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His wife owns the clinic now. Almost all providers in the valley take straight Medicare, they pay on average 25 % more than any Sierra or United Healthcare plan. Which includes HPN and Senior Dimensions.
Oh yeah I'd be running right to the clinic owned by Dr Death's wife Name he earned in India where he was from.
Not a single comment recommending healthcare in this city. Not surprising.
I work as an RN and I relocated here this spring (2017) and was shocked at the healthcare here.
I heard many many things about how healthcare operates here, such as:
"This is the Wild Wild West, and the healthcare matches it"
"Las Vegas and NV are about 10 years behind the rest of the nation in healthcare"
"Las Vegas hospitals are horrific."
And more...
Granted, I only work in the hospital setting, and only work with the in-patient population. But golly, I can tell you, I would certainly not ever want to be hospitalized in this town. The hospitals are dirty, don't treat their staff well, make money and reimbursement their primary goal, and have poor regulation on patient safety and cleanliness.
Of course there is some good to every bad place. But overall I rate the hospitals here in town to be poor.
I previously lived in Southwestern Utah. I worked at the hospital there in town and we would get SEVERAL patients from the Las Vegas valley. Upon inquiring why they chose to drive 2 hours north for their healthcare, they stated "If you knew Vegas healthcare, you would understand our decision". And now I do.
United Healthcare owns the LV market for healthcare. They required people to go Dr. Desei for gastrointestinal problems in order to stay in network and be covered. He gave thirty people deadly hepatitis C because the clinic reused syringes to save money because of Sierra / UHG's obscenely low reimbursement rates.
Having known someone who worked for Dr. Desai, that isn't the reason that they reused syringes. They reused them because Desai was greedy, and he squeezed every possible penny out of the practice for his personal gain. He told his office staff when the stock market dropped during the Bush II Administration that he lost $10 million in that day's trading.
Another gastroenterologist who was interviewed when the story broke said that the Nevada Endoscopy Center was saving "literally pennies" by reusing syringes. He said that his office paid about ten cents apiece for the syringes in question, and that the endoscopy center probably got a better price because of the volume that they did. They also rushed procedures to get one patient out and the next one in, again to maximize income. This same doctor said that they probably missed things, because the same procedure in his office would take 2-3 times as long.
Desai didn't care about endangering his patients, as long as they paid him.
Having known someone who worked for Dr. Desai, that isn't the reason that they reused syringes. They reused them because Desai was greedy, and he squeezed every possible penny out of the practice for his personal gain. He told his office staff when the stock market dropped during the Bush II Administration that he lost $10 million in that day's trading.
Another gastroenterologist who was interviewed when the story broke said that the Nevada Endoscopy Center was saving "literally pennies" by reusing syringes. He said that his office paid about ten cents apiece for the syringes in question, and that the endoscopy center probably got a better price because of the volume that they did. They also rushed procedures to get one patient out and the next one in, again to maximize income. This same doctor said that they probably missed things, because the same procedure in his office would take 2-3 times as long.
Desai didn't care about endangering his patients, as long as they paid him.
Absolutely true and Sierra enabled it. They had multiple complaints about his filthy clinic, but kept him as the sole gastro provider, because he was cheap.
My cousin who has Medicare goes to the doctor more than anyone I have ever known. Blows me away. The only issue he has is arthritis of the knee and yet he regularly sees a cardiologist and a podiatrist. Seems like he has lab work done 3 or 4 times a year too. He thinks medical here is pretty good. But he likes the attention.
I keep wondering why they let him limp around when they could just replace the knee but I am not a knee doctor!
Quote:
Originally Posted by chahunt
Not a single comment recommending healthcare in this city. Not surprising.
I work as an RN and I relocated here this spring (2017) and was shocked at the healthcare here.
I heard many many things about how healthcare operates here, such as:
"This is the Wild Wild West, and the healthcare matches it"
"Las Vegas and NV are about 10 years behind the rest of the nation in healthcare"
"Las Vegas hospitals are horrific."
And more...
Granted, I only work in the hospital setting, and only work with the in-patient population. But golly, I can tell you, I would certainly not ever want to be hospitalized in this town. The hospitals are dirty, don't treat their staff well, make money and reimbursement their primary goal, and have poor regulation on patient safety and cleanliness.
Of course there is some good to every bad place. But overall I rate the hospitals here in town to be poor.
I previously lived in Southwestern Utah. I worked at the hospital there in town and we would get SEVERAL patients from the Las Vegas valley. Upon inquiring why they chose to drive 2 hours north for their healthcare, they stated "If you knew Vegas healthcare, you would understand our decision". And now I do.
Since the poor healthcare in LV, has been reported for years now. I would hope residents have demanded that change. There are reasons it's so bad, so are those reasons addressed? Such as the why doctors avoid practicing in the area. Perhaps the area puts more effort into keeping LV tourist oriented, and not a place to call home. Whatever the reasons care is so bad. State city local govts need to address the Why. Didn't a Medical School recently open there? If so that's a start.
I don't find the health care here poor. Quite good actually. About on par with LA suburbs. And you use the same strategy as you use there. Get into anything really challenging you go to the great hospitals in LA or SF or Phoenix. However if I am having a stroke or a heart attack UMC will do nicely. I use Medicare Plan F which is apparently universally acceptable.
My primary physician is an internist and a Professor at Touro. See her pretty much any time I want. Normally a few weeks out for a routine appointment but she will see me that day if I push it. And if I have a problem I go to the emergency room knowing she knows my medical condition by heart and will discuss it with an emergency room physician at 3AM.
My Cardiologist is similar. Some undesirable things...you going to spend two hours on any appointment. On the other hand he will spend as much time with you as you want...an explanation for the two hour waits.
I get regular treatment from a retina specialist who also runs long appointments but does a good job. Much better lately as they have gone to a new computer system that has emptied the waiting rooms. But he is a solo practioner and even a small emergency and the schedule is screwed.
The only regular physician I am nor always happy with is the Neurologist. I think he is into too many things and overbooks. Competent but I am looking around for a replacement.
I get an IVIG three days each month at Comprehensive Cancer Center. They are great though it often seems chaotic. But once you get the system down it is a very nice place to get taken care of. Setting in a chair for three days with a needle in your arm is not ideal. But they make it as palatable as it can be. And the physician involved is exceptional. Also an object lesson as to how lucky you are. Nothing like a few days in a chemo infusion lab to realize how bad life can be.
So I am a fan of LV medicine. I don't like the fact we spend over a $1000 a month on medical and prescriptions which I would have had free for life from my employer but for Medicare. But you cannot win them all
When I first moved here, I was shocked by the healthcare as well. I came from a town of 80K people where seeing a doctor felt more interpersonal. I had the same pediatrician my whole life and then moved up to a GP in the same practice. I moved here to spread my wings and grow up. Working in healthcare I've seen some good and some bad docs and believe it is imperative to be an active participant in your healthcare. When I interview patients in my job, some don't even know what kind of surgery they've had or anatomically where?
I think healthcare has changed across the country. I am fortunate to have been able to work on both coasts and the pressures on the healthcare industry is a contributor to healthcare outcomes. Your doctor isn't the final authority, your insurance company is. Doctors have become more like brokers than practitioners. Trust me, they are frustrated. This isn't just a Las Vegas thing either.
Another thing to consider is perception. And that is a Las Vegas problem. The Libertarian bent has no stake in how your get along in this city. Which can be good and bad; everyone is on their own. Their is no investment in public health. I agree that Las Vegas is behind the times when it comes to perception and appealing to best and brightest of society. This is frustrating to me as a citizen because this limits our ability to be considered a world class/metropolitan city. I don't think we have a chance in hell in attracting industries such as Amazon because we don't promote social values, ie. healthcare or education. The question is what is the cause of us being stagnant? Maybe the gaming industry (They want to forever run this town when they are in unincorporated Clark county). Maybe old-time politicos afraid of new-fangled ideas. Maybe we need a divorce in order to grow.
I worked at a medical facility in Florida that spent more time fundraising than any place I'd ever been. It was catholic affiliated (republican influenced, I guess) so maybe that is why. As a left leaning libertarian I was highly impressed that they took care of their community, again a small community of less than 20K. I suppose size matters. Just my two cents.
Since the poor healthcare in LV, has been reported for years now. I would hope residents have demanded that change. There are reasons it's so bad, so are those reasons addressed? Such as the why doctors avoid practicing in the area. Perhaps the area puts more effort into keeping LV tourist oriented, and not a place to call home. Whatever the reasons care is so bad. State city local govts need to address the Why. Didn't a Medical School recently open there? If so that's a start.
Frustrated, you can always take a cheap 55+ minute Southwest flight to San Diego, and head for Tijuana to the Angeles Hospital Complex with a tower of specialists, which I've done in the past. A number of Canadians go there for hip/knee replacements. Call ahead, they'll even pick you up at the San Diego Airport, transport you to the Hospital, and transport you back to catch your flight.
Angeles is a well-regarded chain of hospitals in Mexico, but they only accept cash!
Walk into this facility and it'll be like walking into a 5-star hotel! It's located in the Rio Zona district, or as I call it the Americana district.
And while there get some cheap, quality dental work and stock up on your medications. I did that 3 weeks ago, stocked up on enough meds to last me 2 years!
I don't find the health care here poor. Quite good actually. About on par with LA suburbs. And you use the same strategy as you use there. Get into anything really challenging you go to the great hospitals in LA or SF or Phoenix. However if I am having a stroke or a heart attack UMC will do nicely. I use Medicare Plan F which is apparently universally acceptable.
My primary physician is an internist and a Professor at Touro. See her pretty much any time I want. Normally a few weeks out for a routine appointment but she will see me that day if I push it. And if I have a problem I go to the emergency room knowing she knows my medical condition by heart and will discuss it with an emergency room physician at 3AM.
My Cardiologist is similar. Some undesirable things...you going to spend two hours on any appointment. On the other hand he will spend as much time with you as you want...an explanation for the two hour waits.
I get regular treatment from a retina specialist who also runs long appointments but does a good job. Much better lately as they have gone to a new computer system that has emptied the waiting rooms. But he is a solo practioner and even a small emergency and the schedule is screwed.
The only regular physician I am nor always happy with is the Neurologist. I think he is into too many things and overbooks. Competent but I am looking around for a replacement.
I get an IVIG three days each month at Comprehensive Cancer Center. They are great though it often seems chaotic. But once you get the system down it is a very nice place to get taken care of. Setting in a chair for three days with a needle in your arm is not ideal. But they make it as palatable as it can be. And the physician involved is exceptional. Also an object lesson as to how lucky you are. Nothing like a few days in a chemo infusion lab to realize how bad life can be.
So I am a fan of LV medicine. I don't like the fact we spend over a $1000 a month on medical and prescriptions which I would have had free for life from my employer but for Medicare. But you cannot win them all
I'm with you. I'm 60 am in good health so I haven't tested the hospitals except for hubs experiences. Which has been very positive at Southern Hills.
I don't think my doctors are any worse than what I had in big city USA. I find someone I don't feel good about, I change.
Shocking to hear people don't know if or where they have had surgeries. That is a patient problem not a doctor problem.
Something has to be done about the insurance companies. They have no shame over the greed they are run by.
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Name he earned in India where he was from.
That is a patient problem not a doctor problem. 
