Saddleback Memorial Medical Center

Horrible!!!
1 …my youngest son was told he had tonsilitis. He does not have tonsils. To find out he had aspirated a peanut into his lungs. It was only caught after multiple trips back to er
2…my oldest son was run over. He kept complaining his back hurt. No xrays or ct. They flagged him as a drug seeker. We went to his primary who sent us to pain management who ordered an mri. He has a tumor in his spinal cord.
3…latest last week was me… High blood sugars to. Find out after i requested my records they lied saying i needed immediate followup for an abdominal abcess and early appendicitis… wtf!!! By the way urgent referral to a surgeon for monday
Lawsuit waiting to happen…
Only dr there i trust is dr simsorian. He is amazing

this hospital does not deserve a star. saddleback in laguna hills is not only the most disgusting hospital, it is filthy and employees just don’t care. it should be shut down. i recently had back surgery and a very reputable dr preformed surgery with «so called» vascular surgeon. few days after surgery i was driven to emergency room because of excruciating pain in my gut. my surgeon dr. massoudi first of all did not discuss with me complications that might take place. i was cut in the belly for a back procedure. that’s how he does it. it was late friday night and i figured i should go back to saddleback since i have very recent history there. i was crawling into emergency and vomiting. they told me have a seat and gave me a barf bucket. i was in sooo much agony. they finally called me in 2 hrs later gave me pain meds and dismissed me. i waited in parking lot all night waiting for shift change and went back in saturday morning begging who was working in emergency to admit me and at least attempt to diagnosis me and help me. i was admitted for two days… nothing was accomplished at saddleback. it seemed that i had a complete blockage in intestine which they said was from post-op.fyi hoag said the same thing but admitted me for four day few weeks after since i was still in agony from saddleback.
saddleback gave me few enemas. the second enema made me explode in bed and all over me. why? because when they rolled over the toilet to my bed it was covered with someone else’s filth. can that be anymore disgusting. i have it all on video. i have taped this on my iphone and have the male nurse apologizing not realizing explaining the toilet seat is black and wasn’t noticed. even the inside of toilet was obviously full of feces. i was still in so much pain my amazing primary called hoag in irvine because what i was going through was more than suffering but life threatening. emergency at hoag took me right away and they relieved my pain for the night until i was treated by a very caring gi specialist who also said my serious intestine issue was due to surgery.
i still have a lot of discomfort but being treated correctly.
shame on you saddleback and my surgeon being affiliated with this despicable dirty uncaring hospital

I had both my precious babies here (in ²⁰¹³⁄₂₀₁₆) and I had such a great experience. Staff was very accommodating from beginning to end. Reading Yona Y’s review I just couldn’t imagine her experience here. The only thing I can agree with Yona was how they small the recovery room was but its not the end of the world. My friend gave birth at Orange coast memorial and had a roommate in her recovery room… I’d take a small room over a roommate any day of the week!
If I remember correctly I had Christy as my birthing nurse and Dawn as the baby’s nurse? Both were freaking awesome! Couldn’t have asked for a better team. Dawn was very sweet and gentle with the baby. Christy was hilarious and made my experience that much better. Christy told me if I have more babies then to come look for her lol. So grateful for both of those ladies. I’m not a diva. I’ve learned that when ur at the hospital in pain, in labor, and needing assistance ²⁴⁄₇ you should be nice to those who want to help you. When I got transferred to the recovery room I had the nicest nurse ever… can’t remember her name but I think she was Indian.
On the day we left, one of the girls who stocks up the room asked us what we needed and we left with so much stuff for the baby. My friends who gave birth at Hoag left with nothing.
I had problems with both my pregnancies and had to visit the ER and L&D multiple times before going into labor and I can honestly say I never had any issues! I recommend this hospital to anyone going into labor.

Worst hospital I have ever been to. They give horrible care and are very rude. If you need to go to a hospital go to mission Viejo hospital.

I’m only reviewing my experience at the hospital’s professional development department which is where you go to do CPR training and other kinds of training you need to have. I used to work locum (temp) at the hospital for about 6 months and during that time, my ACLS (Advanced CPR) had expired so I had signed up for the ACLS class that they offer at the hospital. The person who does the professional development i.e. continuing education program, Ms. Sherry Choquette, was a complete psycho and gave me such a hard time about signing up because I didn’t have the right paperwork. She gave me an irritated sigh, rolled her eyeballs and practically yelled at me because she said I was creating more work for her.
This woman needs to be on lithium she is so bipolar, that has to be the only explanation for her jeckyll and hyde personality. I’ve attended another inservice seminar with her before and she seemed ok but rather full of herself. Other than the nasty experience with Sherry, most of the other administrators I’ve dealt with at the hospital have been cordial and pleasant. Just avoid this woman because god forbid you cross her and who knows what will set her off she will rip your throat out. Why this person works in «professional development» is beyond me because her behavior is anything but professional. She crazy.

This is absolutely the worst hospital experience my wife and I have ever had in the 50 years we have been married. I could write a book about the experience my wife recently had while there, it is so bad I don’t want to waste my time.
A small example:
1. Never changed her bedding during the week stay.
2. Ignored calls for assistance,
3. She had to defecate in her bed because the nurses station ignored calls for help.
4. I found her waste on a blanket, in her bed and on the bed rail 2 days later.
5. Ignored requests for a special diet. She was admitted because extreme abdominal pain.
6. Ignored request for thyroid medication she has taken daily for the last 40 years. I had to bring the medication from our home.
7. Very poor bedside manner by both doctors and nurses.
8. No offer to provide a sponge bath, again she was there for 7 days!
9. I found a used syringe lying on the floor of her room. Trash on the floor continuously and food trays left in room for several hours after the meal.
10. Excessive radiation testing, 3 Cat Scans in 3 days (more money for the hospital).
I could go on and on, my advice is ignore this hospital if at all possible. The «50 Best» ranking appears to have been ginned up from the inside. One of the «50 Worst» is more appropriate.
Take a close look at the 4 and 5 star ratings they have received, these people did not have an extended stay in this «self hospital».
My next correspondence is going to the state of California Medical Board.
Signed,
Very Disappointed

I took my husband to the emergency room in February in the evening. We waited in the waiting room for about a half an hour. We were called back to the E.R. and we told the intake person why we were there and asked how long of a wait. He stated at least 4 hours. We immediately left and went to another hospital. I now have a bill for $ 250.00 saying they completed an evaluation on him. I wrote a letter to the Emergency Room Physicians and they say the bill stands.
No evaluation was done on my husband by the person they say did the evaluation. Very unhappy with Saddleback. I am filing a complaint with the State of California. We have insurance which will take care of this but I do not feel these charges are justified.
I have been going to Saddleback Hospital for 30 years (taking my parents, husband) but I am seeing changes that I do not like since they became Memorial Care. I will not be returning if this is not resolved satisfactorily.

This hospital is one of the worst hospitals and definitely not expecting-​mothers-​friendly. Everyone seems welcome you and so friendly in the beginning, but after they are done with you,(like nurses don’t care about you at all)
If you deliver your baby here, they will kick you out to a smaller room (so called recovery room) after in down stairs, and starting to apply rules like only one person can stay with. (Why? Because the room is small and they don’t want you cause fire!!!)
My baby had to go to NICU so I had to go upstairs back and forth at every 2hours to feed him, so I used a wheelchair.
But a nurse came and told me, «You should not use wheelchair anymore, even you feel pain, you should still walk in pain, it is already been 2 days. I do not want to see wheelchair here anymore. Also, if your baby likes this formula, you should feed it to him even thou you like something else, baby will starve and die! If you want to change formula, go home and do it at home. You know you can’t leave this area with your baby, alarm will make sound because it is stealing a baby!» I can’t believe how rude and harsh this nurse sounds, especially to a patient like me with a shock and depression after a long hours of labor. The nurse is so heartless and the most rude person I have ever seen. Why can someone heal slower than many others? Why everyone should heal after 2days? Why she uses such rude languages like «I do not want to see wheelchair here, go home and do it, baby will starve and DIE???» Gees.
My nurse today, Dawn, I told her if I can see a doctor in NICU because my son has been very fussy, not been feeding well, pooped many times (dark green with solid pieces) she said it is totally fine. Then she said,” I will mention it to the doctor, but you know what, he’s gonna laugh at me.” Can’t she use a better language? Or she wanted to refer it to me and meant «the doctor is gonna laugh at you!» I am a first time mom, only been a mom for 2 days, everything makes me worry and anxious about my baby, can’t she be a little more considerate and soothing?!
I feel so abandoned, mistreated and verbally abused in this dark small room of this old building, so far only caring people I have met in this hospital are my OB, Dr Kong, Angie and Sunita (I hope they come back the whole time I stay here), I have prayed for the past 9 months, hoping everything worked out and delivered by Dr Kong, but unfortunately it didn’t happen, God didn’t really respond to me… But these people are the best people in the entire hospital regardless of my unlucky situation.
I wish I can mention all those daily nurses and my on call doctor who didn’t seem to have much passion in doing her job, definitely gave me an impression of «let me just finish this ‘one of many’ and go home, hope this one is not the high maintenance one» and the horrible nurse in my delivery room who had been yawning the whole time…
Well, I made a stupid decision for a life changing experience, just because I like Dr Kong, when the whole experience here is not just with Dr but mostly with other staff, nurses and on call doctor. And the facility and the hospital rule. I bet they have free supplies from Similac formula, which will be your baby’s first milk, (not mother’s milk) and just shut all sick babies at NICU with pacifiers, in hospital pediatrician told me, «why not taking the advantage of all ready to go formula– Similac? Shake it, open it, feed it!» Another one told me, «why don’t you try Gerber? It is well known baby food brand!» Are they all working for those companies?!
How can doctors here encourage moms to feed their babies with all ready to go foods full of chemicals, artificial ingredients, and preservatives just to be convenient and easy?!
So many people come and go all day, all night to poke, pinch and bother your baby, the recovery room is freezing cold, baby crib is just a hard, and cold plastic container. This hospital is a total nightmare, I absolutely regretted that I didn’t choose Hoag in New Port Beach.
My first and last life changing experience has turned into the most horrifying movie, I will never forget the experience here… in a BAD way.
I can’t write enough about how bad my experience here was.

This was by far the worst experience that I have ever had. This hospital and the doctors associated to it are all about the bottom line and not about providing excellent care. I have a condition called tachycardia. I was seen by a Dr. Howard Frumin regarding my condition. The only option that he gave me for my condition was to have in ablation done. I agreed to have the ablation done as he stated to me that there was an 85% chance that he would be successful.
After meeting with him I was very confident that he would be successful. A few days later he had me put on a halter monitor to monitor my heart over the course of a 24 hour period. During my initial visit with Dr. Frumin he stated to me that he would look over the results from my halter monitor and get back to me prior to the surgery. That was never done. I showed up to the surgery and the hospital indicated to me that it was going to cost me approximately $ 5000 out-​of-​pocket to have the procedure done. I have had procedures done in the past and almost every hospital calls in advance or send you a written estimate to let you know what you’re out of cost was going to be. This cost was a surprise to me.
Because I wanted to have my condition fixed I agreed to move forward with the ablation. I waited approximately six hours before I even saw Dr. Frumin. All along the time that I was waiting the nurses kept telling me that this was a good thing because it meant that the doctor was taking his time with each one of his clients. This was complete BS. What the real problem was is they overscheduled surgeries for the day and for that reason I was pushed out six hours after I was supposed to have my surgery.
When Dr. Frumin finally came out to see me he told me that my chances of having a successful ablation was now 50% as opposed to the 85% that he originally indicated. I was really upset when I heard this and asked him why he hadn’t called me to tell me this prior to the surgery. He then looked at my chart and said that he saw something unusual and that my chances were now 75%. He also gave me an option to have a device implanted into my body to monitor me for the following six months. This was an option that was not presented to me until that moment. Because I was anxious to have my condition fixed I decided to go forward with the procedure.
I was under for approximately 2 hours and when I woke up it was the first time that I actually felt like I was going to died due to the fact that they brought me out of the anesthesia prior to taking the catheter out of my mouth, causing me to choke on it. When I got out I asked the doctor if he had been successful and he let me know that the ablation was not successful. Approximately 45 minutes after the ablation he told me that he wanted to see me in his office again to talk about possibly enhancing my mineral intake. All along I was thinking why he didn’t start with this to begin with. Of course, there was no follow-​up from Dr. Frumin’s Office for me to come in and speak to him in regards to my mineral intake.
After about three or four months the bills came pouring in. All in all my bills were in excess of $ 9000 out of pocket, which was $ 4000 higher than the hospital had quoted me. I also received the explanation of benefits from my insurance company that stated between Saddleback Memorial and Dr. Frumin more than $ 60,000 had been collected for this procedure. It’s no wonder that he was so anxious to proceed forward with this procedure. This is a lot of money and shows me that this hospital and its doctors really only care about one thing… Its bottom line. Beware and look for him better hospital and staff to handle your medical care.
After some more research I was able to balance out my magnesium and able to fix my problem for less than $ 20 per month.

My son has a couple of rare chronic conditions: Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis. Unfortunately, this means we spend a lot of time in hospitals, doctors offices and the ER. Our old go to was Mission Viejo ER but it was always a horrendous wait and the doctor would literally ask me «Why did you bring him here?» Simply because he was to complicated. This is not something you want to here from your ER doctor!
We have now been to Saddleback Memorial hospital 5 times (I told you we go a lot). We have never had the same doctor and they have all been excellent. They involve us in our son’s medical care and really listen when we tell them what he needs. We manage him day to day so we have the most experience. They read his chart before seeing him and already have the basics down. The nurses are patient and kind and very responsive to our needs. We have been to four other ER’s and Saddleback is hands down the best!

A killer hospital, Saddleback, with ill trained nurses, miscommunication HCPs with n ownership for patients overall life. They ask patients kind for treatments (not just permission but the guidance), they tell patient brain dead in 2 hrs and that too by a pulmonologist and they talk only medical language so someone in patient known ones better be an MD

I went back to Saddleback Eye center to get my sunglasses fixed. They fixed them with no questions asked. While I was waiting Dr. Manger stopped what he was doing and charted with me a little while and I thought that was awesome. I didn’t tell the receptionist my name when I arrived but when leaving she said good bye Dave.
I just wanted to say that they are so professional there and would have my surgery done all over again. I have not put readers on since my surgery in December 2015. Great Job!

This hospital is ranked highly by US News & World Report, but my experience with an outpatient procedure tells me there is more to the story. Check-​in was fine and so were the procedure prep by the technician (lady from NJ was so warm and wonderful — thank you!) and the treatment by the attending nurse, but the rest I question.
The week before I was due to have my procedure, I received a survey in the mail asking me to rate my cardiac treatment. I called the number immediately on the letter, leaving a message explaining that I’m not a cardiac patient and to please correct my record. I never got a call back.
However, someone did approach me while I was in the hospital, asking the same thing. The only good thing is she stopped mid-​sentence to ask me my name and date of birth. (Apparently, that’s routine because I got asked that with each new staff I encountered). Only then did she realize she was talking to the wrong person. I told her, «‘I’m not a cardiac patient. You have the wrong person.» At that she just turned around and left. (???)
I don’t want to be critical of the staff because they seem nice but very tired. However, I still did not appreciate overhearing staff complaining about procedure cancellations, issues with patients (not by name by by their medical procedures), etc. Also, when I went to check out, one of the nurses at the station said sarcastically, «Oh, great. You get to go home now.» Even (over)medicated as I was I asked, «Isn’t that a good thing?» The person’s response was, «Well, for you it is. However, that means we get a new patient at the end of our shift. Do you know how much work that is? We’re tired, too.» Then wheeling me out, as they insist they do, someone made a comment to the person wheeling me, «Oh, now you can’t go help so and so – she’s all alone.» Waiting the extra time for my ride to show up was agonizing. I said, «Go do what you need. I’m fine.» The person said, «No, I have to stay. Please don’t worry.» I appreciate the awkward position that person is in (not being able to take the other person’s comment back), but maybe they should be trained to not have those kinds of conversations in front of patients and also schedule better.
Maybe they just had an off day. I sure hope so.
Otherwise, I would hope the Administration is working to make sure staff morale stays high and mistakes low. It seems like there is some not-​so-​good fluff hiding in those high rankings.

EMERGENCY ROOM–
This place is amazing!
I have 3 kids who play 7 days a week sports. That means, they are always getting hurt. I have been to Mission viejo hospital, and as great as a place it is, we have waited to be seen for more than 4 hours!!! Yes, 4 hours!!!
EVERY TIME I bring my kids to Saddleback Emergency room, not only is the wait maybe 15 – 20 mins, but the staff treats you like you are family. Everyone is happy. They really love their jobs I think!!! The care is great, even for kids, the hospital is clean, and most of all the staff is amazing.
This particular time, we came in for an ankle injury. We signed in, and as soon as our bums hit the chairs in the waiting room, we were called into a room. We didn’t even wait 30 seconds.
The Doctor even came into triage and started examining my daughters ankle, and ordered and X-​ray, even before we were done with vitals. We went right to a room, and within 3 minutes, X-​ray was there taking an X-​ray in the room. Tell me where else you can have service like that!!! I don’t care what anyone says about this hospital… This place is awesome!!! If you want good care, from a super friendly staff, give this place a try. Ok, it’s not as fancy as some other hospitals, but it sure beats waiting 4 hours, in a waiting room full of sick, coughing, angry germ filled humans

DO NOT GO HERE.
If you want great care go to MVH
This hospital is small and does not care. No interaction with staff, no proper care, they are HORRIBLE. Please, I went out of my way to write this review. They do not take proper care and preventative procedures to find out what is wrong with you.

My husband has been going to saddleback memorial care for years to have his blood drawn and tested at the donor center due to having high levels of iron in his blood. On the most recent visit the cost of the lab service increase from $ 23 at the discounted insurance rate to $ 352, a 1500% increase. shame on memorial care and the insurance company that approved that kind of increase with no notification to patients who have been using their services. The blood draw which is equivalent to a blood donation cost was previously a $ 106 at the discounted insurance rate and is now at $ 414 (400% price increase).
Check with your insurance company and/​or Memorial Care before using their services and getting a huge bill that is unexpected. I have come to find out that Hoag blood donor center performs the blood draw for free but be sure to make an appointment since it is a special service for people with high levels of iron in their blood (i.e hemochromatosis) .
WE WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO MEMORIAL CARE FOR ANY SERVICES. ACCORDING TO MEMORIAL CARE THEIR RATES CHANGED IN 2016. BEWARE!!!

So disappointed in the ICU nurses. My brother has been in there for
over a month with critical problems. I try to call on the days that I cannot
come and it is like prying open a darn clamshell to get information on him.
I have encountered a few of the ICU Nurses to really be cold and uncaring.
How rude. Here it is you have your loved one in critical condition and they
treat you like crap. Hoag — much better hospital!!!

My parents, my husband, and myself have been going to this hospital for 25 years and always received excellent care. Last night took my husband to emergency and there was a 4 hour wait! There were not that many people in the waiting room. I know they get people in by ambulance and those are most critical but still 4 hours!
I think their service has declined since Memorial Care took over.
We went to Hoag in Irvine and he was seen immediately.
Memorial Care, if you have to hire more staff then do so. Don’t keep patients waiting for 4 hours!

Got sent to ER, from urgent care, for my 87 year old mother with COPD, who was supposed to be admitted immediately. 3 ½ hours later, still in waiting room, no admission and no information regarding the ‘litany of tests’ she’s supposed to have. At least she had her blood pressure tested — unlike the poor woman who has been waiting over 4 hours to get stitches or the man with the colostomy bag filled with blood, or the baby with foot & mouth, or the man with the broken (?) foot, the woman with the gash across her chest, the… Got faster and better service at urgent care. Going to a different ER next time.

I just had a MRI done this morning and the hospital was great with state of the art equipment.
Great job thank you.

Can’t Believe I am writing such a positive review about an emergency room visit. But it was actually the Best emergency room visit we have ever had. Dr. Taub saw us and was responsive to questions and had amazing bedside service. The staff was kind efficient and quick. I wish this group of medical professionals could be our primary care physician’s.

I am writing this review to express my opinion about the unfair and unethical billing for medical procedures that is being conducted at Saddleback Memorial Hospital in Laguna Hills. I had an abdominal CT performed in July 2014 which I was billed $ 6,135.50. After my insurance adjustment, I ended up paying $ 3,033.40. I later found out that if I had paid cash for the procedure the cost to me would have been $ 674.40. So I was charged 5x the amount of the actual cost of the imaging procedure. I spent over a year trying to get this hospital to rectify this situation with no success. I sent a letter to Dr. Barry Arbuckle the president and CEO of Saddleback Memorial on June 2, 2015 and have never received a response from him.
In the past, my house has been burglarized and I have gone through an identity theft process. In those cases the perpetrators were both criminals taking advantage of the victim. I have to tell you that I feel much worse in this case because this is a medical institution that is supposed to be honest, ethical, and looking out for the best interest of the patient. It is clear from my experience that this institution is not honest, is unethical, and are only looking to maximize the amount they can obtain from the patient. This hospitals billing practice is no different from the criminals that robbed me in the past and I will never use this facility in the future.

Came here for a colonoscopy and had the best experience. Wonderful staff and up to date facility. Highly recommend!

I have to say saddleback hospital is one of the top hospitals. Carlos Perez works at saddleback, he has help me more than once, and his very good and helpful. Thank you carlos and saddleback hospital !

The nurses and doctors go above and beyond trying to make you feel better. Been to alot of hospitals this is one of the best.

This review is for the Blood Donor center at Saddleback Memorial Medical Center. The nurses who work there do so on a voluntary basis and they are good at their jobs. I come in often to give blood and just recently reached my 2-​gallon milestone. They gave me a polo shirt complete with hospital logo and milestone, along with a free Regal Cinema movie ticket, and fruit juice. Since I’m a regular, I generally get my iron test first to check my hemoglobin levels. My levels vary throughout the year for me so sometimes, it’s not possible for me to donate. The nurses are great and have a wonderful bedside manner. They have incentives for you to donate blood such as free movie tickets, Starbucks gift cards, pizza, free lunch at the hospital cafeteria, etc. I generally get a movie ticket since it doesn’t expire. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since I first started coming to Saddleback. I’ll definitely be back since this is something I can do to give back to my local community. Anyone who is able to donate, should. You could save a life. Cheers!

I looked at the hospital’s website to see which of the satellite lab centers were closed and which ones were open. It showed (and still shows) that the one remaining outpatient express lab is still open daily at 6:30 at the main hospital. I show up before work at 6:20am hoping to beat the crowd with 6 other bleary-​eyed folks waiting in the hallway lobby for the doors to open. Nobody is at the help desk at the tower or main entrance and strangely under the HOURS placard outside the lab door, it is blank. We all read the three or four notes posted on the door after nobody shows at 6:30 and wait another 15 minutes – NO SHOW. People finally get frustrated – by this time there are more than 10 people waiting until a nurse walks by and says the lab is closed permanently. When someone makes a crack about someone making out a simple LAB CLOSED sign, the employee says the place is run by idiots. We all laugh and concur. I volunteer to call the hospital administrator to tell him the solution, so as not to waste anyone else’s time. After a lot of research trying to find out who was running the joint (nobody at the hospital knew or would give me the name), I tried unsuccessfully to talk to Mr. G… – his admin assistant said he was constantly just entering a meeting; fine I said and left my number. Surprise, he is still so swamped closing things, that he is too busy to return my call.
Now we know what happens after one hospital (Memorial) buys another and cuts costs. No money for a IT guy to update the website, wasting hundreds of hours of peoples’ time, no staff at the health desk, and no money for lab services. Do yourself a favor and take your chances at CVS minute clinic – it is better prepared to meet your acute needs or go to Hoag. This place is amateur hour.

Annoyed I called in to set up my payments was told I’m being referred to a third party but still got the automated voice message saying I need to make a payment. I was told 3 weeks for info to be sent but why am I still getting stalker calls for bill payment when they referred me? Not so great.

This is the worst hospital I’ve ever been too, I won’t be coming back here even if I’m dying. Poor bedside manor, unessary iv line when no iv was needed, and so many other things. All they did was draw blood and nothing else and i left with same symptoms coughing and puking up blood and I had when I got there with no answers. All they wanted to was try and push pain medication on me. I would tell everyone to go anywhere but here.
Oh and now if you don’t have insurance or dont habe your card with you they want a 500 buck or some cash down just like that they do at urgent care, but way more expensive. Screw this place.

I went through the ER, got admitted, and ended up staying a few days and having a surgery. The overall rating is rather arbitrary and some details may be useful while they are still fresh in my mind.
One star: The ER is terribly run, just as everyone says here. I waited several hours while in pain. Forget everything you see on TV with doctors and nurses rushing about, there are absolutely no sense of urgency. One couple with a child who had a bad cut ended up leaving after waiting 4 hours, another man complained he had been waiting 5 hours, etc. Then you’re lucky if the ER doctor spends 5 minutes with you, or if he does not misdiagnose. Bottomline is to avoid the ER if you can, it’s the worst.
One star: One nurse with a sour face acted as though she did not want to be there, talking as if she wanted to argue. Another nurse responded after 3 calls, and «I’ll be there» means over 30 minutes later. I later saw her yakking in the hall.
Two stars: A couple of nurses simply did the minimum and no more, I saw them once during their whole 12-​hour shift.
Four stars: I was pleased with 5 – 6 nurses who were efficient, checking on me every 4 hours or so, friendly manner, came in to introduce themselves at the beginning of their shift, and at the end of the shift coming to say good-​bye and introducing my new nurse.
Five stars: And then there was nurse Sc*****t who is just a sweetheart and an angel, her soft and gentle hands made the mundane procedures bearable, always had time for me. I was always so happy to see her smiling face. I so miss ‘my girl’.
PS. (While I remember all the names, I skip them here to protect the innocents). So here I am recalling the details to write this review, was glad to be discharged and be on my road to recovery. Yet I’m also feeling rather sad and melancholic since I would never see ‘my girl’ again. I pick up my guitar and strum softly, I close my eyes, I thought I can hear someone singing in caressing, gypsy voice…
No te vayas todavía, No te vayas por favor
No te vayas todavía
Que hasta la guitarra mía, Llora cuando dice adiós
Do not go yet, Do not go please
Do not go yet
My guitar weeps when it says goodbye
So there you are!
PPS. I forgot to write about the rooms. Two stars: Rooms are very small and shared, with just a curtain in between. Surely this is in violation of HIPAA rules, no privacy. The visitors to the other guy were way too noisy, I had to request to be moved to another room. Also the halls are super noisy all the time, not an environment to help you rest.

Pretty sure this is the ghetto OC hospital.
Being new to the area and not knowing which hospital to use/​avoid really sucks. My four year old fell on the playground at 6:30pm and it’s 1am and still no doctor. Got an X-​ray right away and then sit around for hours and hours.
Apparently at Memorial there’s no prioritization for babies or people that have good insurance. No time estimates for actual help, surrounded by less than classy members of society, this experience was a wake up call and we’ll never cast a shadow in the door of a Memorial facility again!

I’ve been to this hospital three times since 2009. Two of those times, I required a shunt revision (simple terms). This review is for my experience there from 6÷5÷15 to 6÷12÷15.
I was very lucky because although shunt related headaches are very painful, they are not as life threatening as a heart attack or a stroke. The receptionist was able to take me to the back right away. The ER staff was very friendly and managed my pain in a timely fashion.
All of the doctors involved in my surgery introduced themselves at different times, which makes you feel at ease so you know who will be working on you. The house doctor, Dr Motta was excellent. She really showed a sense of care. Most house doctors will try to spend as little time, talking to you and charge you a fortune for a 3 minute check up.
The nursing staff was excellent, no long waits when you call on them. The only problem I had was, a nurse I can only identify by a British accent, injured a vein, trying to insert the iv into my hand. Plus, the pt staff trying to push me to walk the day after my brain surgery was a bit stressful. Overall, this is a great hospital.

One of the best medical facilities I’ve had the pleasure to visit (and I’ve been to many due to many illnesses within the family).
Aesthetically speaking, it is visually pleasing– beautifully constructed buildings, interior design is very comforting, and the layout allows for easily and readily access to any desired area. The rooms are some of the cleanest and well kept I’ve seen, they use state of the art equipment, and their furnishing reflects their mindfulness of both the patients and their visitors. They have a beautiful gift shop that has every gift imaginable from aromatherapy to handcrafted jewelry to unique baby clothing. Their café is also stocked with decent meal and snack options if one chooses to dine with them though they are also conveniently located across from a mall and several other shopping centers.
Aside from the amenities, their exceptional service and hospitality are the heart of the hospital. The employees of this hospital (including volunteers, administration, nurses, doctors) are all so welcoming, compassionate, informative, and attentive it truly is a breath of fresh air. This hospital understands what so many others don’t– the importance of LOVE & bedside manner when it comes to the wellbeing of an individual.

Having one of the most difficult times in my life and am so thankful and appreciative that I have been receiving the best care possible, my nurses Nikki, Vanessa, Candice, Mary, Joanne and Jeannine have been nothing but sweet and caring to me and my family who has come to visit me up on the 3^rd floor ! So thankful !!! And a huge thank you to one of the best Dr’s here and totally understands me DR. MOTTA

Picking the right hospital to deliver your baby is not am easy choice. A lot of my friends chose Hoag and though it’s closer to me, I’m happy with my experience here.
1) Smaller hospital: this was the main reason why I chose SMH. A hospital visit is already stressful and intimidating enough without having to navigate a gigantic bldg.
2) Nice personal rooms: I wasn’t aware rusty I’d get my own room bc that’s what people always rave about at Hoag so I was pleasantly surprised that SDM also provided private rooms. The rooms come with T.V. with cable n dvd player, full bathroom with shower n tub, sink, a bed, a small nook with padding for someone else to sleep on, an armchair that can recline for sleeping, lots of towels, linens, & blankets. I’ve been staying here for a week and it’s been an extremely comfy stay.
3) Daily housekeeping: they come by daily to restock linens n clean the room
4) Choose your meals n snacks: they call you to tell you what’s on the menu and you can pick what you want to eat. I recommend the bbq chicken salad n tuna melt. A snack cat 3 comes by n you can choose up to 5 snacks.
6) Friendly accomodating staff: for the most part most of the staff we encountered were knowledgeable, capable, accomodating, & friendly. The shining stars were Tubby (midwife nurse), Christine & Tammi (NICU Nurses). They definitely helped us through a stressful period by quelling our fears and providing reassurance.
I would definitely recommend having your baby here!

If I was pregnant, I’d deliver here!
Wifey found this place via her insurance. I wasn’t sure why she wanted to come here over the Hoag and Kaiser that was closer to us, but I’m glad we did. The hospital offers a ton of classes for new expecting parents and wifey made sure I attended every single one. She even signed me up for Daddy Boot Camp.
It’s a smaller, more intimate hospital. Every mom gets her own delivery room, which later dubs into a personal nursery. The private rooms are quite big and comfortable.
I guess it’s really hard to benchmark this place against others, since it was our first baby, but the five stars is given because of the medical staff. They are absolutely the best and most accommodating professionals I’ve ever worked with. I loved every one of the nurses that came by and each had their own valuable baby advice/​tricks. I think I learned how to swaddle 3 different ways by the time I left.
Overall, we had an awesome experience here. We’ll probably have our next 4 kids here before I get fixed. Great job Saddleback!