Not a good NEWs

I do apologize for not sharing a nice experience with you guys. But I want to share this bad experience we had with WorldCity Medical Center. As I mentioned on my previous post, my mother was rushed in the hospital last week. Since we are members of a Health Maintenance Organization (Medicard) I told my brother to bring my mother to the nearest hospital in our place. That is World City Medical Center along Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City. The bad experience started when they were referred to the Medicard doctor whom I believed the specialist for the case of my mother. The doctor is Mr. Roy Salcedo. It was around 4PM when my brother told me that the doctor's next schedule is around 5PM so I told them to stay and wait instead of moving to another hospital. I never thought that my mother's condition was critical already. I was in our house that day resting for I have to go to work that night. It so happened that the doctor came late and they were assisted around 7 or 8PM already. Considering the fact that my mother was in great pain they were not assisted with anyone there. Her case should be for ER already. The doctor's secretary, I don't like her for she does not care about the patients waiting outside the clinic, waiting for her boss to get assisted. My brother was waiting to be called for there turn and found out after going inside the clinic that there was no numbering or queue at all for the patients. After Dr. Roy Salcedo checked my mothers condition they were told to bring my her to the ER for admission. Supposedly before admitting her case, the hospital should verify first with the HMO company or Medicard if the condition or case of my mother is covered with our benefits on the card. The procedure should be verified on the department they called Industrial. Since it was late at night, the department was closed already and my brother was referred directly to the ER department to verify if my mother's case was covered with the card. Someone from the ER said that it was covered so they admitted my mother and told my brother to go to Admission office to get a room. My brother confirmed and asked the admission officer Mr. Michael Jesus Espiritu that getting a room for my mother is coverd with our Medicard and upon checking the card he said it is covered. It was almost 9PM when my brother informed me about this. I went to the hospital that night and went straight to the ER. I expected that my mother was attended already for it is ER. But they are still waiting for their turn. Yah, I admit that there are many patience waiting but consider the urgency and the condition of the patient, the ER personnel should know which person should they have to attend first. My mother was in great pain and I can see that she is very week and almost lying on the chair and the ER are still not attending her. So when I got to the ER I talk/ make conversation to the ER personnel who will attend my mother. And finally they attended my mother. I thought they will provide an initial medication with my mother but after talking to the ER they said they will just take ECG with my mother. I complain with this procedure for my mother needs an initial assistance/ first aid and not testing machine. I don't know if this is the proper procedure to go through with this kind of of case but I believe that we have to consider the case of the patient. I know that she needs first aid at that time and not to go through with some testing (ECG). I am not a doctor or such a medical practitioner but I know that following procedure is a case to case basis. We can change the procedure depending on the situation.
Moving on with my story. After ECG, we moved my mother to her room on the 8th floor. After 30 min. of waiting inside no nurse or personnel attended us. So I went to the nusrse station and make complaints again. This is an ER case and still no one was assisting my mother. I am getting hot that night for other that my problem with my mother case I also have work to look forward plus the fact that I still have to study because of my training.
So this is our first day of having a bad/worst experience with the kind of service with World City Medical Center. Second day, after going though some laboratory testing finally my mother is getting better. After lunch a liason representative "Tina" from Medicard told my brother and mother that the case of my mother is not coved with Medicard so we have to pay for the bill. Of course they got mad and asked questions. But Tina is not the right person to get complained about this case. My brother told me about this and I know from that time that I have to prepare myself, I have to gather money to pay for the bill. But I get mad as well because of these incompetent people of the hospitals. They do not have a standard procedure how these kind of things should go. We as their customer should be informed first when our case should be covered or not so that we can decide if we can continue with their service. We should be informed in the first place for I know that this is the STANDARD PROCEDURE in dealing with HMO services. Me and my mother were enjoying this service for almost 4 years. This is our very first bad experience with Medicard.

The second, they asked the nurse if they can go out already since my mother was getting better. They were told that they have to wait for Dr. Roy Salcedo advise/decision and should wait till the laboratory result came out. Here's the problem. There are resident doctor on the floor checking the patients, does anyone can tell me that in this case we have to wait for Dr. Salcedo to came (his schedule is around 10PM and that night he came late-11PM I believed) to tell us if my mother can go home. Is it not possible that other doctors can decide about this? Is it not possible to relay his findings or is there other doctor specialist with the same profession to decide on this matter? I really don't know what to say on this.

I don't know whom to blame with this issue but on the last day of stay of my mother in the hospital I talked to people as much as possible to know what really happened and to know who is/are responsible for this case. Does it really have to take this long. Another question, if the doctor advised for the release of the patient is it not possible for them to release the bill earlier and we will just wait for the laboratory test and get her prescribed medicine? Because we were told that the medicine depends on the laboratory test? If the medicine depends on the test then is it possible to to discharge the patient? We will just wait for the result since we are just waiting for the prescribe medicine. My mother can be dischanged already as advised by the doctor so all she need is her medicine and there is no need to stay in the hospital. What I am trying to say here is that, we are worry about the bill. I, myself are lacking on money already. Last month I take out a big money for the operation of my mother as well. I am thinking about discharging my mother earlier so that the bill for the room and board will stop. But they were told that we have to stay and wait for the laboratory result. The test result came out the third day on/after lunch.

My brother told me that we have to pay the bill before 4PM last Saturday or else my mother have to stay again. The doctor- Mr. Roy Salcedo was informed about the case wherein we have to pay for the bill. He is actually the first person who told my mother that her case is covered with the Medicard. Second person who confirmed was the person in ER (we never got the chance to get his/her name). The third from the admitting officer- Mr. Michael Jesus Espiritu.

So, on the third day I went to the hospital so we can pay the bill but I tried to talk to the people whom I think responsible for this incident. I talked to the Billing personnel, nurses who attended my mother, Doctor Roy Salcedo, the Admission personnel but not Mr. Espiritu beacuse he is on night shift, and Ms. Amy Cuyugan-my company's contact person in Medicard. Since we were running out of time of talking to these people and asking for how we can deal with this case, we decided to pay the bill. After this, I went to the HR department to file a complain. I have a hand written complain forwarded to Ms. Joy Rufano- from Budget Department whom attended my concern since HR was closed that day. I was told that I will be updated on Monday but I waited that day without no feedback. Tuesday I called World City HR and asked for update. No update again. HR supervisor, Mr. Marlon Sunga attended my call and told me that I will be updated the next day till afer lunch. I waited for my phone to ring that day without any updates.

So anyone who spent time reading this post should be alarmed, and should think a hundred times before you will decide to admit anyone from your family members to World City Medical Center.

Beware on how people on that hospital care about their patients. I don' feel the comfort and they have for me the WORST kind of medical service. I am thinking that they should not past the quality standard considering the fact that they have ISO 9000:2000. If only I could forward this post to ISO then by checking World City's Quality policy "Consistent adherence to established processes, policies and procedures" then they are completeley BAD/failed to deliver this kind of quality policy.

Thank you for reading this port. I am still getting hot whenever I remember this bad experience.