[katiejohn]

My Husband is on dialysis...and before we move to Vegas (live in PA and he can not take the cold anymore) I wanted to know how is the quality of healthcare. PA is great but the weather is not so good. During the winter its a hit or miss if he can make it. Thanks ahead of time!

[demoknite]

You wont miss traveling to the docs due to the weather. Just like most populated areas in America, if you can afford it, its great.

[Clarkcty]

You get the same care here as you would in your home state. My brother in law who passed away a little over a year ago had dialysis in the hospital here, he also did the "home version" so he did not have to go to the hospital for it. All of the medical supplies will be delivered to your home address if you choose to do the home version. Lots of boxes, you will need space for it. Goodluck and have patience, it is a very trying situation.

[SoHoVe]

same dialysis chain as the Houston area...I believe its called Divita. There may also be others.
Ranked by state NV as a whole does poorly (I think its ranked 47th in the nation) for healthcare.

[yellowsnow]

We don't have great healthcare here. I have heard it said the best available starts with a plane ticket. Many have no health coverage and Nevada did not expand Medicaid with Obamacare so the same folks who had no insurance before still have no insurance.

That said, if dialysis is all your H needs, no worries. That's a pretty common need. Easily available.

Here's my little story about healthcare here. I had a dental infection and my dentist told me to get intravenous antibiotics. I am not wealthy so I started calling around for prices, shopping. I was willing to pay, not looking for freebies. I needed a bag of saline with antibiotics. Quite basic.

I only found a couple places willing to do it and they were over 1K.... For a prescription that would cost maybe $25. Plus a Phlebotomist and use of the facilities. Ridiculous. Finally in desperation, I called UMC, our public hospital and trauma center. Again, I am willing to pay. Not looking for a handout.

All I wanted was an IDEA of cost. Not the bottom line drive it off the lot figure. A ballpark figure. They wouldn't give it to me citing privacy concerns. Seriously? Privacy? I wasn't asking for patient records, just the coast of a basic procedure. Then I asked to talk to a supervisor. I explained I needed to have an idea of cost to know if I could afford the antibiotics. I wanted to pay and was willing to pay. I just needed to know how much. The supervisor told me to just get it done and they would tell me how much afterwards. And if I couldn't pay, oh well. I then explained to the supervisor this was like going out to buy a car and accepting delivery BEFORE they would tell me the price of the vehicle. This was not something a reasonable person would do. Still they refused to tell me a price.

This is one of the reasons why UMC is in financial trouble. Costs and fees should be completely transparent and listed on a menu like McDonalds for all to see. The patient gets a printout of services used and there are the prices. No surprises.

To make a long story a bit shorter and end this rant, I finally went back to the dentist and told him the IV antibiotics were not going to happen and asked for pills. I took the pills and I am still alive today(thank you Captain Obvious). But I do live in fear of the day I will absolutely require medical services here!

[longton52]

I think regardless of where you live, you'll find good and bad doctors and good and bad healthcare in general. I think a first hand recommendation is the best place to start, then check on-line and other resources to follow up. Just talking to neighbors or anyone you meet can be productive.
ie at the DMV the other day I winced about my bad knee. The clerk told me about her search for an orthopedic surgeon and the fabulous dr she found. I know enough about knee surgeries to know she found a good dr.

When I lived here previously I had a bad experience with a dr after a car accident. Red flags went up so I didn't go back to him. 4 yrs later he was in the news because of law suits over botched back surgeries. He had been run out of a few states back east and was then licensed in CA. So, it can happen anywhere. You really need to be very diligent about your care these days .... research and research some more.

[LASVEGASNATIVE071]

As far the VA healthcare system it sucks here in Vegas,will wait months for a appointment.Civilian care not bad.

[modhatter]

Originally Posted by yellowsnow

We don't have great healthcare here. I have heard it said the best available starts with a plane ticket. Many have no health coverage and Nevada did not expand Medicaid with Obamacare so the same folks who had no insurance before still have no insurance.

That said, if dialysis is all your H needs, no worries. That's a pretty common need. Easily available.

Here's my little story about healthcare here. I had a dental infection and my dentist told me to get intravenous antibiotics. I am not wealthy so I started calling around for prices, shopping. I was willing to pay, not looking for freebies. I needed a bag of saline with antibiotics. Quite basic.

I only found a couple places willing to do it and they were over 1K.... For a prescription that would cost maybe $25. Plus a Phlebotomist and use of the facilities. Ridiculous. Finally in desperation, I called UMC, our public hospital and trauma center. Again, I am willing to pay. Not looking for a handout.

All I wanted was an IDEA of cost. Not the bottom line drive it off the lot figure. A ballpark figure. They wouldn't give it to me citing privacy concerns. Seriously? Privacy? I wasn't asking for patient records, just the coast of a basic procedure. Then I asked to talk to a supervisor. I explained I needed to have an idea of cost to know if I could afford the antibiotics. I wanted to pay and was willing to pay. I just needed to know how much. The supervisor told me to just get it done and they would tell me how much afterwards. And if I couldn't pay, oh well. I then explained to the supervisor this was like going out to buy a car and accepting delivery BEFORE they would tell me the price of the vehicle. This was not something a reasonable person would do. Still they refused to tell me a price.

This is one of the reasons why UMC is in financial trouble. Costs and fees should be completely transparent and listed on a menu like McDonalds for all to see. The patient gets a printout of services used and there are the prices. No surprises.

To make a long story a bit shorter and end this rant, I finally went back to the dentist and told him the IV antibiotics were not going to happen and asked for pills. I took the pills and I am still alive today(thank you Captain Obvious). But I do live in fear of the day I will absolutely require medical services here!

Just wanted to correct you here Yellowsnow. Nevada DID expand medicaid with Obamacare. Google it and you will see it among the states that did expand Medicaid. Many formally uninsured people have all ready signed up. However, from lack of knowledge, or who knows, many still have not, but I expect to see more sign up each year as they finally become informed. It is the states decision now, as the Supreme Court ruled that each state could decide for themselves. Obama has no power to enforce states to adapt it now.

[NLVgal]

Dialysis care is readily available at DaVita or Phresenious. Dr. Marwan Takkiyudin (I think he may have gone back to native spelling, but it's still un-pronouncable) is a really good nephrologist.

[yellowsnow]

Originally Posted by modhatter

Just wanted to correct you here Yellowsnow. Nevada DID expand medicaid with Obamacare. Google it and you will see it among the states that did expand Medicaid. Many formally uninsured people have all ready signed up. However, from lack of knowledge, or who knows, many still have not, but I expect to see more sign up each year as they finally become informed. It is the states decision now, as the Supreme Court ruled that each state could decide for themselves. Obama has no power to enforce states to adapt it now.

Thanks for correcting me. That sure wasn't my understanding. If that's the case, I thought I would be covered by Medicaid if all the plans were over 8% of my income and so far, that hasn't been the case. And all the casino workers I knew found the same thing. Nothing available. But I haven't checked for a while. I will put it on my to do list to check again.