Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center

They don’t even deserve 1 star! My husband has had numerous medical issues in the past 3 years and this last trip to the ER was the worst! He was bleeding rectally with the most severe pain. The did a ct scan (which we Told them was useless) and came back with nothing! The ER nurse complained that she she didn’t want to keep calling our surgeon to let him know what was going, after we told them that he was expecting to hear from us… We were there for 5 hours… They said he needed antibiotics but said all his blood work was normal– argued about pain meds and then sent him home! We are now waiting for a bed so he can have the surgery he should’ve had last night! What a disgrace! I’m going to start an advocacy group for families/​friends who have loved ones in need of medical help. I hope they get their crap together quick… Unbelievable!

Birgitt Dau is a doctor gave me neuropathy when I was 25 years old. I was on a medication called zyvox that was overprescribed by her. The medications adverse affects kick in after 28 days and she had me on it for 6 months at 600mg without intention to stop. She permanently disabled me because of her negligence!!! had I not been bed ridden and on medical leave from work, I wouldn’t have missed the statue of limitations and sued her. I remember calling her to tell her my symptoms and she called me back the next day screaming and shouting that I need to stop taking the medication, after I had already taken my morning dose.

st. al’s does have some good technicians at your boise and ontario locations and the check-​in staff is nice but the radiology dept in ontario needs to send the images along with the written reports so the patients dr’s will have all the patients information. and change to a different radiologist before someone else suffers needless abdominal pain.

Over the course of the last four years I’ve had FIVE surgeries performed at St. Alphonsus, including an aortic valve replacement & knee replacement. I’ve never had a single instance that I can complain about, & more than that, I can say unequivocally that my care has always been first rate, whereas my experiences at the other hospital were dismal to say the least. Dr. Stephen Jones, my heart surgeon, is one of the best surgeons in the entire Northwest, as is Dr. Meier, who did my knee replacement. I’m somewhat of a cynic, so I volunteer this information only to attempt to balance all of the negative reviews. I’m certainly not a Catholic; in fact I’m not at all religious, so that has nothing to do with it. I don’t question the opinions of others; I’m simply offering the truth about my own experiences.

I was referred to St. Al’s for a follow-​up on a 2^nd degree burn that was treated while I was in South Jordan, Utah. I needed the bandage changed and to check the wound. When I called to make an appointment I was told they were NOT an acute unit and did NOT take same day appointments. What’s worse is before they let me know they could not see me they grilled me about my insurance. REALLY? I do have insurance. Blue Cross and the next question was of Idaho?
Go to St. Luke’s if you have a choice. They took good care of me.

I guess I have to agree with whomever said that despite being the emergency room, you wait as if it is not the emergency room. I personally was not very happy with my experience in the waiting room, waiting to be admitted into the emergency room. Hello… I have an emergency… why are you guys acting as if I do not have an emergency??? Yes, when I first enter, the receptionist takes down my name, then tells me to sit down and wait somewhere. He then calls me back to take down some more information, only this time he provides me with a wheelchair but does not offer to wheel me anywhere. Hence, I’m guessing, had I not gone in with my folks, I would have had to wheel myself. That’s pretty humiliating. Then, I hear my name called again. This time, it is the paramedic, taking vitals. Well, after taking vitals, he determines that this is not life threatening and hence not an emergency (despite being in excruciating pain) and tells me to sit down again. The receptionist, once again, hollers out my name, and wants me to complete some report of some kind. I had been bitten by a dog and I needed to answer some questions. When I was finally called into the emergency room, the first nurse asked me the exact same questions. She then transferred me to the care of another nurse who ALSO asked me the exact same questions. When the doctor came, he too asked me the same questions. God, I was really starting to feel like a broken record now. I’m not sure why my answers to the receptionist weren’t conveyed to the rest of the staff. This stuff is supposed to happen, you know. Anyway, the wound was determined to be not that bad, so another nurse washed me out good, which, I have to admit, I really appreciated. So, all in all, I would say the staff at SA is very nice, but their procedures are clearly lacking and the customer service is not what I would expect from a private hospital in supposedly the world’s best country for health care. I just can’t wait to see how much the bill is for a cumulative wait of more than an hour and such crappy service.

Beautiful establishment
I met my best friend here for her check up on her pregnant belly!
Everything is fresh, clean and modern.
The Ob doctor was amazing and gave us a detailed view of my friend’s twins. It was amazing :)
The only thing I found a lil odd was that they had trouble locating my friend at first because the office is so large!

Should have checked Unilocal before going to St Al’s. Not very many good reviews. It’s the place that says all the right things but does not follow through.
My mom walked into the hospital for a 3 day hernia operation. 4 months later she is dead. Hospital is not interested in older people, on Medicaid and Medicare. Even the surgeon said, «Your mom is costing me money.»
My mom was kicked out of hospital when she was not well enough to recoup. Not once but twice she was brought back with same issue.
The surgeons are king. What they say goes without questioning. I complained to their complaint department the head of their mission statement and anyone in hospital who would listen. The thing is they listen say sorry, but what did they do to fix problem?
If any one wants more detail write me.
The exception is the Pallative Care team. Dr. Clifford and his team were the only ones that cared about my mother during her stAy. But what am learning is they are only brought in when families start to complain. Like a lawsuit avoidance team.
From Susan B. Who writes me and says, March 14, 2014: Saint Alphonsus… That is terrible that happened to your mother. My son-​in-​law went there last night for my granddaughter’s cough…(she’s only 8 mos old) he said the women in the ER were rude about her crying! It took him an hour to get in a room, then after another hour he opened the door so her cry would get them in there… which they did finally. This hospital is the WORST! I am so sorry for your loss. My husband died last summer, after he was finally admitted to Hospice in Dec 2011. He ended up having to be admitted 5 more times after the incident I wrote about here. Needless to say, we went to Saint Lukes after this… but the last time we went back to SARMC… and I must say he was treated better that time… fluke? I don’t know. I DO know that the palliative team was the reason he was treated better, they were wonderful… The main problems SARMC has are the nurses (terrible, for the most part) and their E.R. dept (terribly mismanaged). I think you may be on to something regarding the insurance… he was a Medicare patient as well since he was disabled for the last 4 years. I will never go there unless I have no choice, I know that… my choice is always St. Lukes now. Once again, I am very sorry for your loss… remember, there is healing through tears… I really believe that. God bless.

I unfortunately had to visit the emergency room twice this month with two different people. And both times entering the emergency reception area was somewhat disappointing. They were not apathetic or seem to have a sense of urgency. This is the emergency room! Hello! The two people I brought in were suffering from a stab wound and the other about to pass out. (not what you think). Although made me laugh writing it down to. Anyway just would be nice if they showed a little compassion. This summer I spent a lot of time in the hospital seeing an expected mother that had to stay in hospital for a month. And everyone seem very nice and friendly on that side so maybe it’s just on the ER side. Oh and the guy that got stabbed is doing fine just needed 6 stitches, and we supervise him opening Boxes to make sure it doesn’t happen again. ;). And the baby is doing great to. So cute!

Wonderful care and follow-​up by a fantastic nurse practitioner. I wouldn’t go anywhere else! Saint Al’s is the best.

Two experiences: Went to a free baby sign language class here. Absolutely incredible class! Unfortunately, the teacher who is fluent in sign language is being replaced by a currently employed nurse due to cost. The teacher taught a three month long curriculum and has yet to be reimbursed by the hospital (class ended in December). I went to their gift shop to purchase an item that had St Al’s logo on it (for a gift). My options were a baby onesie and Chapstick. I saw a mousepad being used for a signature pad and asked if I could purchase it. After fifteen minutes of trying to contact someone who could price it, they wiped the ink marks off and charged me $ 10!!! For a used, dirty mousepad. I joked that they probably get them for free and the manager responded with, «well, we’re a non-​profit organization». What a joke!!! I wouldn’t trust this hospital’s practices if I were dying and in their front yard. Clearly a place that cares more about the dollar than the individual. A sad model of health care going in entirely the wrong direction. Do NOT spend your money here! St. Al’s is no victim– they’re part of trinity Health and Catholic Health East– a merger that serves 21 states and brings in billions upon billions of dollars a year. I’ll stick with my Idaho based St. Luke’s Hospital, thank you very much!

Went to St Als ER yesterday with my son who thought he had broken his hand. What a bad joke! My son told them he was an 8 pain level, was told to take a seat. 30 minutes later and a pain level of 10 and swelled to double we were taken back and deposited in a room. We waited there for 45 minutes and after going out three tines to get someone we finally left. No treatment no nothing. No one even said anything as we walked out. This comes really close to malpractice. We were in and out of St Lukes in 30 minutes. I would give St Als a zero star!

I waited an hour to see Dr. Kattenhorn. Then he took a personal phone call while I was in his office and checked his phone three times. He prescribed me medicine that I had a negative history with and caused me more problems, despite my reservations and detailed account of previous side effects. In others words, doesn’t listen.
I would not recommend seeing this doctor at the Boise Ob-​Gyn Center.

Excellent Hospital with excellent Staff Doctor’s are very helpful

Had to use the ER for a dog attack. We were taken care of immediately. The doctors were knowledgable and friendly

Had to use their emergency services for back pain. They took a MRI and said I had CANCER! WHAT!!! Are you kidding me? Nope. There is a tumor in my pelvis. I’m shocked, nervous, my spouse is stunned. They run me up to their specialized Cancer Care center. I’m there for 5 days. Guess what — no cancer.
These guys shoot off the hip. Of course, you guessed it. I had great insurance. A lot of woory over nothing. And never an apology or admission that they erred.
Food wasn’t too bad, even for hospital food. Stay with the burger and sandwiches, and NEVER order any fish dishes.
They set me up with their Pain Center for the back pain. What an uncaring bunch of SOB’s, except for Sheryl Kelly. She’s cool, she listens. The rest are a bunch of jerks. And they won’t call you back for days… if ever. They say 48 hours, but if they don’t have an answer, they just don’t call… period. I think they so many people in pain and whining about it that they have become jaded. Time for them, except Sheryl, to find a new profession.
My opinion is, drive the extra 5 miles and head for St Luke’s instead. Nice people, thorough, and up-​to-​date equipment. Their beds automatically adjust to your weight and body pressure. Too cool. Foods is better at St Als.