French Hospital Medical Center

BEWARE OF HOW THEY CHARGE! OUT FOR MONEY!
I have cancer and needed a CT scan, which I got at San Luis Diagnostic, a part of French Hospital, which is owned by Dignity Health in San Francisco. I received a bill in the total amount close to $ 11,000.
When submitted to insurance, Anthem (plan name: Bronze PPO) denied payment as not covered.
The Anthem ‘in network’ discount for San Luis Diagnostic is $ 6700, leaving a balance due of $ 4100 for which San Luis Diagnostic holds me responsible. Doing research I found that, if I had wanted to pay cash the bill would’ve been only $ 940 (which is still more than other diagnostic centers who charge about $ 650). But, ‘Billing’ at Dignity Health claimed that because I have insurance they must charge the higher, non-​CASH price of $ 4100.
I explained that I was willing to pay the CASH price of $ 940. Billing remained adamant that — as we have insurance — the charge would be the higher $ 10,865 discounted to $ 4113.26. And, all they will do is refer me to resources for financial aid.
My questions are, «how can San Luis Diagnostic (Dignity Health) charge three different amounts for the same service?
* Insurance amount of $ 11,000 (11 ½ times the cash amount!)
* Discounted amount of $ 4100 (nearly 4 ½ times the cash amount!)
* Cash amount of $ 940 (again, still higher than other local providers by nearly 50%)
And, how can San Luis Diagnostic (Dignity Health) INSIST that a patient use insurance, even when the patient prefers to pay the CASH amount?
My caution is to read the fine print in your Anthem coverage — but even more — get a written estimate from San Luis Diagnostic BEFORE going to ANY Dignity Health facility. Talking to others, it seems that recently Dignity is ramping up their charges and is out for the money.

Went into French Medical Hospital on Sunday for the Wife. Before leaving,. We were told that the Emer. Rm Visit Co-​Pay was $ 150.00 I advised the person that we had Blue Cross Medical and that the Co-​Pay is $ 50.00 for Emer. Rm. Visits. they we were VERY ADAMANT. They stated that the Co-​Pay had changed. Today, 3÷21÷2016 I contacted Blue Cross on this matter.
They stated that the Emer. rm. Visit Co-​Pay is ONLY $ 50.00 So, why is French Medical Hospital overcharging???

I went to the ER at 1 AM the staff was outstanding. Dr. Reed is probably the most legit Dr I’ve ever seen. Two weeks after I went to the ER Dr Reed called me from her personal cail phone to see how I was doing. I’ve never heard of that.

We were on vacation and needed to get my wife checked out. Without going into too many details, this place was great. The employees, nurses and doctors were excellent. I wish that I lived closer and could get all of my medical care here. Thank You Everyone.

I went to the ER the other night and the staff was fast and helpful. They diagnosed the problem and quickly started treating it. Granted, this was at 5 am with no one else there, but I am still very appreciative.

They were gonna release my mother the day before she died. My advice is to run as far as you can from the central coast. Go to Stanford or to LA… Do not come here… You have been warned.

A trip to the ER here years ago was almost life ruining. I went there to fix what I was told by their only doctor on hand was the most common broken bone. The only problem was that they don’t fix broken bones. At a hospital emergency room they don’t fix broken bones. WTF. They took a bunch of xrays that they weren’t able to diagnose, gave me a business card of the only bone doctor in town (who you should also avoid), and then wrapped me up in the same ace bandage I came there with. A month later I got a bill for $ 4,000. Yes $ 4,000 for absolutely nothing. They considered re-​using my ace bandage to be a surgical procedure. When I finally got an appoinment to fix my broken bone 2 weeks later, by the doctor that French recommended, he told me my xrays looked like they were performed by a child. So I was charged again for new xrays. Several years later I’m done paying off the biggest money gouge of my life and I’m hoping you readers out there can learn from my mistake and AVOID FRENCH HOSPITAL AT ALL COSTS! YOUR LIFE AND LIFE SAVINGS DEPEND ON IT!!! GO TO MED STOP!!!

Quality of care was excellent. Unfortunately, everything else from intake to billing is a total nightmare. Balance billing is illegal in California yet they do it anyway. They refuse to acknowledge the patient responsibility quoted by the insurance provider and bully patients, trying to dupe them into paying the balance they are not rightly owed. I’ve spent the last 15 months trying to resolve this mess, and I don’t see an end any time soon.

I came in for a procedure I was looking to accomplish. After an hour of filling out paper and waiting for a doctor, they refused to perform the procedure. They still required me to pay the deductible, but they did absolutely nothing. At the end of the check-​up the lady who processed my payment was so rude I thought maybe I had done something to offend her in a previous life. At the end of the appointment, I just realized I wasted my time paid $ 50 and was treated like garbage.

My father underwent cardiac surgery here last year. While he survived the surgery which was done well, he did died because of the poor quality of aftercare he received. I would highly recommend going elsewhere for surgery if you are at all able. It may be a matter of life or death.

I had to bring my son here after he almost ripped his tongue in half while we were on vacation in Morro Bay. I have to say that all the staff are extremely friendly and made my son very comfortable. The staff said that they were very busy and so I was expecting a long wait but before an hour had passed we had checked in and seen a doctor who was very kind and made us all feel better with a don’t worry I have seen worse response and go home and enjoy your vacation and give your son all the popsicles and ice cream he can eat. The staff were great and I have to say this was the best ER visit I have ever had.

The emergency room doctor was more concerned about him being a doctor and not being treated right by a patient, than taking care of the patient. The emergency room is the worst emergency room I’ve been in over the last 30 some years and as a healthcare provider I’ve been to quite a few emergency rooms. After complaining an RN who said she was the director of the emergency room came to assist with my care she was really no better than the other nurse who seemed to have bailed out on me because of the particular distasteful nature of my visit. I do not know how this hospital supposedly is one of the top 100 hospitals in the United States because they’re emergency room facilities are the worst in the county. If I could’ve given a zero on this rating I would’ve

Nicest nurses I have ever been around. Delivered my baby. Was there 3 days and was treated so well! Thank you.

Horrible hospital, the staff and doctors are pearly not up to par. To follow up I went to twin cities hospital because I was still having Kidney pain and felt I had an infection. There they found I did indeed have one and treated appropriately. I found it amazing that French did the same test, so they say and found no infection. All it took was a urine dip to find out and I imagine they didn’t do one although they said did. Maybe they need a little more training on reading the strip or be more truthful to the patients

Begging my wife to never bring me here. Dirty, understaffed. People were great!
Dirty hospital that needs help!

Let me say that the facility looks nice, the food was better than expected, and for the most part, the staff of the ancillary services were friendly.
One of the main things that ALL hospitals focus on is keeping patients comfortable. This would be in the form of pain control, clean environment, timely services, and good communication between caregivers and physicians.
I will spare you all the details of my hospital stay (4 days) just last week.
I understand that Dignity (or CHW, or Tenant) is a business to profit rather that just to give services away for free. I also understand that in order to make money, policies and/​or procedures are examined to see where savings to the hospital, or hospital company can be made and therefore applied.
I have been in the medical field for 23 years, so I am fully aware of the past as well as present trends of patient care .
Here’s a ‘cut’ that in my opinion is detrimental to the patient care that French hospital does NOT offer (and has so for at least 3 years)… Nursing assistants ‘CNA’s’, at least not on the medical/​surgical unit.
‘Total care” is what WE nurses do when hospitals just like French remove the CNA from the floor. In other words, and what happened to me last week is that my nurses were pulled in so many directions, that despite how proficient, experienced, and knowledgable they were, they are and were set up to fail.
If the consumer, i. e, patient has an unfavorable experience, how is it they expect to profit? I read that Dignity/​French are among the top in the nation (on Frenchs website) please share those stats, and who is grading you???
And finally, If you think a patient who works hard for her benefits, and pays a handsome monthly fee to afford her the choice of facilities in which to have MAJOR SURGERY, yet is left to sleep in her own waste, is violated by HIPPA, and her surroundings are continuously left in not just disgusting, but a hazardous manner while trying to stay on top of her pain… will return or refer others to your hospital, or choose another owned by Dignity Health???
No, Never…
French has some wonderful nurses and they need help so they can focus on things like efficient and effective patient care. Since when do we have to ask our nurses to change soiled bedding, empty the trash, or clean the bodily fluids of a bathroom shared by two patients? that and making sure the floor is picked up so that surgical patient can safely navigate (with her IV pole and several tubes exiting her body) to the bathroom to begin with???
SMH

Well over the years I have visited many people here and always found thestaff to be helpful, and everybody came out alive and happy. Those are good points. Well last month my wife had a small foot surgery and the treatment from each and every staff member was over the top fantastic. The check in, the follow up after the surgery, the surgeon, the assistants, the anesthesiologist, the clerks, all are happy to be there, happy to be in the health care industry and paying attention to the patient. That is everything one could want from a hospital.

Worst hospital in the USA they don’t have a doctor In the hospital over nite and they almost killed my father. He had no diagnosis for months. This hospital has no ethics no respect for patients and is basically a death zone. Don’t go if you care abt your life or your loved ones life

Horrible.
They sent my husband home from the ER with a 8.2 Hemoglobin level. He was severely anemic.
He went to Sierra Vista the next day with a 7.7 Hemoglobin level and was given a blood transfusion! And French let him go the day before!

Both of my children were born here (I’m the father, or so I am told…)
Wife did not have any problems with the stay (obviously birthing is not an «easy time») but for the maternity ward: BIG PLUSES!
I’ve also used them for simple blood work, and while the new government-​mandated paperwork had just kicked in or was about to, I got the impression it was «us» (staff and me) against «them» (bureaucrats in Sacto & D.C.). They all apologized as I just happen to show up when «the new system» was being implemented. «New systems» are rarely fun, no matter what the industry.
However, once in their new system, all subsequent follow ups were quick and efficient, so there’s that.
I’ve never had a bad time dealing with French over the years, and the Pharmacy is very well run and nice (which is surprising as hospital pharmacies are often pretty bad). Heck, most pharmacies are tough to deal with (due to excessive regulations and BS we all have to wade through, coupled with docs who sometimes don’t really know what they’re prescribing).
Cafeteria food is about what one would expect. I almost never visit a hospital for the food, though. ;-) However, this one actually donates a LOT to the homeless, as does the whole staff, so KUDOS to the cafeteria and Management for encouraging (or mandating?) the giving back to the community.
Finally, they recently went from Catholic Healthcare West to «Dignity Health» or some hospice-​sounding name. I imagine a bunch of business school flunkies thought it was a great name or something. Yikes.