St. David’s Emergency Center – South Austin Medical Center

Oh WOW, don’t go to the Emergency room without a price quote.
3 – 4 hours in the ER — $ 3550
I went in with heart palpitations last November. They were courteous and nice, so far so good. They did an EKG, some blood work and MRI on my chest since I had a pulmonary embolism in the past.
Everything was fine so I went home.
My insurance is just so-​so an I had not met deductible so I expected to pay. a lot.
A month later the bills arrived:
All Separate Charges
— Emergency Room — $ 1000 plus (ouch but expected)
— MRI — $ 250 (not too bad)
— Labwork — $ 100 or so, cannot remember but no shock
So, I’m thinking, I am in for about $ 1500. more than I want but that’s modern medicine
THEN THE HOSPITAL BILL ARRIVES
$ 10K reduced down to $ 2,200, since they were feeling generous. THIS, ON TOP OF THE ITEMIZED? WOW. My wife goes down and asks and sure enough, the 3 – 4 hours I was in their bed they treated as a hospital visit.

Excellent ER staff. They did a CT Scan, blood tests and urinalysis in under two hours. We were definitely a non priority patient, and the staff made us feel like their top priority. We will definitely think of St. David’s first for future medical needs!

4:15pm (ish)…
The EXCEPTIONALLY rude check in nurse named GINA, didn’t even make eye contact or pay any attention to my wife when we arrived. Got the initial paperwork done, turned it back into GINA who ignored me for a minute until I literally shoved it under her nose, and asked if she wanted it back. She may be on the tail end of a long shift, but there’s no place for her at the check in counter with a bad attitude like that. She placed the paperwork on the customer shelf (in plain view for anyone to see my wife’s HIPPA info and social security number) and then didn’t remove it until I had been seated again for nearly another two minutes.
So far, we are still waiting to be seen by a doctor and have been here nearly 45 minutes. My wife is 19 weeks pregnant and scared to death, and you would think some kid’s cold wouldn’t take priority, but I have seen two families with «kids with sniffles» go in ahead of us so far.
Will update when we are seen by a real doctor…
UPDATE: 5:45pm, nearly 2 hours now… And still haven’t seen a doctor. We are sitting in the hallway of the ER, and don’t even have the privacy of a room. Kinda strange, and not really comfortable. So far, the rest of the staff is friendly and competent. Got some blood work taken, had some general tests done. The paramedic BO is awesome. He’s been very kind. Still waiting to see a real doctor.
Maybe we won’t be charged the ridiculous ER/​insurance costs for sitting in the hallway instead of getting a room???
6:38pm… Got a room, which was nice. Not sure if she’s a nurse or doctor, but VANESSA is nice, but we requested an ultrasound and she keeps brushing off this option. Said «fetal heart rate» was good enough. No spec exam, no ultrasound unless they hear back from her primary care physician… Do they even make their own decisions around here? I would kinda like to know what the heck is going on, especially since we have been here for nearly 3 hours now… You’d think they might want to actually take a look at things, but apparently not. Back to one star we go…
7:36pm… VANESSA is a bit friendlier after talking to our PCP, and finally did an actual exam. Weird. Maybe they are reading this review? Lol. We are now waiting for her IV to be removed and then hopefully to be discharged. Going on 4 hours in the ER… Gotta love it. It’s not even a full moon tonight, is it?
Thank god for good neighbors and friends who will babysit a toddler while we deal with this inefficient place… This would have been damn near intolerable with the kiddo in tow.

Had kind of soured on the ER here due to some past visits, but was pleasantly surprised by my recent early morning visit to the ER for a suspected heart attack (thankfully, not). The kindness and compassion shown went above and beyond. The doctor even apologized for taking so long to get to me, something I have never heard from a doctor. Every person that I came in contact with was so patient-​centered and I felt really well cared for. Wish I had been in less pain (and later, not as drugged up) so I could recall my doctor and nurse’s names so I could properly thank them.

On the last two stays here my girlfriend had been extremely pleased with the care she received and with the staff, Christine, Elizabeth and Janet on the 3^rd floor to name just a few. I even had the pleasure of one nurse making coffee just for me, she could have easily told me to go downstairs and pay a dollar for a tiny cup, but she took a couple of minutes to do this for me. This is just an example of the care and compassion this staff exudes. She had been to the other St. David’s hospitals and refuses to return who treated her like an animal. Do yourself a favor if you need a hospital in Austin with professional care as your top priority, then this is where you want to go! Access is very easy and parking has never been a hassle for me. When the lot is full, just make a couple of laps around and you will find a vacancy!

I had my baby in January and the delivery staff was AMAZING! I was so impressed with the professionalism and dedication. Thank you all so much!

I have been here as an ER patient, outpatient surgery and as an inpatient. I am a stroke survivor and when I walked into the ER to express concern about numbness in my arm, I was whisked away at the speed of light and by the time we got to the ER room, there were about 10 people all waiting to examine me rapidly so that no time was wasted.(This is quite the opposite of the experience I had at the Bee Cave ER and St Davids downtown stroke unit) After triage was complete they admitted me to allow time to review tests, scans, etc. and be sure I didn’t experience any other problems.
While an inpatient, the food was good, everyone was polite & attentive and the room was comfortable. Outpatient surgery ran on time and loved all the people back there who take care of you.

Worst hospital in Austin, ER nurse Louis was lucky, I had to control my anger for the sake of my mother, she has Alzheimer’s. He was rude and arrogant, if my brothers had been there, he would have needed a stretcher. Bad place bad karma to you!

I had to have a minor surgery and I never felt more comfortable. My first time in the hospital and I would like to personally thank every nurse who spoke with me. They go over and beyond their duties. Everything was organized, clean, and welcoming. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Before I write my reviews, I like to browse other reviews to see how my opinion differs or coincides with other reviews. Sometimes I’m surprised, and other times I find myself nodding in agreeance to some of the experiences others have had.
I’m sort of nodding in agreeance to both low and high reviews for St. David’s South Austin. There are some good things and bad things here that I certainly noticed after my husband’s surgery and week stay here. Let’s get started:
1. The check in process was fairly prompt. We were sent into one of the little rooms immediately, as the person at the information desk noticed that there was no one at the actual check in desk. It looked like it was a slow time at the hospital. Within about a half hour we were headed up to our room on the 2^nd floor.
2. The 2^nd floor is not one of the floors that has been remodeled yet, I don’t think. The rooms are small, (smaller than Cedar Park Hospital rooms) and the floor unfortunately smelled of sewer. We addressed this with several people during our two days on the second floor and the assured us they were working on the problem, and that it was due to renovations going on. Sure enough, it did disappear and we were thankful for that. We felt it was a little grungy on floor 2 as well. Our nurses on the second floor were mainly fantastic, and we also got several visits from different staff members, one of whom gave me two free meal tickets to the café downstairs which I really appreciated. On the second floor, even the special «bed chair» that I slept in was horribly uncomfortable, I didn’t sleep well here at all.
3. I was ELATED to find that the surgical process here was not an 8 hour drawn out process like they do down at MD Anderson in Houston. They came and got my husband, we all went down to pre-​op, the doctors filed in one after another, answered all of our questions, then we was headed back. I got to go back to the privacy of his room on the second floor and they called me when he was done to talk to the doctor, and then in about a half hour he was taken to his new room up on the 6^th floor. This process was so wonderfully smooth, it just made the day so much easier for me — and I’m sure many of you know how stressful surgeries can be.
4. The 6^th floor is a stark contrast to the 2^nd floor. Big rooms, full day beds for guests, big floor to ceiling windows with million dollar views of the city and the hill country, and generous bathrooms. Night and day from downstairs. They had a lot of strict rules for guests, which we appreciated. Most of the nursing staff on this floor were very awesome. We had a lot of staff come in and greet us here as well, which we really appreciated.
5. The café downstairs is honestly hit or miss. Even I, as a guest of the hospital heard complaining from staff about the food. One day I got a turkey stuffed bell pepper that was phenomenal, and for most of the rest of the days there were lots of sub-​par weird things like Polynesian ribs or over-​dry chicken with sorry looking canned veggies. It was hard to choose sometimes — I think the café could pick up their game a lot.
6. Parking here is an issue. I was able to find a place out front most of the time — by luck, honestly, but also used the valet. The valet were always quick, though, and I would recommend using them.
All in all, I think we had a pretty fantastic stay at St. David’s South Austin. The staff was mostly stellar, the facilities were mostly excellent, and due to that we were able to have a comfortable stay during a bad situation. I’d trust St. David’s enough to come back here if I needed to.

If you wish to be treated the very worse as a patient, this is the place to go. The ambulance assistant screamed for information, not regarding my medical candition, but information to financially assist him. He actually screamed the questions questions ignoring I was sick. The best was to come. Luther, was the nurse assigned to me. I told him my diagnosis and he ignored everything I said. When I said the light was bothering my condition, he THREW a towelon my head. Without my permission, he began to put tabs on me and lifted my shirt (no bra) and put the tab on my stomach. I told him, I would not accept his help any longer. After 45 minutes, the charge nurse came in and gave me an iv with half dosage of what I needed. It did not take away my symptoms. The uninformed nurse also asked if 171 was usual for my blood glucose. Do these people even get the basics for Diabetes? I was also not told I would be pricked.
I was told I had to find a way home before any additional medicine could be given. Another hour passed with me in pain. A friend showed up and I was given a tabet that I already had at home. To completely counter the extent of my pain, I knew I needed a shot. So I was sent home without care, waiting 2 hours plus for medical care I never got. Get this, and I got shingles on my eye by the time I returned home.
Go by ambulance, but when all alone and on disability, «walk home».
Recommendation: Close down this center and check how qualified these people are. They need to receive education, patient care, patient abuse training and experience.
I am still sick and went to another emergency room where they wondered how I got the shingles to include the abusive care for my condition.
Seton had better care but still expected me to walk home, over 10 miles holding medication over my head until I did. I am still sick and now I have shingles too.

Within a day my floor manager, Kevin, had everything corrected. Pain is now controlled (by a different Doctor) and Kevin informed me that the cold water was due to construction being done on the building and the hot water was back on yesterday. I am impressed with how quickly things were turned around. Kevin has since come by my room daily to make sure things are still going good. Nurses Kayli, Chase, Michelle and Jarrol were wonderful.

The worst hospital I have ever had to stay in. I will never stay there again. My nurse by the name of Ellen Hudson was the worst I have ever had so Dr that treated me Dr Mase malore does not know what he is doing I do not recommend this hospital at all.

Originally, this post was an angry one-​star post over a billing issue, but I’m glad to edit it to say that the billing concern has been resolved and we are pleased. We got a new bill for services more than a year after visiting this ER and couldn’t get traction resolving this issue. But within moments after posting here on Unilocal we were in touch with Yvette at St. David’s South per Reed’s note below. We can now say Yvette is a super star. We got a detailed explanation as to what happened to our bill and what led to the confusion. It sounds like a lot of parties were involved in finding out all this new information for us and for that, we’re grateful. We also came to an awesome resolution of the bill and a headache of many months is gone. Thanks St. David’s, thanks Reed, thanks SO MUCH to Yvette. And thank goodness for Unilocal

I’ve been in the ER twice, once for horrible hives that I had had for days, and once because my husband was very sick to his stomach with silver stools. When I came in for my hives, the staff were very rude, and o was treated by a young doctor who didn’t seem to know what she was doing. They didn’t even look at my hives or give me anything for immediate relief. They sent me on my way with a few prescriptions and a 2k dollar bill. The second time, the staff were equally, If not more unfriendly. Anytime we asked them something, I was given the feeling that I was a) stupid b) annoying c) both stupid and annoying. The doctor was also young and didn’t seem to know much. When we told him about he silver stool, he seemed truly perplexed. Even google knows more about silver stools than he did. We were made to wait without any one checking in on us. I wouldn’t recommend this ER, even if it means driving to another one farther away.

I walked into the ER here after a motorcycle accident. The ER staff was nice enough and attentive, and I was eventually shuffled off to Brackenridge. My BIG complaint is that their billing procedures are horrible.
I gave them my information — twice — while I was in the ER. I literally let them copy it off of my driver’s license and insurance card. About three weeks after my accident, I get a call because someone wrote down my health insurance information wrong. I corrected their records and confirmed my mailing address at that time.
A month goes by. Two months. Nothing from St. Davids. No bill, but also no EOB from my insurance company. Last week I finally get an EOB so I’m expecting a bill any day now, assuming St. Davids has settled up with my insurance. WRONG.
They sent my account STRAIGHT TO COLLECTION. I never received a bill. Never had a chance to pay or talk with the hospital about my account balance. Today, I received a call from an unknown 1 – 800 number with a woman threatening to «report nonpayment» to the credit bureaus if I failed to pay in full (over $ 1000) within ~5 weeks.
Every other healthcare provider I dealt with that day (several) has had the decency to mail me a bill directly. But not St. Davids. I will never voluntarily use their services again.
And the worst part is this: I have very decent insurance. This would be a living nightmare for someone who is underinsured and trying to maintain a good credit score. Use St. David’s ER at your OWN RISK.

Update: We had our second baby here and, again, the nurses were awesome! If you want to have a natural birth, call L&D ahead and ask to reserve Room 9.

Due to health problems, the Lady of the house or I have come here several times, even though another hospital is closer. We have used the regular check in but also the Emergency Room several times. Overnight stays are good in spotless rooms and the food selected is good.
As Austin continues to grow in this area, on Friday and Saturday late nights there can be a number of people in the Emergency Room waiting area. The ER is constrained by the number of beds available. If you come by ambulance, that does not necessarily mean you will be seen faster. You are triaged just like everyone else.

This hospital… the people that work here have been very kind and so helpful. I’m not used to that. I’m used to a ‘different’ kind of hospital. I’m used to Chaos. To everyone being under so much stress they’re ready to throw their badge at the next person that asks them to help them take so-​and-​so off a bed pan… or the next person that asks them to do anything for that matter.
This hospital though… no call lights going off constantly at the nurses station, no phones ringing off the hook, no psych patients screaming from down the hallway, no bed alarms going off, no code grays being called overhead, just… silence actually. Patients actually get to ‘sleep’ here. When staff answer their phones here, they’re actually genuinely pleasant, and it seems like they actually have the time to do their jobs. It’s weird. Totally foreign to me. And for that South Austin Hospital, I give thee 4 well deserved stars.

The last time I was here, it was miserable. This time the nurse Cassandra and the Dr. were fabulous. Of all things, I ended up at the ER with a piece of toothpick sticking out of the side of my foot. They took care of me quickly and patiently. Thanks a bunch nurse and doc.

Got a call today from the hospital saying that we have a remainder on our hospital bill for $ 600 something!!! This is after we paid for so-​called hospital services when we were discharged. Next time I need to go to the ER, I would rather die.
People without insurance, beware of hidden fees…

Wonderful staff, friendly nurses, they took very good care of me and my baby as my «plan b» after being transferred from my birthing center. I dreaded a hospital birth but after my experience if I had another child I would go to St. Davids from the start.

We had our child here 2 weeks ago. From top to bottom this place is amazing. The nurses that took care of us were some of the nicest people we ever met. The nursery nurses were amazing also. They catered to our every need and made our experience as good as it could be. The food is also way better than you would expect at a hospital. Special thanks to our nurses: Morgan, Kathy, Ashleigh, and our labor and delivery nurses.

Seems to me that if the folks in the ER were doing their job right my boyfriend wouldn’t have to come back here 8 times for the same problem. Not to mention, the staff is rude. They had me sitting on the floor for about an hour before I was finally offered a chair by a janitor. They talk to their patients and visitors like they’re all a huge inconvenience. It’s not like anyone wants to be here. Have a little compassion.

I’ve just had the worst experience at an ER that I’ve ever had…
A few weeks ago, I was in Houston when I was hit by terrible pains on the right side of my abdomen. My husband took me to a great emergency room there. Fantastic experience. They quickly determined that it was a kidney stone and gave me great pain meds. When I got back to Austin, I made an appointment with a urologist. He told me that I could do surgery, but that it was likely that I could pass it on my own. That’s what I chose! I was in pain for a week, then it went away. I assumed I passed the stone…
All that was important back story, because — surprise — the stone didn’t pass. I was hit by incredible pain today (I’m talking a 15 on a 1 – 10 scale). My husband had to rush home from work to get me; I was doubled over on the floor, sobbing. We called our urologist; they told us to go into the ER. They said that the ER would give me pain meds, do some scans, and go ahead and do the surgery and get that thing out of there.
I went into the ER. The Check-​In process was relatively seamless. A 15 minute or so wait. By the time I’m in the back, I’ve mellowed out a lot. I had taken some pain medicine before we went in and it was finally making it possible for me to stop crying. I explain that I’m having kidney stone pain, that I’ve already been diagnosed, yada yada. The nurse brushed me off. She quite rudely told me that she’d had a kidney stone — and she could tell by the way I was able to interact, it wasn’t a kidney stone. Umm, what?
One of the reasons that I had gone into the ER (besides the horrendous pain) was that I COULD NOT URINATE. I had ingested over 40 ounces of water and felt like I really, really had to go — but nothing would come out.
The doctor comes in. Super awkward bedside manner. He tells me that they need a urine sample, then they’d give me pain meds, then a CT scan.
I tell him that I cannot urinate. He says that they’re giving me an entire liter of saline and that it’ll happen. I tell him that I’ve already had over 40 ounces of water and that my stomach /​bladder is aching. He says it doesn’t matter.
They give me an IV with painkillers and saline. The paramedic that is inserting the IV first just jabs into my arm (really hard) and says, «Huh, no blood. Guess I’ll have to use your other arm.»
After the saline, I try to pee. I get out maybe a teaspoon of urine. An hour or so later, the doctor comes in to tell me that they are discharging me. What? Aren’t they going to do a CT scan? Nope. Just make an appointment with your urologist. Ok, well, shouldn’t I be able to pee before I leave? Nope, you’re fine.
It was a HORRIBLE experience. I spent $ 200 on a copay to go here, because I had heard they were the best. They didn’t even listen to where I was in pain. I will never go here, again.

I went to Texas Med Clinic with a weird hand issue. I couldn’t pick up anything without my hand giving way and dropping it. I don’t think they even took an EKG. They couldn’t do anything for me, so the Dr. stated I should go to St. David’s.
I drove myself, and once I showed them the paperwork from Texas Medical Clinic, they did a full work up.
It turned out, that i had slept on my arm wrong and had «Saturday Night Palsy:.
I have been to Brackenridge and you have the option even in the ambulance. Don’t hesitate to ask for St. David’s.
Loved all the nurses, and doctors. OK, except for one bitch that hated her job.

I love SAMC. I go here for every emergency. They are usually much faster than one of the bigger hospitals and the care is just as good. My kids, who are now grown adults, have come here for every problem and we’ve always been extremely happy with the care.

I had a family member admitted here on a emergency basis. They wound up staying over a week. All the doctors, nurses, and techs were fantastic. They were patient and always kind. Everyone tried hard till make up feel welcome and took great care of my family.

Unless you are 5 minutes away from dying… Spend ten minutes and go somewhere else. This hospital is horrible.

It’s never a good feeling when someone talks down to you regarding health care especially regarding your child. Sierra Snyder, a PA here was simply very rude in her bedside manner, literally. Unfortunately, I’ve had some issues with primary care providers since my lil man’s insurance keeps changing and this woman wasn’t the kindest in treating, diagnosing, or suggestions for follow up treatment. She made me feel like I was incompetent and wasting her time. I simply just want others to be aware if you go into the ER and she is the one who sees you I truly hope that you have a better experience than we did today.

All the staff, with the exception of the registration staff, were kind, caring & on top of everything. Thank you!

So, I’ll have to knock you down a star few stars. I’m sorry to say I’ve been here with my daughter 3 times in the past month or so and haven’t experienced the level of care I did on my visit with the «chest pains.»
During the visits with my daughter, we weren’t given the same quick service and she was left in excruciating pain for a bit too long in my book. They were pretty booked though and from the conversations I was overhearing in the other curtained rooms, many of the people seemed a little off mentally. I’m sure working with emergencies all the time (and people who come in with non emergencies who have to be treated anyway) can be a little grating. So I cut you some slack. I’ve worked in a medical office and it’s no walk in the park.
On our last visit though, the nurse, Teresa was very condescending and judgmental. They had just given my daughter a dose of heavy medication and released us shortly after that. She was dizzy and nauseous so I took her out in a wheelchair. The nurse saw us and said in a very stern and condescending voice. «Why are you in a wheelchair? You can WALK.» I replied «she is dizzy, I’d prefer she not be walking.» Doesn’t that constitute a fall risk in your hospital? What if we had her walk out because you were so judgmental and she fell and hit her head? Would you not be at risk for a lawsuit? It was rude and uncalled for in a situation that already had us scared and upset. My daughter was really upset by this. So, you know the saying? One bad apple… yeah, Teresa, that’s you.

This review is of the ER INTAKE staff only — NOT for the on call docs, not for the nurses, not for the treatment received during an overnight stay this year. That sh*t gets one star if not negative.
I had to make a few visits back in after my discharge — three to be exact — and each time I was greeted with a.) warmth and kindness b.) professionalism c.) sensitivity d.) expedited service e.) extremely reasonable and helpful financial processing.
If I *have* to go into an ER again in the Central to South region of Austin and it’s up to me — I’ll request this St. David’s location.