DO NOT USE THIS FACILITY. GO TO DUKE! These people are nothing but thieves. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. It takes days to get anything done while they suck your insurance and bank accounts dry. My spouse was at WakeMed Cary for a stay that was twice as long as it needed to be. I am completely flabbergasted. I was just able to get him home last evening, but even then we had to argue with the "D.O." who was his alleged attending provider. We only ever saw one person with "MD" behind their name and that was in the E.D. His own Cardiologist who is affiliated with WakeMed didn't even bother to stop in to look at his patient with a mechanical heart valve and taking coumadin (for preventing clots). We plan to fire him today and find someone else.
I work for a major academic medical center and have been a Registered Nurse for 35 years. The "treatment plan" put together at WakeMed was non-existent or not shared with us. I know that to treat the internal bleeding that was occurring, they did NOT rush, they did not do much of anything. There are protocols and procedures for things like this, none of which were offered. They let him lay there because they wanted to let the coumadin to "wear off". Well, a patient who presents with active bleeding, has just vomited a liter of pure bright red blood and taking blood thinners should NEVER be left in a room, unfed, un-bathed, ignored by Physicians so the blood thinner can wear off. There are emergent methods for dealing with this, none of which WakeMed would do. THEY REFUSED! They keep "putting messages" in their multi-million dollar electronic medical record that no one apparently reads. If I heard it once I heard it a 100 times, "I'll put in a message to your provider". BS! Pick-up the damn phone!
The nurses did very well, they were very kind, but obviously short staffed. The medical staff consisted of PAs and NPs. Not knocking either of those medical roles but let's get serious. I even detected frustration with the nurses as it related to the expediency (or lack thereof) of the medical staff. I determined that they likely don't have the medical staff needed to run an alleged Level III trauma center. Everyone that came into the room would contradict the previous "medical staff member". They were not at all on the same page! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU OR A LOVED ONE.
My spouse was terrified for me to let them know I am a nurse or even raise my voice as he was afraid he would not get any care at all and/or they wouldn't let me back in the building. There is signage to that effect. So, don't complain about the lack of care you get while you are in the building.
They will show you all the awards they have won for their spectacular health system but I no longer trust those awarding agencies. They clearly didn't do their homework about the place. Suspicious.
I am surprised this place isn't on the news more often.
If you truly care about you or your family, steer clear. Have a plan to get to a different health system. Don't be fooled by the awards on their website and don't let the pretty inside of the lobby fool you either. That's obviously where they have spent the most money.
If you are a visitor and are looking to find food, the "cafeteria" is only open at very specific hours so you'll be out of luck. I went to a vending machine that stole my $2.05 for a bottle of water. I didn't try again. They ripped me off enough. While in the E.D., they scraped my VISA card for $1750. My husband wasn't even stable yet.
While in the hospital, we received a text message about the radiology bill. I thought, let us get out of here alive then we'll talk payment. Also, you are supposed to have access to your medical record. NOT ONE of the "provider notes" have displayed in the "My Chart" app. What are they hiding or revising?
AVOID WakeMed!
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