The University of Kansas Hospital

Disgusted doesn’t even come close to the way I feel after experiencing 2 ½ hours at the KU emergency room and left without ever being seen.
I wanted to throw up as I was forced to sit in a second waiting room looking at a sign that claimed to provide «world-​class experience.»
If I would’ve had a sharpie pen in my pocket I wouldn’t have changed that claim to read «Third World country experience». I had a feeling I should have turned around and ran as I was moved from one rate waiting room in the front to another waiting room in the back and saw that they had patients lined up in the hallway on beds receiving various non-​urgent medical treatments (I.e breathing treatment for bronchitis, ice pack on an ankle, and some other very minor things) but it looked like what I would expect a hospital in Russia to look like as I walked pass those first set of doors. Here is the kicker, even though I left there without getting scene because I literally could not take the excruciating pain of sitting passed the 2 ½ hours without being seen there was a lady probably in her late 50s that had arrived the ER moments before I did. It appeared that she was by her self families may be dropped off by some government run nursing facility. She was not dressed very nice Lee and did not appear well cared for. Anyway, I hear her tell the lady at the ER desk that she received a call that the hospital had A liver that was ready and designated to be transplanted to her. Obviously I thought to myself how scary that must be for that poor lady to be by her self for such a seemingly critical surgery. I did hear the nurse behind the ER desk call someone right away and report that the lady had arrived the ER room and did not know where to report to get her liver. After I could not bear any more personal pain at the 2 ½ hour mark I left and was in absolute shock to see that same lady still sitting in the same wheelchair at the ER front desk. Yes, The lady that I had arrived before me for a liver transplant was still sitting in a wheelchair 2 ½ hours later. I wish that I could have helped her more and now as I sit here and think about it I am truly disgusted, not for the completely unsatisfactory service that I received, but for the disgusting way this lady that I don’t even know her name was treated. Notice that I said I had unsatisfactory service versus unsatisfactory medical care because I never received any medical care while I was there.
I am getting off my soapbox’s and continue to pray for that lady that arrived for the liver transplant.

The KU Medical Center Hospital and it’s staff have saved both my life and my husband’s life in the past 3 years. There was no request given to nurses or doctors (student or faculty) that was not fulfilled with courtesy, kindness and graciousness. Our medical records in the KU computer system are quickly accessed when we enter, ready for utilization by new doctors and nurses. Compared to our experience with other hospitals in the area, KU is as clean and efficient as any of them. KU has top quality medical proceedures which receive high national ratings. I am sorry that some reviewers have chosen to condemn the whole place based on cell phone or parking issues. If you are in need of an excellent hospital, choose KU!

I was referred to a specialist at KUMC by my primary physician, which made me a little nervous, but have gotten pretty decent care here. It took forever to get in to see the specialist (seriously… several months to get my appointment) but he was quite thorough going over my (chronic but mostly minor) health issues. Not wild about the parking situation, but the valet option solves that problem without costing too very much. Hopefully I won’t be here too often, but it’s good to have a highly rated major research facility & lots of top-​notch specialists in the community.

Worst ER in the city. I am taking the entire family’s health care to another hospital. Try getting staff that can kinda sorta pretend for a split second they care about the patients. The rest of the hospital is great. We made the mistake to go to the ER because our primary care doc (who is wonderful with a great staff) had just run some tests earlier that day and told us that if the condition got worse to go to the ER and those tests would be ready. NEVER again. It took 6 hours to see a doctor and we saw maybe 5 people that came in after us so it wasn’t like the waiting room was at all full. It was pretty dead for an ER. I am calling patient advocates and possibly tracking down a lawyer. Outraged and insulted. If you want to go someplace where they will ignore you as you die in the hallway, go here. Had we known we would be treated like this we would have gone anywhere else. We went there because the tests had already all been run and it should have been quick. His primary care doctor was talking about possibly admitting him for emergency surgery but wanted to see the test results and as long as he didn’t get worse he could go home and rest comfortably while he set things up. Instead of being rushed to an operating room they stuck him on a cot in the hallway and ignored him for hours and never could be bothered to send a doctor to see him. The rest of the hospital is great. Cutting edge and the best experts from around the world. The ER is by far the worst in the city.

Stay away from this hospital. I wish we had known how horrible we would be treated, and when we complained we were retaliated against. Poor patient care, poor infection control, no concern for patient safety. My husband is still suffering, and we are trying to figure out how to get him help. He was placed in a shared room that is normally a one patient room with a man with a horrible infection. One bathroom, and one non functioning clogged sink. They performed major surgery on my husband at his bedside in this tiny dark dirty room with no sedation and no pain medication with another patient in the room. When we complained he was discharged too early with an open wound, and no pain medication. Stay far away from this hospital.

Well it’s been over a week and my second review is worse than the first. Actually, I went on a rant then deleted the rant. Suffice it too say, the place is dirty, 90% of the doctors doing their internship have no real clue about anything and have horrible bedside manners. It was so bad, it was almost comical… except people’s lives are on the line.

I have been here for 7 whole days and the experience that I have had here has been beyond rude and extremely disrespectful. As a patient with cancer. There is no time for games, laughter, giving the wrong medications, taking over a hour to answer a call light, not being fully aware of a patients current and past medical history, and their should never be any disarray whatsoever! However the staff I.E. The Doctors and Nurses in the Intensive Care Unit-​ICU are not professional; the things I’ve listed above that I feel should not be taking lightly, they have been. Patient confidentiality has been breached, patient Hyppa regulations have been debarred, doctor patient relations have been eradicated, and nurse patient care has been nonexistent. This is not the best medical facility in the Kansas City Metro Area. They are being ranked by me as 1– out of 5–
Please share!!! So that others will have the chance to change their mind about what type of care they want. Thanks you.
I Jay M. Walters Jr. Take full responsibility for this post as it is my own opinion of this facility and I am entitled to my own observation and opinion. Thanks!

My friend with pancreatic cancer is still alive after 3 years no thanks to KU med. They told her no surgeon would touch her tumor and was told they would just do as much as they could to prolong her life. She asked for a second opinion and the callous dr said google it! Thanks to John Hopkins in Baltimore my friend not only had surgery but is now cancer free! They said KU is about 5 years behind on cancer research. If you have cancer PLEASE seek out John Hopkins and don’t listen to what KU had to say. If my friend had listened to them she would not be here today! On top of that she had gall bladder surgery the year before and the tumor was there but they missed it! John Hopkins couldn’t believe it! They said there is the tumor and they overlooked it! Major lawsuit in the works! I have lost all faith in their oncology dept.

Long wait. Girlfriend came in with a head injury and we’ve been waiting an hour and a half to see a doctor. Despite being in the «fast track» room. We’ve been told that all beds are full but walked by at least 10 empty ones to said room. I’ve heard similar stories about long 7 to 8 hours wait times, IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
I’d like to mention that we asked for an ice pack when we got checked in and I had to get one myself. An hour later.
I understand being busy, hell, I’ve had a bit of a wait at other hospitals in the region. I have never experienced anything this terrible. I’m only giving three stars because we have yet to see a doctor. Maybe the care will make up for the awful wait. Based on what I’ve experienced thus far, probably not.

The wealth of knowledge contained in this hospital is the best of the region. Quite literally could be the only reason I will have two hands, as other places was content letting my wound fester.
The people here are genuine and want to help. They still have that passion for good unlike some jaded people I’m the industry.
Other people have given negative reviews because they treat EVERYONE who needs medical attention, not just stuck up Johnson County… people.
You may have to wait to be seen here, as they treat people based on medical need not social status.
Finally if you desire luxury, try a Hilton. If you want to get well, come here.

My Doctor is associated with this hospital and frankly, I’m switching Doctors because of this; I am much more comfortable with the St Lukes system. There’s a lot of indigent and homeless people in the KU hospital, it’s great that they are taking care of these people but it just makes me feel like I’m not getting top notch quality care and I haven’t’ been at all impressed by the service they offer. Their Customer Service via phone is horrid, they don’t return calls and don’t seem to care at all about anything! Can’t wait to wash my hands completely of this hospital.

Over rated. Have spent last 4 days in this s-​hole. Wife came in with a-​fib and migraine. ER is jam packed with mentally disturbed homeless people peeing in the hall. (Literally)
We finally got a room but it was in an Icu, no toilet, shower etc. was supposed to only be one night. Spent test of our time here as the heart side is full. Facility is quite old and shabby. More like an inner city motel by the hour than a hospital.
Wife was having allergic reaction to medicine. The nurses called the doctor, dr said there was no way it could be allergy. Stuck wife four more times. After her arms swelled twice their normal size and excruciating pain they finally called the pharmacy… yep allergy is totally possible.
Several other things are pretty bush league. Not worth the hype.
Update: met with other patients in the hall. Very similar story. Beware

Review is for KU Eye Clinic on 75^th and State Line in Prairie Village, KS. Working with the general optomologist has been a breeze and Dr. Kuchem is very thorough. However, if you need to see their retinal specialist, Dr. Singh, prepare to be at the mercy of a, in my opinion, very disorganized office. First I had to reschedule my consultation with him since the office didn’t realize he would be unavailable. During my consultation a resident was with him and therefore I was poked and prodded more than usual. Second I had to reschedule my retinal surgery almost twice. The second time the office scheduler decided to call other patients first rather than rescheduling me after I expressed my disatisfaction. When it finally came to the day of my surgery, Dr. Singh was over an hour late to perform my surgery. I was offered no explainatination instead recieving several apologies from surgical staff. Also I was told I would need to pay the clinic (laser surgery billing is separate) over a $ 1000 for a medically necessary proceedure. The clinic had over a month to get this resolved after my initial conversation with the office when I scheduled the proceedure. The day I arrived, the $ 1000 was still in question and was told they would call my insurance today to figure it out… we shall see. Pre-​op was satisfactory however because Dr. Singh was so late another patient had arrived while I was waiting. The nurse left some of the Pre-​op materials (eye drops, forehead thermometer, etc) in my little pre-​op area so she had to keep coming back to get the materials for the new patient showing. Dr. Singh is a very qualified doctor and if I have any complications, which I doubt I will, I plan to post. He has very good bedside manner and very easy to talk to. I realize doctors have very hectic schedules, however it seems the office double booked him. KU Eye Cinic in Prairie Village, KS, in my opinion, is a VERY poorly ran facility.

Super happy with our experience in the Labor & Delivery department. Every staff member was very friendly and helpful.

I had not been to KU Med in a long time so when I walked into the ER I was shocked to see metal detectors. I joked with the security officers while they searched my purse & I passed through the detector but they were very serious until they saw that I didn’t have any weapons of mass destruction. As my dad when through the detector & I joked about him being part of the «bad grandpa» crew & they better watch out, security was at ease.
The front desk staff was very nice & helpful. We all found it funny how I beat the ambulance to the hospital not knowing that my son was actually refused the ambulance & was arriving by car. geez what kind of mother am I? So, we waited & my nervous energy got the best of me so I talked to them some more. lol They remained nice & never told me to shut up. ;)
Once we were back in a room & checked in the dr. came in to look at the injury & advised that a specialist would have to look at it. We saw a Fellow dr. & she was extremely thorough & nice & understanding. Some testing was done & the on call dr. was called in. We were there forever. Another emergency came in that had to be place before all patients & took the operating room so everyone waited. I understood but I was tired & still on edge. By this time we had been at the hospital for at least 4 – 5 hours before they finally took my son back for his surgery.
Everything went well, my only complaint is that they discharged my son at 2:30 am instead of just admitting him and allowing him to stay until morning. The nurse that discharged him was also very nice & helpful. Even though the dr. was quiet which at the time seemed a little rude he was not. He was an excellent surgeon & the follow up care has been great as well.

Family member had a transplant and it was an absolute dream of service and medical staff. Great experience.

So, think you might be dying? Stop by here. I have had pneumonia for the past couple months. I have been making my rounds through the different departments and I have a VIP card in the ER now. I spent time in the cafeteria. So, I think I can give a fair assessment. I really like it.
They are very technologically advanced. They are apart of the coolest app called MyChart. It keeps track of everything. You can bring up your all your medicine and statistics. You can send emails to your doctors. You can bring up all your test results. Forgot when you had a tuberculosis shot — it is there. When do you need to have a yearly physical or mammogram? Yep, that is there too. When did you go to the pulmonary doctor? Boom. At your fingertips.
I never wait eight days to get in the ER. I never have that feeling of dread. Like the person helping me might accidentally kill me. They are proficient. My veins are temperamental like me. I don’t get stuck five times. They communicate within each other. I don’t have five people coming to get me for the same test.
All my doctors are pretty good. They still call you (isn’t that old school) to check up on you. The nurses call on appointments. They have everything you need. It’s rare that you have to go anywhere for something else. The one time I did, I had a ever better result. So if your third party people are an example of who they are as a staff. I will continue to never go anywhere else or even be concerned with another specialist. I will stay in house, thank you!

I have always heard a lot of negative about KU Med, but with the experiences I have had with the departments that I have been too (which is quite a few) I have had great experiences. To be honest, only one doctor has been a problem, and he isn’t there anymore.
Some departments and doctors may take time to get into see, that is the biggest draw back to KU Med. One of the best things is with them being a teaching hospital they are always on top of the newest procedures and thoughts. There are many students running around that want to be the top of their group and this competition is good for the patient as work hard to try and resolve your concerns. You are also seeing multiple people and not just one doctor, they also consult their peers, all of this means more minds, more ideas for treatments.
I would like to shout out all the departments I love, well as much as one can love a place you go for medical reasons, but I don’t feel the desire to give away that much personal info. Everyone I have encounter is so friendly and caring, I feel like some of them are about at friend level.
I hope some day to not be a regular visitor, but until then, I couldn’t imagine a better place to have to go for the circumstances!

I’ve never reviewed a hospital before, but this is a first (and hopefully last).
I had the occasion recently to have sinus and deviated septum surgery. From start to finish, the hospital highly impressed me. This is a relatively new and modern building. As you walk from the doctor’s office to the hospital wing, you are greeted art in every corridor. Dismiss the sterile white walls of your grandma’s hospital, we’re in the 21^st century folks! We’re not talking just prints here, but actual original works of art from ceramic pottery, to blown glass, etc. Very bright and cheerful hallways, too.
There is a bit of bureaucracy here, but it has it’s method and is clearly explained. You hit up admitting where you fill out some paperwork and then they send to you to pre-​surgery where you get to meet some of the team that will operate on you. I got to meet with a nurse, an anesthesiologist, and perhaps another person or two. Very friendly folks who were quite thorough and answered all my questions. They even handed me a booklet (think large FAQ) with a hot-​line number. It’s been some years since I had real surgery (mid 90s), so I was impressed with how customer friendly they are. What also changed was that they recommend that you limit your shaving right before surgery and use antibacterial soap as MSRA is a common enough problems in hospital and they are quite anxious to prevent infections that may attack those little cuts. They also told me to make sure to have a pillow in the car and a puke bucket just in case, post anesthesia, I’m not feeling so well. GREAT IDEAS FOLKS! These are the sort of things that they never warned you about years ago.
Surgery day comes and I hit up the surgery office. They sign me in and assign me and my wife id #‘s to protect privacy. They indicated that my wife could check the plasma board to see what progress is going on with my operation. COOL! Within minutes of my intake, I get whisked away with my wife staying in the waiting room. I quickly get surrounded by lots of staff including my surgeon. It’s a friendly crew mixed with some students and some professionals. I’m rather sure it was a student who had a very hard time getting the IV in me, but it didn’t hurt and they apologized and knew when to ask someone more senior for help. I couldn’t believe that almost a dozen staff members were there for little old me! No wonder surgery is EXPENSIVE! Before I know it, they have me hooked up to the IV and I ask if my wife can come in. She gets to say her goodbyes as they are ready for me already (very efficient those folks) and I’m off to the OR and don’t remember a thing except waking up.
The post OR experience is a bit fuzzy for obvious reasons, but I was well taken care of and wasn’t nauseous at all.
Do you know what I’ll take away from this experience? Although KU Med is a teaching hospital, they are doing so many things RIGHT and they will graduate many amazing nurses, doctors, and techs. The staff from lowly janitor to surgeon knows how to treat a patient, hesitates to do harm (such as causing pain), and prepares so well for surgery. It’s like clockwork in the digital and privacy age and great for family members as well (they are kept up to date via the Plasma or by the staff). My surgeon came out to meet my wife and give her an update.
Parking is a breeze where you pay $ 2 validated parking in the covered garage or do street parking (which I typically am able to find). It’s also close to the highway and main roads. There are decent restaurants nearby and my wife tells me the café is pretty decent and inexpensive.
I recently had the occasion to help a family member with surgery in Boston and they weren’t as engaging (staff wise), had sterile outdated and ugly facilities, and didn’t have screens updated with the status of the patient. Everything seemed dated to the 1970s and doctors were always in a rush and less concerned. Parking was difficult and quite expensive as well. Phone & wifi connectivity was spotty or non existent. The comparison between the two facilities is quite dramatic!
Let’s hope the day does not pass where I need to return, but if I need to be operated on again, I’m rooting for KU!

Why would anyone review a hospital, right? I have to say, I have had many reasons to appreciate this place. Generally, I am extremely healthy… at 46, I have been in the hospital only once. When I was born. I am grateful.
However, as a small child, I had some crazy eye trouble. Starting at age three, I had shingles in my eye. My small town doctor got it under control. When I was six, I got it again and no amount of experimenting was working. I was sent to KU Med… a frightening journey for my small-​town parents. I remember that a great deal of care and effort went into solving the problem. I wore an eye patch and sunglasses for a year. I missed school most of my first grade year. I spent a lot of time at KU Med, always outpatient, trying to solve the mystery. They eventually figured it out. I’ve had it many times since then, and now there are medicines and it’s a no-​brainer. At that time, however, it was far from a simple problem. I will always be grateful to them for saving my eye.
This past year, my younger brother had thyroid cancer. I got him into great doctors at KU Med (on Obamacare pre-​existing condition insurance, I must point out for the haters!!), and they did a great job treating him. Our whole family has been grateful. His followup care has been top notch.
I have hearing aids… for hearing loss actually tied to my vision problems as a child. I recently moved back to KC and decided to address my hearing aid issues, going to KU Med’s Audiology group. LOVE my audiologist. Great service. The technology they are using to hook me up FAR outpaces the service I was getting in San Francisco. It’s actually been FUN going! Turns out one hearing aid has a dead receiver… they are getting it fixed for a nominal fee. Options were presented and I am grateful.
As I settle into selecting a pool of doctors in Kansas City, I expect to be choosing from those connected to KU Med. I have a lot of appreciation for the care they give!