Portneuf Medical Center's Online Review Report Card

I went to the ER at Portneuf shortly after New Year’s after enduring a few days of severe gallbladder pain. I was there for 7 hours. They performed a CT scan after 2 hours and an ultrasound after 5 hours. In between the CT scan and ultrasound, a lady came in with a computer and credit card machine to say my payment for the day was going to be $1400 and if I didn’t pay then I wouldn’t get a $200 discount. Because that’s a great time to ask for payment right? Someone there alone who came in with extreme pain…SMH. The doctor asked me the same questions over and over again about my symptoms and after six hours said they “Couldn’t really see anything on the CT scan and ultrasound”. They discharged me with instructions to call and schedule a HIDA scan. The earliest appointment available was 2½ weeks away. When I explained I hadn’t eaten or slept in days due to the pain, there was no urgency or concern. She said there was nothing they could do to get me in earlier for the scan. 3 days later, my condition worsened dramatically. I was alone, in level-10 pain, vomiting, and experiencing chest pain, so I called an ambulance. After checking my heart and temperature, I was told everything “seemed fine” and that there was nothing they could do. They said they could “take me to Portneuf ER if i wanted but all they’re going to do is give me more pain medication”. They told me to just eat some saltines and get lots of rest. A few hours later I called a friend to ask for help because I was in severe pain and scared. i didn’t know what to do or where else to go since i am new to Pocatello. She promptly came to pick me up and drove me to Bingham in Blackfoot. Within 20 minutes of arriving, they performed an ultrasound and immediately identified a severely infected and enlarged gallbladder. I was admitted and scheduled for emergency surgery the next morning. What is typically a 45-minute surgery turned into a 3 hour operation because my gallbladder was so enlarged and infected. The surgeon had to bag it before removing it from me in case it ruptured. He later told us that if I had waited another day, I likely would not be here. Pathology showed my gallbladder was three times its normal size, with a lodged gallstone and blood clotting, which explained my level 10 pain. The x-ray taken in the ER showed the enlarged gallbladder pressing on other organs, including my right lung — explaining the chest pain I had been experiencing when I called the ambulance. My experience at Portneuf left me feeling unheard and inadequately cared for during a life-threatening situation. No one at Portneuf or the ambulance services took me seriously. However, I technically need to extend a thank you to Portneuf and the ambulance service… as it turned out your disregard, unprofessionalism and incompetence saved my life! Trying to endure the pain to wait for the HIDA scan left me in a worse situation where I needed to call an ambulance…and if the ambulance didn’t tell me i was “fine and there’s nothing they could do”….I would’ve never called my friend for help, who took me to Bingham for proper and professional medical care. When I called my friend for help, she promptly came to pick me up and drove me to Blackfoot during a snow storm to take me to the ER at Bingham. My good friend and Bingham truly did save my life! And I will always be grateful for my friend and the amazing care I received at Bingham! All the nurses at Bingham along with my surgeon were truly phenomenal. They were professional, caring, demonstrated true concern for my wellbeing and ensured I received the best care possible.

I have received excellent care from the providers in the Gastroenterology and Pulmonary clinics. I live in Idaho Falls and am so thankful to have this option for medical care in these specialties.

I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with Portneuf Medical Center’s billing practices. For years, I have consistently paid hundreds of dollars every single month toward my medical bills. Despite making regular payments and doing everything I could to stay on top of my balance, I was still sent to collections. This is not the first time this has happened, which makes the situation even more upsetting. What is especially concerning is that Portneuf did not contact me at all before sending my account to collections. There was no warning call, no notice, and no opportunity given to resolve the issue. To make matters worse, this specific bill was nowhere to be found in my billing summaries. It was not clearly reflected in my statements, yet I was still sent to collections over it. I began paying thousands of dollars toward treatment for a chronic illness when I was 18 years old and trying to put myself through college. Over the past several years, I have gone into significant medical debt trying to responsibly manage these expenses. I do not even have a savings account because so much of my income has gone toward medical bills. I have sacrificed financial stability and my mental/physical health working 2+ jobs just to stay current on payments. I also sought out financial assistance SO MANY TIMES and was told there were no options available to me. After spending thousands of dollars over the years, I recently learned that financial assistance programs do in fact exist. Finding this out after the fact feels misleading, sickening, and deeply unfair. I had to seek financial assistance from MY WORKPLACE 2 TIMES to pay for IV medication- it could have been FREE. I was also never told that paying cash at the outpatient lab was cheaper than billing my insurance, THOUSANDS cheaper. 7 years of consistent blood draw every 2-3 weeks. 35+ BLOOD DRAWS JUST THIS YEAR AND IM JUST NOW FINDING OUT IM BEING OVERCHARGED WHEN IVE ASKED! It’s honestly devastating! Patients who are actively making payments and communicating in good faith should not be sent to collections without any attempt at communication, especially when the bill in question is not clearly documented in their summaries. Medical care and chronic illness is already stressful enough without the added burden of financial strain and lack of transparency. I sincerely hope Portneuf reevaluates how they inform patients about financial assistance and how they handle accounts for individuals who are clearly making consistent efforts to pay.

Forever thankful to the ICU staff for the way they handled the care for our mother at the end of her life. The nurses (Sadie and Brittney) talked us through the process, handed my stressed out family, and answered all of our questions.

Absolutely clean and easy to find.

I was abused physically and mentally by the nurses and doctors here when I was admitted mostly by Rebecca black. Be cautious when coming to this hospital!

I went in for back surgery to have a few spurs taken off to release my Sciatic Nerve, which was causing MOST OF THE PAIN !! Everything went well, as far as surgery goes. The next day was another story, but that's expected after any surgery. From day 1 the RN's & CNA's were so GOOD TO ME! They are so patient! Waiting for me to get my LEFT leg, then my RIGHT leg into the bed ONE AT A TIME-SLOW! I LOOOOOOOVE YOU GUYS- ALL OF YOU!! I may have had THE SMALLEST ROOM ON THE FLOOR!! I even heard some guys (maybe 2) not sure cracking jokes about my "nook"! RUUUUDE! WE WORKED AROUND IT. IT'S ALL GOOD! I would like to also say "THANK YOU" to the Housekeeping Dept.! This department has the sweetest ladies working here! The ladies I met day & night shift "THANK YOU"! To Dr. Hansen & Crew! Thank You! I look forward to our next visit!! All in all, I would suggest PMC to have any PROCEDURE DONE! PMC SHOULD PRIDE THEMSELVES IN THEIR STAFF! THE STAFF, HERE @ PMC TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR WORK whether it be housekeeping, CNA, PHYSICAL THERAPIST, DOCTOR, (my fave group) RN'S & CNA'S! If you should need any medical attention (surgery by Dr. Hansen), then Pocatello Medical Center is where you need to be! I'M GONNA MISS YOU GUYS!!! LOVE "MITZ" {{HUGS}}

Been here over 5 hours the nurses are nice just want to give DAYSIA A 100% she is patient and helpful and the best attitude I ever experienced here at this hospital.

Intensive nurses at this hospital are very unkind, unwelcoming and have no empathy for loved ones who want to see there dying family members before there last breath. I urge you to take your family members to a hospital that is more understanding in a family tragedy and not use there charge nurse position to be passive aggressive and rude to family members who are experiencing a loss and heartache during such a difficult time. I pray that my family member makes it thru this evening with a 15% chance so that I may say my goodbyes at 8am.

Don't have a baby here. This is our 5th baby and the 4th hospital we've had a baby at and I would go anywhere else. Having a baby on the side of the road is preferable to this place. All they want is money, and they will not listen to anything you want and try and talk you out of any decisions they disagree with.