Monday, September 12, 2011

This Urgent Care Is Named Wrong

In Las Vegas, there is a public hospital, run by Clark County, named University Medical Center (UMC) and they have a set of urgent cares named UMC Quick Care. The UMC QuickCares are as fast as President Obama trying to get his budget passed.
I have been to several different UMC Quick Cares in the Valley Buffalo, Sahara, Charleston and Nellis) and the story is usually the same: slow service, lots of patients and more slow service. The only time service comes quickly is when the QuickCare is about to close.
Today, I had to take my daughter to the UMC Quick Care by the Sunset Station Casino, by Sunset and Marks. We got there around 4:00 in the afternoon and we were not seen by the triage nurse until 5:34. We then waited until 7:00 to get a room. After that, we saw the doctor fairly fast and we were out at 7:35.
My daughter was being seen for asthma, fever, severe cough and eventually was diagnosed with a severe ear infection and asthma. She was wheezing from the asthma and was constantly coughing despite taking some powerful cough syrup. Apparently, difficulty breathing is not taken too seriously by the triage nurse. By 6:30, my daughter was in tears and I had to give as much TLC as possible.
They just were not moving people in and out of the notQuick Care, certainly not as fast as they moved us through when we finally saw the doctor. But then, we were seen at closing and quitting time, so the employees were moving a little faster.
The other problem I had is that everyone person, from the intake workers, triage nurse to the doctor did not speak or understand English very well. Now, I realize my Milwaukee WI. accent is really thick, but it was very obvious that English was not the first language of the people we saw. What was scary is that the nurse and doctor didn't understand what I was saying and put down some wrong information. Again, it must have been that Wisconsin accent.

So, if you are sick, need urgent care or need to see a doctor, you would behoove you not to go to UMC not Quickcare. You will be miserable and the wait you will have to endure will be painful if you visit a non QuickCare.
But if you have to go there, bring some books, like War and Peace, video games and some Valium to calm your nerves.

But if you complain, just remember that this is a local government agency staffed by government workers. It's just not going do you any good to complain. They just didn't seem to care.

2 comments:

  1. Don't blame the govt. If there were more care available for low income and uninsured, the QCs would not be overwhelmed. Most only have 2 doctors. It is just sheer patient numbers...you want faster? Ask.for more funding to pay for.more.doctors.

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  2. In Las Vegas there are alternative health care clinics . If you want to know some of the best that offer the best services Click Here

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