I have been admitted to St Mary's Hospital several times in my life. I wrote a blog on my…read moreexperience in January 2018 at mnnoreaster.com.com. Https://mnnoreaster.com/2018/01/16. Previously I had a quadruple bypass (17 years ago) and in 2016 (?) for a blocked bowel duct and in May 2017 for issues with my legs. I also had need of their facility two weeks ago. I am sitting in my hospital room as I write this. I am boiling mad. I came to emergency yesterday driven by my wife. The day prior I was released from Ecumen Rehab. I woke up 2 times after 4 AM on February first struggling to get my breath. Around 11 AM I felt extremely out of sorts. About an hour later I was having my wounds dressed by a home care nurse when I experienced the same feeling again. The RN. Suggested I consider going to the hospital. I had not considered the idea maybe out of fear. However when she spoke the words I recalled struggling for great 17 years earlier. St Mary's has always been a touchstone for me. Two of. our sons were born there. My mother had a heart valve replaced. I knew I was close to exceptional care that was close by. Of course their have been clunkers too. I sat with my sister in the emergency room looking for assistance with her medical issue. Fortunately we did not receive quality assistance. I turned to the internet to find and exact doctor she needed at a different facility. ONE THING YOU ALWAYS NEED TO FIND OUT WHEN ENTER A HOSPITAL - under your own power or in an emergency. Find out if you are being admitted as a patient or 'for observation'. I can be a life changing experience. First, if you are admitted as a patient you are first in line for tests and other procedures. You don't have to wainin line. Second your insurance will cover you. I am not sure what Medicare pays for but I am sure it is the same as insurance carriers. The papers are on my bed and I only glanced at the heading 'As an outpatient'. I found that, from experience in May that insurance DOS NOT COVER your medications. My bill for one day was almost $900.00! The reason? If you are an ' outpatient' you RE NOT a patient. You may be in the hospital but you are not 'in the hospital' You are there for the purpose of observation. As n outpatient the pharmacy is considered out of network. Which means the hospital will send "you the bill to pay'. Your insurance company will say ' that pharmacy is out of network and pat only a small fraction of your medications. In my case only about $120.00 of the $890 plus. When I found that out I had a response to the hospital collections person. If you would have told me that I would have brought my medications from home. Oh 'we don't allow that'. 'You can't use medications you bring from home' I am now being pursued by collection agents hired by the hospital. I am siting here wondering if I should slash my wrists now or wait until I get the bill! I know I am going to contact the collection agency and tell them to hold off on this piddly amount and wait until they get THIS HUGE BILL to add to it.

I had back surgery scheduled for several months at St. Mary's in Duluth on April 15, 2026. I…read morearrived as directed at 10:45am. By 11:00am I was in the pre-op area and changed into surgical gown and hair net. An I. V. Was put in my arm then I was taken down for a C. T. Scan to guide the surgeon during the surgery. Shortly after I was back in the pre-op area and told as son as a room was open I would be taken into surgery. By 2pm I was still waiting. I of course had not eaten per direction since the previous night and had not had anything to drink per instructions since before 9am that morning. Around this time an elderly patient whom I assume might have had some sort of dementia was put in a room directly across ghe hall from me. That patient was yelling screaming and swearing for around two hours as the nursing staff tried to calm him to no avail. Finally that patient was taken into surgery around 4pm as I was still waiting thirsty, hungry and in pain. I was told by the Anesthesiologist and surging that as soon as the next room was available I would be taken into surgery. At approximately 4:30pm the surgeon came to my pre-op room and told me that there was not enough surgical staff and they would not be able to do my surgery. I and I could go home. I thought it was some kind of a joke but it was not. After talking to several people I found out that Essentia and St. Mary's management did not pay enough surgical staff to be there the second half of the day to ensure that surgeries in the later part of the day would be staffed if the surgeries in the earlier part of the day ran later than expected and not enough surgical staff would volunteer to stay late to do me surgery. My wife who rearranged her schedule to drive me the hour and a half to St. Mary's had already returned home as I was told I would have to stay in the hospital for two to three days after the surgery. I called her and she again drove another hour and a half each way a second time that day to bring me back home. I tried to complain to management but was unable to have anyone from management speak to me. The only thing I was told I could do was to call patent relations and leave a message which I did and a day later they called me. I lodged a complaint and told them I wanted a call back from upper management responsible for making the decisions not to pay enough staff to be there to ensure the surgery I came in for would be performed. I also told employee relations that i wanted to make sure this was not going to happen to anyone else or I felt the public should know that St. Mary's was doing this to patients. No one ever called me back. This is the poorest third rate example in my view of a hospital that only cares about money and not the patients. The stress and anxiety of waiting to have a very painful surgery along with hours of being naked and draped with a hospital gown with an I. V. In my arm dehydrated, hungry only to be told I had to call my ride and leave was unbelievably poor and pathetic care. I have no issues with the doctor or nurses just management who made the decision that lead to this happening to me and then did not even have the courage or decency to respond to my request to speak to them. What happened to me should be a warning to everyone what St. Mary's is about. In my opinion they only care about money and have no respect for patients.

So, I take my son to his appointment for counseling and there is a problem with insurance... I ask…read morethe receptionist what is the problem... it hasn't been verified... ok why I said... because you have Wisconsin insurance... I said with no we would not be here if we didn't call and verify the insurance, with you... we called and were told that our insurance was accepted!!! Now my tone started to raise but still under control, so you lied to us, wanted me to pay a big co pay, and now that I didn't have the money, take my son out and not get him the much needed help, and drive all the way back... Thanks Nystrom!!! for your incompetence more to follow!!!

I have been with Nystrom for almost a year now and I have received wonderful care and my therapist…read moreis phenomenal.I, personally, couldn't be happier with these people. I haven't had a single issue there. If someone is not happy there they most certainly free to seek services elsewhere. I intend to stay right where I am!

Yes, it is true that this issue has been resolved. Thank you. I just wish it did not take 17…read moremonths.

The worst business I've ever been to. The main reason was the receptionist. Very very rude,…read morewouldn't acknowledge me for 20 mins, just very snarky!

Dr. Klassen is next level and what people hope to get for a surgeon if they can fit them in. I feel…read moreblessed to have got him as a surgeon because I knew I wouldn't have to worry about anything. I am very particular and like things perfect, that I probably go overboard with my "exactness". I like to know I am recovering the best I can and going by the protocol to a T. With that being said, I can question everything because I don't know if it's perfect and what I am doing is right. With Dr. Klassen, I didn't question one thing and just always said to myself, "if he said it's OK and I can do this movement, then it's 100% fine" and tossed all worries in the garbage. I was straight chillin in recovery knowing I will have the best possible outcome! To be able to put all of your trust in a surgeon and his knowledge is every thing and gives you the best peace of mind. I got a capsular shift, bicep tenodesis and had a tether removed from my left shoulder. I used to think about my shoulder every day because it felt like it got snapped on wrong, so I couldn't even wear certain clothes. I always had to adjust it which was exhausting and a daily battle. 3 days after surgery I could tell I wasn't going to need to "adjust" my shoulder anymore. I am wearing anything I want and my shoulder is not even a thought!!! It's 2 months post surgery, and my range of motion is 180 and feels sturdy and ready for action! I truly have a bionic arm... Not only was Dr. Klassen VERY professional in every single appointment, he was down to earth and could take a joke. He always made sure I was covered up, and he was thinking a step ahead of you. Example: I had undressed to show him my shoulder, he made sure I was covered and when it was time to get dressed he said, "now wait, you have your sleeves on this way so you're going to need to put the other arm in first." and stepped out so I could do it the right way without damaging my shoulder. He makes sure the details are right and also he showed me pictures and wrote what everything was in the pic to break it down for me. The success of surgery is on the patient too not just the surgeon. This surgeon gave me my best shot. I would never go with anyone else!! I'm going to bust my right shoulder just to do it all over again.....

Two same shoulder Total reverse shoulder replacements, twice infected, twice failed. End result…read moreincluded broken long screw, pain on the Richter scale of 15 on a scale of 1-10, and a "throw 2 aspirin into the toilet and call me in the morning" comment that read, "Go home and put it in a sling for 3-4 weeks and come back in 6 months."

Incredible experience. exams were so thorough and the staff was so kind. this is place for the…read moreentire family! so happy we made the switch.

I contacted Harborview to establish myself and my family for dentistry services. The receptionists…read morewere not helpful. Maybe they are all new, who knows? I decided not to continue with the appointment scheduling and will go elsewhere.

Very irritated with billing services of Park Dental Downtown Duluth. I have received 3 bills for a…read moreregular cleaning and X-ray that IS covered by my insurance (I called my insurance & double checked). I've also called Park Dental's office 3 times to have this resolved. Each time I repeated my insurance info to them and was told that my claim would be fixed/resubmitted. It has not. I've never had this issue at any doctor, dental, optometrist before. I will not be returning there for dental work.