University Medical Center Brackenridge

I went to Breckenridge ER today at the direction of my treating doctor. I had CyberKnife treatment the week before and was suffering extreme nerve pain and headache. No one at this facility cares if you are in pain. They are only in cover their ass mode.
This was the first time I ever went to an emergency room for help with pain. I’ve had a baby. I’ve had broken bones. They do not compare to the pain I was then when I went to the ER today. I was given various medications, and when those did not work was finally given a shot of narcotic that did. One shot. After several hours of minor relief I was told to go home. Still in pain.
Why go to this place and be treated like dirt when you can stay home and feel as well.

Dr. Roger McRoberts with the psychology department of the Paul Bass Clinic located in the lower level of Breckenridge hospital. I’ve been a patient for over 7 years and this last December I was involved in a tragic auto accident from a lady texting and driving and suffered major brain injury and loss of movement. I’ve been seeing his residential docs for almost the last 2 years and Dr. Jennifer Ward was the worst future doctor my family and I have ever seen. She was instant on putting me on meds that causes seizures even though she knew my neuro surgeon was against her meds. She caused me to have a seizure which I have sometimes 5 a day due to my condition and anxiety. She then reported back to Dr McRoberts and they came up with a huge lie causing more stress. He says I was drug seeking and a bunch of other lies and I’m blessed to have a Dea dad who can look up every prescription since my birth. While I was in the hospital a few weeks ago for a week I saw him walk by my room and he didn’t even come check on me he wrote lies on my report and know I have a legal team on my side. So beware and look at your records. These 2 docs are a sad addition to this wonderful city.

What would you think if you were a post heart attack, 5 way CABG patient having to come the hospital for an atrial fibrillation. You ask for a snack since being in the emergency room for 5 hours, and they give you a «banquet» salisbury steak tv dinner? This is in no way heart healthy one bit. I would like to actually get better. Wtf?
UPDATE:
The communications manager from Seton responded to my review. However, I believe this response was only a public attempt to neutralize the situation and make it seem like they would be concerned. Since I am unable to publicly respond to that comment, I place this here.
INGREDIENTS
Gravy (Water, Modified Food Starch, Flavorings, Monosodium Glutamate, Salt, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein with Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Caramel Color, Dried Whey), Water, Salisbury Steak Patty (Beef, Pork, Water, Dehydrated Onion, Textured Soy Flour, Bread Crumbs {Bleached Wheat Flour [Enriched with Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid}, Durum Flour, Leavening {Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate}, Yeast], Soy Protein Concentrate, Salt, Caramel Color, Sodium Tripolyphosphate, Flavoring), Corn, Dehydrated Potatoes (Potatoes, Mono– and Diglycerides from Vegetable Oil, Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Sodium Bisulfite, Citric Acid, BHT), Soybean Oil, Salt, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sugar.

When I was in the epilepsy monitoring unit, I was in the hospital for seven days. I developed pressure sores (blistered, red with pus, disgusting) all over my head where the electrodes were — which I found out onthe day of discharge. They acted like it was no big deal when I said, «Hey, my skin is really hurting, is everything OK up there? «Oh … just a little bit of skin breakdown» was the response. I can tell you as a nurse that skin breakdown is a big deal! It causes infections! They were supposedly checking those sites daily and came in multiple times to fix ones that weren’t working. I complained of itching and feeling uncomfortable at the electrode sites, and they told me that was normal. Please, I know it’s a pain in the butt to change the electrodes, but if your patient’s skin is breaking down, it must be done. Guess what happened after that? HALF of my hair fell out. It is 10 months later, and you can *still* see my scalp! I just hope it eventually all grows back and that they did not permanently damage the follicles.
As if that weren’t enough, I was admitted with «gluten-​free» and dairy-​free on my medical orders. I made sure those orders were communicated to dietary, since the admitting RN failed to do so. Sometimes a bun would come with my meal or cheese on my salad. Every meal — almost without exception — had wheat or dairy or both (on two occasions, they delivered my meals so late that there was no re-​ordering, so I had no dinner). Even the couple of meals that did not *obviously* have meat or dairy were making me sick. I complained about it. I spoke to person after person in the kitchen. I spoke to two administrators. Finally I spoke to one of the head chefs. I had to spend 10 minutes (I wish I were kidding!) breaking down in the most basic terms possible what gluten is and what wheat is! He kept telling me that I couldn’t have anything with corn, right? I systemically had to explain what grains were, what the different grains look like, and how gluten fits in the picture. The next day I was getting ready to be discharged and got a wheat bun with my lunch. Unbelievable! Really? There are people who not only do not know what gluten is, they also don’t know what flour really is, and some even don’t know what WHEAT is — and they are working at Brack! WTH.
I told the administrator that they are literally KILLING the patients in that hospital who have celiac. How irresponsible!
DO NOT use this hospital if you are gluten-​intolerant or Celiac. And if you’re ever in the epilepsy monitoring unit, have someone checking your electrode sites. You cannot rely on the nurses or techs to do that.

The Paul bass clinic is horrible. Dr. Ward under Dr. McRoberts is horrible at her job and should not have a medical license. She is rude and doesn’t care what anyone has to say. She acts to listen and gets out as fast as possible. Now the Brackenridge nurses and doctors are so awesome and sweet if you are admitted. Everyone is so nice. I’m giving a one start because of Paul bass clinic and Dr. Ward.

Went to Paul Bass Clinic
OMG the place smelled like urine and the staff was the same rude, don’t give a shit attitude that Brackenridge (what it was called before) had. Dirty, slow, unprofessional, overpriced.
I fired them officially, and changed hospitals /​doctors after this.
I simply refuse to goto a place that does not at least care about their patients.

The worst hospital I’ve ever seen. Went in for a cut that was badly infected with staph and cellulitis. Antibiotics were not working. They had to cut it open. The doctor said he needed to do blood work and urinalysis. The nurse took the blood and I gave them a urine sample. In the meantime they moved me to a room for observation. Hours later the blood vials were still setting on the counter in the other room and both the urine and blood was later just thrown out. My veins are bad due to chemotherapy so it was difficult to get the first sample. The doctors did nothing to help me or make sure the infection was under control. When I ask the doctor about my concerns about the infection and now having a huge open wound, she said «well, you don’t want to be in this dirty hospital». Now that was reassuring!!! When I left there no one gave me any directions or follow up advice or how to take care of the open goofball size two inches deep hole in my leg. This place is dangerous! Don’t go. It is very bad for your health!

Definitely the dirtiest looking hospital that I’ve been to in Austin. We arrived at 1:00 pm, and there was no one at the information desk. We followed the signs to outpatient services, but only found empty desks. Still no one at the information desk, but a nurse by the elevators told us outpatient services had recently moved to the 2^nd floor. Wonder when they’ll be changing the signs, or hiring enough people to have desk coverage. Then outpatient services said they hadn’t received the orders from the doctor, which is unlikely since we saw the nurse fax them. Nobody seemed terribly competent or interested in customer service. It was my mom who needed to go here, but NEVER AGAIN!

More interested in semantics and technicalities than true patient care. Typical of the state of healthcare in todays market. Stay healthy and stay away from the hospital: they are in the business of making money; care of health is just a necessary inconvenience.

The worst ER experience I have ever had.
DIRTY, unprofessional, slow, did I say dirty?
Dr. Rice and his med-​school assistant Michael were the best part of the experience. They were wonderful.
In my experience, doctors have been aloof and uncaring whilst nurses are attentive and caring. This place is the land of opposites. The afternoon nurses were down right rude. Every time I needed something (a pillow, an extra blanket and some ice chips) I had to wait 20 minutes and ask another nurse.
When I asked if they were busy, the nurse said, «No, not particularly.»
Then why does it take so long to get a pillow?
They had no problem talking to each other about how much this patient «sucked», or how this guy was a «short little fucker», or how much fun their weekend was.
Eventually, I passed out and the shift changed. The night time triage nurses were much better than the day time ones.
If you like to pay Ritz Carlton prices, risk getting sicker due to how dirty the place is and get treated like you are an annoyance this is your place.
Dr. Rice and his med-​school assistant are what the staff should model themselves after. Unfortunately as great as they were, I will find another ER Should myself or my family ever need one.
Edit:
I have just finished paying them off for 18 hours in triage (over $ 3,000 after insurance). I am relieved to be done with them and feel that I can complete my review with gross and brutal honesty.
WORST EXPERIENCE.
I went in with a stomach virus. 15 hours of both ends exploding at home. I was so dehydrated and thought something might really be wrong.
I received NO urine analysis, no blood work. They did take my urine, but it remained next to me the entire time. I actually took it home with me when gathering my things to go home after the end of my visit. This was not done on purpose. The nurse packed my bag and threw my urine cup in there with it.
This was also during the height of the ebola crisis in Texas (I didn’t have ebola, obviously), but had to sit in the waiting room with a kidney bowl (I was vomiting) and a mask for close to three hours before being taken into triage.
I was given zofran (for nausea), 2 bags of fluid and pepto. It cost me 3k. THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS. I also have insurance. America.
No pain meds (they were offered, but declined because I wasn’t in pain/​opiates make me sick to my stomach). No fever reducer.
To be fair, I am allergic to NSIDS and can only take tylenol– which upsets my stomach– hence why I declined tylenol.
I am lying in a bed in triage sandwiched between two other sick gentlemen. I was given no pillow or blanket. It took over 3 requests to get a pillow and a blanket. I know it sounds trite, but I was ill. I was also paying a lot of money to seek treatment.
Call me Kim Kardashian, but I want a pillow and a blanket while I am throwing up and shitting my pants at a hospital… in America.
On my way out, one of the doctors was walking me to where I pay and I had an «accident». I was walked back into the triage area I had just left and was given a stack of (dry) 4×4’s to clean myself up. That’s 15 four inch by four inch gauze-​like squares to clean my whole ass– not a Kim K ass, but half the size at least.
So, I go to work. Pick up another stack of squares, prepared to put it on my hind end when I noticed THERE WAS BLOOD ON IT. Not my blood, but the blood of some other poor person that had to endure «treatment» at this ER.
I got a case of the fuck it’s and threw on the pair of disposable scrubs I was given, took a cab home and showered for days.
I know it’s a teaching hospital, but for Christ’s sake can’t you give me some non-​bloodied 4×4’s to clean my body off with and not charge me three mortgage payments?
In case of an emergency, I would advise you to go to an animal hospital before going to this place.

Oh and did I mention that the idiots in the emergency room will completely rip off your clothes if they’ve never previously seen somebody have an epileptic seizure. Not to mention your very own medical ID bracelet. That’s going to get destroyed by these wild animals too!
When I asked about the whereabous of my bracelet, I was lied to a couple of days by various departments — before finally the hospital mail room conceeded they had it – and it had erroneously been sent down to them.
I could not even get a straight answer from their chaplain. Ethical indeed… yeah right!
This is like something out of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Complete disregard for basic humanity.

Doctor #1 gets one star.
Nurse #4 or 5 gets 5 stars, actually more, way beyond what any ICU nurse possibly could in the way of being an ANGEL. I wish I remembered her name. How does someone do it? Work with Doctor One Star and stand out as such a great nurse.
Billing– how does medical billing work? $ 3,305 per hour! Chargemaster rates

I knew what condition I had by googling my symptoms and making a few guesses. The doctors verified my condition (I was hoping I was wrong!). I did not have an emergency, I just do not have insurance so the ER was the easiest track to take. While I was being cared for there were 4 «crashes» which mean true emergencies. I heard the helicopter land for one. I am totally patient and calm, because the guy in the helicopter definitely needs care before me.
So 4 hours from arrival to depature, not bad. Really awesome staff and great use of various medical supplies to treat me.

My review is mainly of the ICU since that is where we spent the bulk of our time. My husband spent approximately 3 ½ weeks in ICU, and all but 2 of his nurses were absolutely fantastic. Patient, caring, and understanding. He also spent some time on the 9^th floor, where he was also very well taken care of. The social worker assigned to us for insurance help was also helpful.
There are some policies that I think Brackenridge could examine in regards to allowing family access to ICU patients right after surgery (Don’t let family in until you feel it’s appropriate! If we show up, ask us to wait in the waiting room, as if the patient were still in a recovery room.) and assigning a case manager or point of contact so that patients and their families deal mainly with one person. I felt like I saw so many different interns and staff that it was often very difficult to know who to ask when I had questions. No one person seemed to be 100% familiar with my husband’s case, and that became frustrating.
That being said, we felt that my husband was treated quickly and efficiently by a caring and skilled staff. We feel very lucky that we have a level I drama hospital in our town.
Parking garage tips: If you are going to be at the hospital for extended periods of time, day after day like I was, ask for a day pass when you are leaving the garage. It’s cheaper. For example, if you arrive at 9 am on a Tuesday, get your ticket when entering, and ask for a day pass when leaving the garage, you pay $ 6 for a pass that’s good until Wednesday at midnight. So you get Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s parking for $ 6. You can also buy a week’s pass for a discounted rate. But sometimes, especially late at night, there is no one in the booth, and you don’t have to pay at all. I went several days without having to pay. The day pass is worth it if a) you are going to be there two days in a row for a long time, and b) you are not a senior citizen. Seniors get a discounted rate anyway, and it’s less than a day pass.

This hospital’s E.R. is super busy since it’s located downtown and is the only Trauma 1 hospital in Central Texas. The clinical staff have the most knowledge and compassion that I have seen in years. I also found out the reason why they don’t validate parking in the E.R. is because the parking garage isn’t owned by the hospital (one employee told me that they pay to park also) You may have a wait but reassure you will get treated fairly and receive help. They don’t judge you about the insurance since they don’t ask about insurance or payment until after you’re in a room and about to be sent home.

I have been here twice for 2 day surgeries :(
It isn’t fancy or brand new, but everyone I have come into contact with was über nice and friendly. They go out of their way to double check things, and make sure I was comfortable and feeling better. I didn’t have a choice where to go since its my surgeons call, but I was happy with being at bracken ridge.
The parking lot is a cluster f but most hospitals are, and yes you have to take a ticket, but the hospital will validate it. So YOU are NOT paying.
My 2 pennies

I have been in the ER numerous times, either for myself or for my fiancé. Yes, it takes forever if you’re in for a minor emergency, and the waiting area is full of homeless people or those with no insurance. After you’re in though, I’ve found them to be ok, although I noticed their sympathy coincides with whether or not you’re insured.
Today, however, I was with my fiancé to have his out-​patient surgery done. Everyone was super kind to him (he was pretty nervous) and seemed to do everything they could for us. I would recommend Heart Hospital over here, if only that you probably won’t be waiting for hours over there, but overall it wasn’t too bad for a fairly minor, routine procedute.

Got us in right away! But was not happy that as a hospital patient and visit I had to pay for parking, you are about to get slapped with medical bills, but still have to pay for parking? hmm
Also– they misdiagnosed my boyfriend. Went to the most extreme of his case and made his condition worse. Then wouldn’t take ownership. We now have to pay for his ER visit and Eye visit.

No appointment neccessary: what an understatement.
Y’know those red-​flag moments in life where you feel invincible, where you are the hottest thing since Nutella on vanilla wafers, and as you are practicaly GLIDING so gracefully past commonfolk, you think to yourself: I am just badASS, Self.
I was gliding last Monday on my mountain bike down a sidewalk. Coming up past a parking sign, I tragically didn’t dodge as wisely as I could have, and was flung up, down, and around onto the unrelenting pavement of whoever saw my arrogance and said, «Oh yeah? Eat concrete, Miss Hot Stuff.» After a momentary loss of motor speech and an all-​encompassing numbness, the morphine graciously permitted me to see straight and sound educated. The two EMTs and in-​patient nurses were as comforting as could be given the hyper-​venilating, God-​awful circumstances.
Although I wanted to slowly torture the two guys repositioning my noodle-​forearm for x-​rays, the entire team that worked to fuse my radius and ulna back to their original state showed me the highest level of dedication I’ve ever seen.
A special thanks to Dr. Blais; Nurses Amanda, Mimi, Marcie; and CA Thomas (call me!)

So, I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a total klutz… which is pretty hilarious. Especially because I have to force myself to quit laughing before I can pick my ass up off of whichever surface I landed on. In the case of my visit to the ER at Brackenridge, I slipped on something in the OR (no, it wasn’t blood or bone or anything of that sort) and tweaked my knee. Had I realized what a pain in the ass workman’s comp can be, I’d have sucked it up and not said anything about the pain in my knee. Not a really serious injury, btw, but I was at work, so it was insisted upon that I make the trip to the ER.
Visit to the ER wasn’t so bad, but definitely NOT for the germ phobic. Even I, who work in surgery here (as a disclaimer), it made me slightly uneasy to bear witness to people in the waiting area wearing masks. You know they’re wearing them for a reason, the protection of others… but still. The entire process was relatively painless. It took 2 ½ hours or right around there. It’s a trauma center, what else would you expect? Not to mention the helicopter landing while I was sitting in the waiting room.
After check in and initial check up, its determined which «track» of care you’re going to be under. True emergencies, minor emergencies, and things that can wait a little while. My knee problem was of the third kind. I was escorted to another area of the hospital, seen by a doc, x rayed, and sent on my way, pretty much. I was also given crutches and a knee immobilizer… overkill if you ask me. I guess workman’s comp has the need to CYA.
This is THE place to go for TRUE emergencies… other things not so bad, either… as long as you keep in mind the potential for being bumped by the poor bastard in the helicopter.
I’m fine, knee is almost 100%, four days later.