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Anyone have an opinion on one vs. the other for primary care? We live in Creedmoor and there is a Duke Family Medicine Clinic close by whereas if we went with Wake Med we'd have to go into Raleigh. Not a big deal I suppose.
One advantage of Wake Med is that they have an alliance with the YMCA (also in Raleigh) so my Mother could most likely get a referral and discount to use the pool at the YMCA for her water therapy. That would save money.
Maybe both places are equal in terms of health care. My mom is on medicare so I'm sure either place would be ok.
Our next door neighbor recently had a cancerous tumor removed from his colon and the surgery was done at Duke Medical in Durham. From what he says happened to him I would not want to have my medical care there. After the surgery (while he was still groggy from the aneasthesia) he had to lay on a bed in the hallway while they "made up" a room for him. The morphine pump his doctor ordered wasn't available in his care unit and one had to be "borrowed" from the pediatric wing. Then, that pump stopped working during his first night after surgery and he awoke in excrutiating pain and couldn't get a nurse to answer his call button for over an hour. The second night after the surgery he was woken up during the middle of the night by the bed going into an upright sitting position all on it's own. Given his colon surgery it's a wonder it didn't cause damage to the incision area. He was later told by one of the nurses that the beds sometimes do that.
Duke is also the hospital system that had the problem with elevator hydraulic fluid being "accidentally" used to sterilize surgical instruments.
Our next door neighbor recently had a cancerous tumor removed from his colon and the surgery was done at Duke Medical in Durham. From what he says happened to him I would not want to have my medical care there. After the surgery (while he was still groggy from the aneasthesia) he had to lay on a bed in the hallway while they "made up" a room for him. The morphine pump his doctor ordered wasn't available in his care unit and one had to be "borrowed" from the pediatric wing. Then, that pump stopped working during his first night after surgery and he awoke in excrutiating pain and couldn't get a nurse to answer his call button for over an hour. The second night after the surgery he was woken up during the middle of the night by the bed going into an upright sitting position all on it's own. Given his colon surgery it's a wonder it didn't cause damage to the incision area. He was later told by one of the nurses that the beds sometimes do that.
Duke is also the hospital system that had the problem with elevator hydraulic fluid being "accidentally" used to sterilize surgical instruments.
I haven't heard of any such stories from WakeMed.
While I understand your reaction to what your neighbor went thru and have total empathy, I feel that balance needs to be added here. What your neighbor went thru, I have experienced similar at WakeMed and Rex.
One must bear in mind, it is a hospital, not a hotel! As such, patient load fluctuates depending on the condition of each patient and their needs at that time. Staff can plan treatment & patient load down to the finest details, but it can go askew when emergencies arise. I have had to wait for a bed before and considered it no big deal, obviously they needed it for someone else before me.
I have spoken about this topic before on another thread. I've recd technical med training in one facility (not Duke), been treated as a patient in all of them & worked for Duke at one time. I can assure you that what happens at one facility can happen at any, that is, human and mechanical errors. What sets them apart is how they react to such situations and how they work to insure these incidences do not happen again.
I have also said before...you must advocate for yourself in a medical facility,speak up if you have concerns, just as you would in any other environ. And, if you can't, then a family member or friend should be designated to do so-this can make the difference in most, not all cases.
As for your comments about the "fluid" incident. I've attached a link so that someone who wants to know more details of the story, can do so here. And, will remind everyone that Duke, UNC, and WakeMed are not just bricks and mortar - real people work there, people who went into medicine because they wanted to help people, and make a difference in someone's life. They don't just give 8hrs a day of physical work, they give themselves emotionally as well. They cry with, and about patients, they worry about them and rejoice when medicine lenthens a person's life, or when a miracle occurs. How many jobs do you know of where this is all in a day's work? When you speak badly of a facility, know that you affect everyone who works there. People do not go to work and think, what can I do wrong today? They have good intentions, I respect that. Just as I do Law Enforcement officers who face many of the same challenges of being taken for granted and misunderstood. Duke sues Aramark over hydraulic fluid mix-up - Triangle Business Journal:
We went to physicians that were duke affiliated in Wake forest, and I was not thrilled with the office, the wait time, etc. But that is just me!
Also, if you mom is going to get a referral, you may want to look into the rex wellness center in wake forest (it may be considered raleigh as it is right near wakefield), but they have a specific pool for water therapy (and it is MUCH nicer than the Y). The rex wellness center pool is a salt water pool, which is so much better than the Y which can make your eyes water from the amount of chlorine!
Leigh, Thank you for that information. We will now definitely check into that. My mom will appreciate it!
If you have the opportunity, i would visit both places. I have been to both and the machines at rex are simply better to use and it is a nicer facility, especially for people who are not work out fanatics. Both are comparable in price to join, and rex does not have any facilities (except childcare) for children. So, no kids in the pool. For me, that is why I couldn't join rex, which was a bummer! The facilities are amazing!!!
We went to physicians that were duke affiliated in Wake forest, and I was not thrilled with the office, the wait time, etc. But that is just me!
Also, if you mom is going to get a referral, you may want to look into the rex wellness center in wake forest (it may be considered raleigh as it is right near wakefield), but they have a specific pool for water therapy (and it is MUCH nicer than the Y). The rex wellness center pool is a salt water pool, which is so much better than the Y which can make your eyes water from the amount of chlorine!
Leigh
Sounds like a really nice facility with salt water pool. I had a work friend who used the Rex facility adjacent their hospital, he raved over it. I imagine any of their sites would be good..they've been doing it for some time with good reviews.
Our next door neighbor recently had a cancerous tumor removed from his colon and the surgery was done at Duke Medical in Durham. From what he says happened to him I would not want to have my medical care there. After the surgery (while he was still groggy from the aneasthesia) he had to lay on a bed in the hallway while they "made up" a room for him.
I'm sorry but things just don't work that way. After a surgery such as that recovery is never in a "room" - it is in a special area for surgical recovery or in the SICU.
I'm not defending Duke, I've never been there as a patient but I do know something about surgeries. Someone is making up that story!
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