there it was a struggle to find out (clearly) what had happened and I find their communication "skills" to be at a very low level.

• Pros: That hospital was (unfortunately) the closest to mom's house
• Cons: Not the greatest in communicating the status of a loved one

01/07/09

Lutheran's Level One Trauma Center is really # 1 !!

by TraumaTeam at Citysearch

My son Ken was taken to Lutheran Medical Center by ambulance from a car crash that even at that time the ambulance attendants didn't think he would make it. . He was brought to the Level One Trauma unit at Lutheran Medical Center in "December 08"... I want to gratefully thank all of the New York City Ambulance attendants that were there and who did a "Wonderful, almost miraculous Job" of wrapping my son's arm and leg so that he could be transported to Lutheran's Level One trauma unit and then to thank all of the Nurses in that unit and the Doctor's and especially to Dr.. Vitale and his assistant and Dr. Lacqua for the wonderful compassion, concern, attentivness and their excellent Medical experience who brought my son back to a progressive healing state. Thank you again for all of that. (His Mom)

06/24/08

CAUTION CAUTION

by egh25 at Citysearch

i was taken to lutheran emergency room last night by ambulance. i told the triage i am extremely stressed out, talking to myself, havent been able to sleep a full seven days since jan, diabetic, suffer from hbp and a disease called lankin planus and seizures . i am 25 yrs old with a history of mental illness in my family . i expected to be put in a seperate place away from to many people and noise for a phychological evaluation instead i was put in a extremely crowded and noisy emergency room i suffered a seizure and past out in the emergency room and was left on the floor a patient came over to help me i hear nurses sayin nothing is wrong with her she is doing it for attention not one time did anyone check my name or check why i was in the er in the first place when i was able to walk i left the emergency room if any of you out there need medical help the last place you should go is lutheran

• Pros: none
• Cons: total lack of care and concern