I am what those close to me call a "Medical Snob." I believe that everyone deserves high quality health care. I am that person who arrives at a party, and someone inevitably says to her husband, "There's Anna. Don't mention our trip to the ER last week, she'll never shut up." I can't help it. I feel that people are ignorant to the care that they are supposed to be receiving. I was ignorant myself. Until I had children, I had minimal experience with hospitals. In the last five and a half years, my children have spent a total of 25 nights in a hospital, with more to come. When you have children who see specialists on a regular basis and who are hospitalized for the smallest procedure, mediocrity is not an option. I am a medical snob. I am a BIG medical snob. The extent of my snobbishness is severe: If you live in my area and the hospital you are talking about is NOT Johns Hopkins, don't bother.
Obviously, I haven't been to every hospital in the United States, so I am not saying that JHH is better than EVERY hospital (though it has been ranked #1 Best Hospital in the United States, according to US News and World Report TWENTY YEARS in a row!). I have heard wonderful things about CHOP and Children's Hospital Boston. There are some fabulous hospitals in this fine country of ours. But, there are some lousy ones as well. And if you live within a 50 mile radius of my town, it's slim pickings. (I'm sure someone with bring up Hershey Medical Center. HMC is great, but it's not as great as Johns Hopkins.)
Going to Johns Hopkins for the first time was like putting on a brand new pair of glasses.
"Wow! This is what it's supposed to be like? This is what I should have been seeing all along??"
I had no idea that the standard of care could be so high. And unless you've ever been a patient there, you don't have any idea, either. So, to give you an idea of what Health Care is supposed to be, may I present:
THE TOP TEN REASONS WHY I LOVE JOHNS HOPKINS HOSPITAL
10. The Food Court Don't laugh. I'm being totally serious. When my kids spent 25 days in the hospital, I had to, too. And I had to eat. Only my fellow moms of sickly children will understand the importance of a food court. JHH has a food court that is simply amazing. At 3am, after an exhausting day of blood work, procedures and surgeries, sometimes the only joy that can be found, is in the first bite of a Subway sub.
9. The SWAG Who doesn't love free stuff? I am a huge fan of hospital SWAG. When you leave JHH from an overnight stay, you get diapers, wipes, bandages, thermometers, baby wash, and much, much more! Not only do they take care of you while you are there, they give you what you need to continue the care at home. What other hospital sends you home with a plastic laundry bag filled with parting gifts?
8. The Accessible Testing When Jack was hospitalized for dehydration a few months ago, he was admitted to York Hospital because they are affiliated with our Pediatrician. Each time he needed an x-ray, I had to carry him down the hall (dragging the IV stand) to the elevator, and down to X-Ray. At JHH, if the tech can't come to you (which they usually do), two nurses take your child, in his bed, to where he needs to go. It's extremely convenient and takes the stress out of an already stressful situation.
7. The Sky's the Limit Testing Most would probably not see this as an advantage, because of the rising costs of health care. But, in the long run, it is totally worth it. JHH leaves no stone unturned. Whatever the complaint, they test and evaluate until a solution is found. You never leave with unanswered questions.
6. Email = Constant Physician Availability True Story: While Henry was at JHH for a Gastro issue, I noticed some swelling on his testicle. A Peds intern checked him but I wasn't satisfied, so I emailed the boys' JH Urologist, Dr. Gearhart (thank you, JHH wireless internet access). Within minutes, he replied that he was literally on the beach in South Carolina, on vacation, but that he would check him when he returned the next day. An hour later, a Pediatric Urology Resident appeared at Henry's hospital room, with an ultrasound machine and Tech. Dr. Gearhart had called him, from vacation, and asked him to go check on us right away. Seriously, it doesn't get any better than that!
5. The Knowledgeable Staff There is nothing worse than having to retell a nurse your child's history at every change of shift. At JHH, I don't know how they do it, but no one asks questions unless they need to clarify something. Every person who enters the room, knows your child's case and history, and wastes no time with small talk.
4. Nurses' Scheduling JHH does something with their nurses' schedules that I've never seen before. They keep a record of the nurses who have been assigned to your child. And (if possible) that nurse is assigned to your child whenever she is on shift. During Henry's ten day stay, he only had FIVE different nurses. And that was including the three days he spent in the PICU, on a different floor! There was no having to get reacquainted, and Henry was comfortable, because he got to know all of his nurses. They keep the records, so when Henry is admitted for surgery in June, he will have those same nurses, provided that they still work there. When Jack was at York, he had 8 different nurses in three days, and two of them forgot his name.
3. The IV Specialists JHH has a one and done policy with the administration of IVs. If the nurse tries to run the line once and can't get it, she stops and calls an IV Specialist. No jabbing and jabbing and jabbing until the vein is found. Having kids with blood clotting issues and small, rolling veins, I LOVE the IV Specialist!!
2. The Doctors The Physicians at JHH are among the most amazing, caring, intelligent and talented people I have ever known. 'Nuff said.
And the Number One reason why I love Johns Hopkins Hospital....
1. The Nurses You will find none better, anywhere. It's been almost three years and countless appointments, procedures, surgeries and overnight stays since our first trip to JHH. And I have never met a nurse who didn't perform her duties to the fullest extent. They are guardian angels, sent directly from Heaven. I have always been made to feel like they care about my children as much as I do. And that is a beautiful thing.
While this list tells you all the wonderful things about JHH, I didn't even scratch the surface or tell you the BEST part: Despite being the best of the best, and despite being almost perfect in every way, even they are aware that there is always room for improvement. Just when I thought that the #1 Hospital in the United States couldn't get any better, it has been announced that a new 205 bed Children's Center Building will open in 2012. I encourage you to check out the website:
My children will have a lifetime of health issues. Knowing that they are in the hands of competent health care professionals, in a state of the art facility, brings with it a sense of peace. Johns Hopkins Hospital should set the standard for what health care should be. Every nurse should treat each of her patients like they are the most important. Every doctor should treat each of her patients as she would want to be treated. Every hospital should treat each patient as Johns Hopkins treats it's patients. Everyone deserves to have an exceptional quality of health care.
