St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System

We were expecting a seamless experience, given that I had undergone a quadruple bypass at St. Luke’s, and couldn’t have been treated better. Unfortunately, such was not the case in this instance.
My wife was instructed to report at 6:00 a.m. for a 7:30 day surgery procedure. We arrived on time, only to be advised that she wouldn’t be taken to pre-​op until 10:30. When questioned, the nurse in charge stated that, «We always want everyone here early, so we can rearrange the schedule in case of a cancellation.» Well, the people sitting next to us were told to arrive at 7:00 a.m. for surgery at 8:30, and were taken on time … someone wasn’t being truthful. I understand that scheduling so many procedures can be imprecise … but being lied to doesn’t compensate for the time differential.
We finally got to pre-​op around 10:00 (a four-​hour wait), and my wife was prepped for surgery. 10:30 came and went. At about 11:00 we were advised that there was an emergency, and that our time in the operating room had been «bumped.» Nobody (not even one of the doctors) could approximate when surgery would take place, if at all that day. Given that there were two surgeons involved in this rather sophisticated procedure, and that it took almost five months for them to arrange their schedules to accommodate each other, postponement was not an option.
In no uncertain terms, I requested to speak with the administrator. Almost on cue, the nurse manager appeared … and miracle of miracles, an operating room became available, and my wife was taken to surgery. The squeaky wheel strikes again! I’m certain that someone else was bumped, and I’m sympathetic … but my wife’s health is paramount, and being selfish in this case was definitely the right thing to do .
The procedure was allotted to take about an hour, but lasted over three, and the lead surgeon ordered that my wife be admitted for both observation and pain management … good call. When I spoke with the nurses in recovery (all of them outstanding) I was informed that a room had been assigned, and that she’d be moved as soon as it was cleaned. Two hours later, she was still in post-​op. I took it upon myself to check out the room, only to discover that it hadn’t been touched … they can perform emergency surgery in five minutes, but can’t clean a room in two hours??? To put it mildly, I became somewhat agitated, having been at the hospital for over fourteen hours. I requested a face-​to-​face meeting with the appropriate supervisor (perhaps he/​she could clean it him/​herself). That didn’t happen, but five minutes later, two employees were feverishly readying the room, and my wife was moved shortly thereafter. Had I not said something, she’d likely have spent the night in recovery (that has happened, according to one nurse). Once again, the end justified the means.
Please note that this is not an indictment of the «rank and file» staff. The physicians, nurses, patient care technicians … even the food service personnel, were as cordial and compassionate as possible. It’s the system that needs work. The managerial personnel should have closer contact with the «front line.» It’s tough to tell what’s going on from an office.
Thankfully, my wife is home, and recovering nicely. It’s stressful enough to have a loved one undergo surgery (the procedure involved some vital organs, and it was possible that a more serious condition could have been discovered) … but for the facility to exacerbate the situation is inexcusable.