What Hospital is Best? Worst? (Sacramento, Oakland: how much, hotel, contractors)

[Steph77]

We just moved up to Folsom from the Bay Area and need to find new doctors.

We can choose:
Kaiser
Mercy
Sutter

Which one has the best hospital services (including ER...with 3 kids, we manage to find ourselves there a couple times a year)?

We got spoiled in the Bay Area with John Muir and had incredible services and a great hospital. I hope we can find a similar set up, up here.

Any pediatric recommendations?

Thanks!

[ndfmnlf]

Are you asking about the hospitals or the medical groups (doctors) that practice in those hospitals? There's a difference between the two. Example, Mercy General Hospital is owned by CHW which operates the hospital. Mercy Medical Group is a multispecialty group of doctors that practice in Mercy General (and other CHW-owned hospitals in the Sacramento region). The hospital and medical group are distinct entities; they are run by totally separate corporate organizations. The reason is that in California, it is illegal for hospitals to employ doctors. So the Mercy Medical Group doctors are independent contractors, not employees of Mercy General Hospital. So to answer your question, it is possible to have an excellent hospital but a lousy medical group working in it, and an excellent medical group but a lousy hospital.

In fact, you don't have to be part of Mercy Medical Group to be able to have practice privileges in Mercy General Hospital. You can be a solo practitioner, or part of another group. The same thing applies to Sutter and Kaiser.

[Steph77]

I guess both...

We're trying to figure out which medical group to choose...and each group is affiliated with a different hospital. So, if we can get any good/bad info. for either, it may help in our decision making process.

Thanks
stephanie

[ndfmnlf]

All 3 groups are similar in how they operate. The culture is that of a multispecialty group (the primary care MDs refer to specialists within the group). You won't go wrong picking any of them. Kaiser doctors tend to be younger/recent grads. Some patients like this set up (they think young docs are up to date), others don't (they think older docs have more experience). Mercy is affiliated with CHW (a Catholic foundation) which may limit your options with respect to contraception/abortion. Sutter is perhaps the epitome of corporatized medicine. I visited their new medical building in Stockton. It's state of the art...stepping inside the lobby makes you feel like you're in a 5 star hotel. Both Mercy and Sutter recently adopted top of the line electronic medical records systems. All 3 groups are rapidly expanding and building new clinics in the Sacramento region.

[Guevera]

Totally anecdotal... Mercy's pretty good, Sutter sucks. Don't know anything about Kaiser

[Mossy]

Why does Sutter suck? I actually find them to be pretty good. Don't like UC Davis and I like Mercy. HATE Kaiser.

[Alicia64]

My 5 yr. old just had eye surgery w/ a pediatric ophthalmologist at Kaiser. We've been seeing him since my son was one year and the time finally came for surgery.

Although nothing was ever said, I always have had the feeling that this dr. is truly brilliant and must have an IQ off the charts. (Dr. Rubens, if you need someone.)

Oh, and talking about brilliance we also see a pediatric neurosurgeon in Oakland (local Sac. doesn't have one of these) and this guy, too, seems crazy intelligent and very kind and helpful. Thankfully my son is fine.

Couldn't have been happier w/ the last four years' care.

Our pediatrician rocks too (Dr. Cullen in Folsom) and so does my GP. An older podiatrist sucked beyond belief, but a young podiatrist saved the day and was also very helpful.

So, when people say they "hate Kaiser". . . which dr. of many are they talking about??

Also, I had terrible infertility problems and I couldn't believe how much of the bill Kaiser picked up as I went through the process.

Of course, I've had moments of total annoyance w/ Kaiser, but that's life. I mean I love my husband, but he definitely annoys me!

And I want to add that we could change health care providers every year if we wanted to and choose to stay with Kaiser. And, no, I don't work for Kaiser.

In fact, my dh works for the Med Ctr!!

[jguillot]

Originally Posted by ndfmnlf

The reason is that in California, it is illegal for hospitals to employ doctors.

UC Davis Medical Center and the UC Davis Health System does employ its own doctors. I know this for a fact as I work for the UC Davis Health System.

[headdr]

To me, it all depends on the specific provider that you have at any of the health care systems. Having said that, each system has its own challenges to put it mildly. I am familiar with Kaiser, having been both an employee and member there. My primary physician was EXCELLENT. When he moved to Davis, I was more than willing to drive out there to see him (it helps that I dont sick too often). As an ex-employee of Kaiser, I am all too familiar with the pressures that providers have from the powers that be. I was NEVER told exactly how to practice, but I was told that I needed to see more and more new patients. Excuse my ranting about Kaiser. Buttom line with Kaiser, excellent for acute conditions (i.e. you fall and break your leg) and chronic conditions (i.e. chemo, dialysis), but when you fall in the middle, the system is so overwhelmed with the others that it takes way way too long to get care beyond the basics (i.e. I had lower back problems and since it was not an "emergency", it took 6 months to get an MRI). I'm sure that part of it the problem resides in the state of health care nation wide. After 13 years as a provider with Kaiser, I have recently resigned my position to accept one with the Veterans Administration in North Carolina. Hope this helps. By the way, my wife is an RN and has worked at Mercy Folsom and Mercy San Juan....she really liked it, but I have no idea about their outpatient services.

[ndfmnlf]

UC Davis Medical Center and the UC Davis Health System does employ its own doctors. I know this for a fact as I work for the UC Davis Health System.

Check this out: http://www.oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-01-91-00770.pdf (broken link)
You're talking about the residents, fellows, and attending physicians on the faculty. That's a different case.