University of Iowa Health Care

I’ve had great experiences with many doctors at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, but Dr. John Callaghan botched my right hip replacement surgery, and it has hurt ever since. He also replaced my left hip, which is fine. I suspect the difference is which resident did the surgery. I suspect that Dr. Callaghan provided inadequate supervision. My right hip looks quite different from the left hip externally. What was particularly disturbing was that Dr. Callaghan interrupted me constantly and talked over me when I tried to give him feedback on the pain I was experiencing and tried to blame my pain on me. He said, «You’re just one of those people.» He was so unpleasant and so unwilling to accept feedback that I switched to Dr. Clark, another orthopedist in the same department.

This clinic is definitely in the center of all the action! (read: it’s a bit chaotic)
For being an older building though, they’ve done a great job of updating the building technologically and aesthetically. I’ve also been really impressed by how well-​oiled of a machine this clinic is. They process a lot of people in a day and still managed to treat me like a real human and stick to my appointment time.
Parking can be a little tricky and navigating around the medical campus in general is a little overwhelming at first but they do a great job of staffing the entrances with very friendly college students who are quick to help. I prefer their Iowa River Landing location over this downtown location simply for the ease and simplicity, but not all medical services are offered at Iowa River Landing.

As one reviewer put it, «UIHC is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the nation and it translates to a lot of options for patients with many different conditions.» This is very true. The physicians, nurses, etc. seemed very knowledgeable and up to date and we were glad to be there for the birth of our child.
Keep in mind that this is a teaching hospital, and make sure you don’t see «The Knick» TV series before you arrive.
Because it was a teaching hospital, you sort of have to get used to having 10 people in the room at all times: the doctor, the resident, the student, the new hire, the nurse, the nurse in training, etc. So if you don’t mind a crowd, things should be fine. One med student resident, for instance, wanted to change our child’s diaper and we said sure. Unfortunately, he was never told that with girls you have to wipe front to back. :) There are little things like that and you sort of just focus on the amazing nurses and doctors who are highly trained (national experts in their field) and go from there.
So, yes, a little college town. We’re not in Manhattan after all. The tradeoff is that you get lots and lots of attention, and because everyone is learning together, there is a positive and supportive environment and almost all the staff members seem eager to do a good job. That’s very refreshing.

Iowa Health Care rocks! Woo!

I think they’ve actually gotten worse, if that’s at all possible. Here are my current impressions:
Terrible. Just terrible. Rude receptionists, rude attendings, and some of the residents are verging on being completely incompetent. Wait times are horrendous, even for first appointments of the day. I wonder if any of the staff completes CME credits. Residents don’t keep up with the literature and neither do the attendings (or if they do, they can’t comprehend what they’re reading, apparently, as treatment is not standard of care). For a teaching hospital, this doesn’t say much for the residents’ ability once they complete their programs (and incidentally, most of their residents went to UI for med school).
Just to illustrate one example, I’ve had migraines since I was 6. I waited a year to get an appointment in the headache clinic. When I got there, the attending talked to the resident and med student in the room about me (though I was sitting right there) and said, «This is what we call ‘hysteria.’» When I asked if I would get any treatment or medication since these interfere with my job and I’ve had to make many ER trips for intractable migraine, I was given an emphatic negative response and told to make an appointment with a therapist. I’ve lived in other cities and taken medication in the past and been diagnosed with migraine. I thought «hysteria» went out of style as a diagnosis in the 1920s, but what do I know?

UIHC is one of the largest teaching hospitals in the nation and it translates to a lot of options for patients with many different conditions. The new Pomerantz pavillion is a great addition with nice offices and waiting areas. The ambulatory surgery center is fantastic and how can you argue with parking that’s less than a dollar an hour.
They are expanding as well with a new clinic building going up at the Iowa River Landing site. It’ll expand the care in the community and make getting in and out easier.
It’s a solid place with a great reputation and nice, caring people

The Rheumatology Clinic is full of kind people who are willing to work with you. They’ve helped me sort out all sorts of medication and care-​related issues that otherwise would have been so much more complicated. While sometimes there are scheduling difficulties in terms of getting in (they are pretty booked), the doctors and nurses here have been the best I’ve seen.

I’ve suffered from Crohn’s disease since 1996, and have always had a hard time finding good doctors who would work with and for me, not for themselves. University of Iowa has some of the best staff I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. While I was a student in Mt. Vernon, I was under the care of Dr. Joel Weinstock, one of the première GI doctors in the country, who is leading research on a breakthrough in Crohn’s care and management.
While Dr. Weinstock moved on to Boston for a great opportunity, I’m a firm believer that the hospital is excellent and that other staff are just as capable, friendly, and patient-​oriented as my Doctor was; people still come from all over the state of Iowa for care here.