Went in for chest pains. Waited for 2 hours to be placed in the back then waited another hour and half. Fell asleep and was woken up rudely and such a rude doctor names Dr. Shapiro. Who basically told me it was my heart yet he did nothing but had me in the emergency room for 2 days!! read more

Update: The Hospital replied to this, - they already know this happened and a complaint was filed with patient relations and that's when the abuse became even worse. Don't front. Google Saint Margaret's Hospital yelp and you'll find three different yelp pages they've created because their reviews are so continuously deplorable. They have to keep making new pages... Instead of just fixing the actual systemic issues within their hospital. By the way, if you need to get up to any floor in the B wing, I wouldn't count on it. Only one of their three elevators works, and I think it's gonna remain that way for a while. This hospital is abusive to elderly patients and severely neglectful. My mom was admitted for cardiac issues. Their nursing staff and administration was abusive to her and put her in a cardiac state which made her nauseous all night and resulted in vomiting. They didn't administer zofran before throwing up, which was already on her file as ordered to give her. Then she vomited in the morning. And was comatose all day. The next day she wanted to talk to her Dr about going to a lung and cardio rehab because it helped her so much in the past. And at that point the retaliation started all over again.They gave her a letter from the administration saying she had to leave that day at noon - it was 1pm at the time, so she was given it after. And noon was prior to her doctors even clearing her. It was signed by some random doctor in orthopedics who they told my 80 year old mother was the head of the hospital. The hospital admin Jess, said my mom was manipulating the system. lol. Manipulating? Because it's so fun to say in a hospital with disgusting food and 2 out of 3 broken elevators just so she can go have fun in lung and heart rehab?? Classic manipulation! Not advocating for her healthcare. In reality, her Medicare already approved her for additional days and she could have appealed their early discharge, stayed, and then gone to the rehab. Where she would have healed best. But they chose to intimidate and threaten my mom so that they didn't have to keep her until being transferred to that facility. They also didn't shower her for 6 days. They also released her will 4 leads still taped on her abdomen. She is now home and her stomach bloated, legs severely swollen, could barely walk from the car. And I somehow have to play doctor to her. I believe this hospital will kill you. Elder abuse had to be called and there's an ongoing investigation. They were there to witness everything and they told me there's other investigations currently with the hospital for elder abuse. Don't go here. read more

Like a 2.5... I don't want to hate on this hospital as I feel incredibly terrible for all the healthcare workers having to work through this time in history. I will say almost everyone I dealt with was nice, some even compassionate. I had a falling accident. I thought I would be ok but soon discovered I couldn't walk without very sharp burning pain streaming through my lower back. I was very nervous I had done a lot more than embarrass myself so we headed to St. Margaret. I guess I haven't been to a hospital in a while. You must enter through security. Masks are a definite as they should be since the ER was mostly littered with Covid patients. Several crying out. We got there around 1 pm. It was very uncomfortable sitting in the waiting chairs. I had to sit hunched to try and not aggravate my back spasms. We were there for a little over two hours when they called me into a room. I told my husband and his daughter to leave I would text them. They took me to a room told me to put on a gown. Gave me a pillow and a blanket and left me there for about another 2-2.5 hours. I was cold and in a lot of pain. I buzzed the nurse for an extra blanket but otherwise laid there waiting. At some point a doctor popped in. I told him what happened and he said they would do X-rays pain meds and go from there. The radiologist was very nice. He pushed me in the gurney to the X-ray room and just pleasantly chatted with me throughout. Once completed I waited back in the room when a nurse popped in to give me a couple shots. At the same time the doctor came in to say nothing is broken go home. I was a little persistent since it was going on a 6-1/2 hour visit and that information did not explain my pain. He said it's probably just a bad bruise and if I wasn't better in a day or two go see my PCP. Pretty much all he said and he bounced. I then had to wait another 30 minutes just for discharge papers. I completely understand hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid patients who for the most part could have completely avoided being there, but that is another frustrating topic! However, I didn't really feel like my condition was taken seriously. It's been almost a week and I still have little improvement and met with my PCP who suspects nerve issues based off my explanation and symptoms. They ordered an MRI and now I wait again. Upon check out, which was another 15 minutes because "the computer" yada yada, the very nice lady told me I came on a good day. Usually it's 8 hours just to be seen. Yikes! Can you just take the title "Emergency" from this section of the hospital and call it room? So it's been a long time since I was last at an ER and will hopefully be another longer time before I ever have to go back. Should have just went to Med Express, and that's really a place I don't recommend but considering the care I received I would think it would be very comparable except cheaper and quicker. read more

It sucks having to go to the emergency room, everyone knows that. Unfortunately there are times that it is necessary and I have been to most of the local UPMC emergency rooms. I have had okay experiences and terrible ones. From now on I will only go to the emergency department at St. Margaret's. I have never experienced a real long wait here. Usually you are called back fairly quickly to the triage nurse. I have had the same doctor multiple times and she is amazing. I have had some of the same other staff as well. They listen to my concerns and do their best to get to the root of the issue and help my symptoms. This doctor is familiar with complex illnesses and is willing to get creative and work with the patient to find what works. Obviously I will avoid emergency rooms as much as possible but it is nice to know that if I have to go that I will receive good care at St. Margaret's. read more

I just spent a week there & for the most part things were good. The Dr.s were great, friendly, helpful, and informative. I was fortunate enough to have my PCP Dr. Zimmerman on my case, as well as Dr. Helene Altman.They checked on me daily and spent time listening to me. Dr. Zimmerman would stop by before and after her shift to talk. She was amazing! Dr. Altman was the one who made sure I was comfortable, receiving proper care, and stepped in to help me anytime problems arose.They get 10 stars!! Most of the nurses were friendly and checked on me often. One nurse Alex was not just friendly but she really cared. She talked me through a few panic attacks.10 stars for her. She told me it was her 4th day there!! The first problem I encountered on my second day was traumatic. I had the mother of all migraines and I just needed my Immitrex. I had already went through my list of meds and what time I take them. I suffer from PTSD, Sjögrens, and Fibromyalgia and I'm in pain all the time. My migraines are debilitating. It took FIVE HOURS to get my Immitrex. I lost count of how many times I had to ask for them and it was the same answer... We're waiting for the pharmacy to send them up. When the ER Phlebotomist put my IV in he put it right on the crease. EVERY TIME I moved my arm the IV would beep loudly. I learned real quick how to hit the stop button . Well about 3 1/2 hours of waiting for my Immitrex the IV was beeping because the bag was empty. I couldn't stop that, you needed a code. My brain was imploding. No one ever checked on me when that thing went off. I kept hitting the nurse button countless times with no one answering or checking on me. I couldn't take it anymore. I'm dizzy and not supposed to be walking around but I unplugged the IV and dragged it down the hallway to the nurses station. Several nurses, including my assistant nurse were all BS-ing. I gave her the death stare and asked her to make it stop. She did but did NOT help me back to my room. Amazingly my Immitrex showed up not long after that There was also multiple issues with me getting my meds on time that I need for Sjögrens and my other issues that I take daily at specific times of the day Then there was NURSE RATCHET...Nurse Crissie was what was written on the board. She came in 8 in the morning to begin her shift. She looked pissed and as I saw her more had permanent resting bitch face. I thought she was having a bad morning, but I saw her interact with nurses and she was pleasant sounding to them. It was PERSONAL. I've never had anyone, especially in the medical profession EVER talk down to me and give me nasty looks. She snapped because I didn't understand her answer and asked her to repeat it. Enter the eye roll and more attitude. I asked what her problem was with me. She said because you asked me the same question twice. I explained I had been up all night, no sleep from pain and with my Fibro-Fog I might ask her the same question 10,000 times. On top of that, the nurse before her was supposed to call up a phlebotomist because my IV was just hanging half in and out and it was burning without moving my arm. She had forgotten. So I told Nurse Ratchet and she said "Let me look". She grabbed my arm and ripped the tape and some skin off then proceeded to wiggle it. I was grinding my nails into my hand with my free hand because of the pain. My arm (the bruised one) was no where near her face or my arm. She actually with force SLAPPED/SHOVED MY ARM and I snatched my arm from her and yelled ""WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?!! She said she couldn't see around it BS! I told her to get a phlebotomist up there ASAP and called the nurse manager for the 2nd time. The first time I called her was for the mistreatment and waiting 5 hours for my Immitrex. She had come to my room and apologized and seemed sincere. This time she looked annoyed and didn't apologize for Ratchet's behavior. I told her I didn't want this nurse anywhere near me and to give me a new nurse. I got Monica and she was amazing. She doesn't stop moving. 5 stars to her as well The one star rating is for the lack of communication which happened ALOT with my meds and what time I was supposed to get them, the suffering I went through for 5 hours waiting for my migraine pill, the nurse manager... I wish I could remember her name....And let's not forget Nurse Ratchet who shoved/smacked my arm directly on my giant bruise. I have never been smacked/shoved by another grown adult since I was a child!! Stay away from the 3rd floor!!! read more

See all

Do not go to this hospital! Not only have I witnessed poor treatment with patients and visitors, I was treated so poorly, I needed two surgeries after a visit there. I belittled and yelled at numerous times and treated terribly from my first encounter with a nurse. I think they treated me even worse after they found out I was a veteran in the US Army. I sat in a treatment room for hours and even fell out of my bed. They still never checked on me after the alarm went off. I actually even had to crawl out of my room to get help for the pain, but a nurse then began to yell at me. When I asked to leave because I was not being treated, they refused to let me go. I have visited many different hospitals in the course of my 49 years, but have never seen such disregard for patients in my life. Humans should never be treated this way from care workers. read more

Unfortunately we had to spend our day here. I say unfortunately, because no one WANTS to be in the ER. Not sure if it was just a 'slower' night in the ER, or what, but we were brought back to a bed relatively quickly. The nurses and nurse practitioner were very friendly. This is not our first rodeo to an ER, however it felt nice to be heard on all of the past problems that we've had. While they ran the standard blood tests and what not, they were kind enough to include a few more extensive tests based on prior results, and checked to see if some issues arose that other doctors either didn't think about (or didn't tell us they had checked). It felt like they cared a lot more about the well being of my family member than some of the other UPMC hospitals. Plus, they were a lot nicer to us and that makes the experience a lot easier when a loved one is in the hospital. read more

Subject: UPMC St. Margaret in Pittsburgh, PA I would like to say thank you to the OR staff that worked with Dr. F. Chou. They are the best team in the business. I never in my life though that I could recover so quickly. Thank you very much. Donald G. Austin. read more

I was diagnosed by a nearby urgent care facility with a left ankle fracture (an avulsion fracture, which is a fracture where the ligament tears off a piece of bone -- I basically rolled over my foot while walking home) on May 28 and quickly got a needed appointment on May 29 with the orthopedist at St. Margaret). It was the only appointment available so soon, and I definitely needed help. The fracture was evaluated, and I was fitted for a boot. I was given another appointment five weeks later and told to be as non-active as possible, stay off of it even with the boot almost all the time, even when I called in I was told to not do any exercise until the next appointment! That turned out to be overprotective advice as I did two things -- first, I made another appointment at the Kaufman building's orthopedist where a great doctor told me that the injury on a scale of 0 to 10 was a 2. St. Margaret made no such evaluation. The Kaufman building's doctor (which I believe is considered UPMC Presbyterian or Montefiore) ordered immediate physical therapy, so the second thing done was to start a regimen of physical therapy at UPMC Sports Medicine and they more sensibly gave me latitude to strengthen the healing bone, and I was cleared for exercise by my third visit. Had I listened to Orthopedics at St. Margaret, none of this would have happened, and it would have taken several more weeks to heal. I received the bill in the mail more recently. There was an $830 charge for "surgical services" at this appointment along with the dr.'s visit charges. (I am only responsible for $52, so my then-insurance company paid a great deal. But it is the principle of the thing.) When I called the hospital billing office, first I was told that it was for "closing the fracture." It took several more calls to determine that this was an allowable charge for fitting the boot according to CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). I am fine paying the bill, but it would be a nice gesture if UPMC office actually were to confirm that $830 was what the boot cost. Calling it "closing the fracture" appears fraudulent, and I thought it was. There is a lack of transparency. I would say do not go to St. Margaret Orthopedics UNLESS you need to be seen immediately and no one else has any openings. It is very hard to get appointments for Orthopedics and the fact that St. Margaret had a vacancy and the fact that it's not a teaching hospital should tell you something. read more

Every time I enter a health care facility that is not in Minnesota or Wisconsin I am quickly reminded just how darn lucky we are to have top notch medical facilities where we live. I think the staff and physicians are competent and the waiting area with the library and garden are super nice. The rooms themselves are small and dark and I just think they could use a little face lift in the way of a fresh coat of paint and some upgraded more comfortable chairs for family that have to stay the night. They also don't have any lounges on the floors for family to sit with patient outside of their room without leaving the floor. They are super tight with a locked kitchen on the floor too so you cannot just grab your family member getting care a jello or juice or something like other hospitals I have been too. read more

I really have nothing good to say about this hospital. Over the years I have had a lot of friends and family suffer through their neglect of common sterilization practices and incompetent staff. read more

UPMC St. Margaret Emergency Department - Security desk/metal detector before entering the emergency entrance. - Orthopedists Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Recently visited Friend, who had a hip replaced at St. Margaret's. As a visitor, I would not normally add my two cents to review, but I must! I was there for two hours and in that time there were some pretty amazing healthcare professionals popping in, inquiring on comfort levels, explaining how the surgery went from various viewpoints, giving detailed expectations of the healing process and generally reassuring Friend that nothing was amiss and the healing process was well underway. I'll say it was - every member of the staff seemed to be genuinely invested in Friend's happy, calm and worry-free recovery! Other areas: Parking was easy and clearly marked. The facility is certainly not sprawling, but the hall markers were easy to follow. Way to go, St. Margaret's-- Thanks for the great care. - I am now a fan! read more

I drove 90 miles to be with my 89 year old mother who was transported here by ambulance. When I walked in the intake gentleman at the door was busy and directed me to the B intake. I was greeted by an older white woman with no smile or kindness in her aspect. I explained who I was and that I was to meet the ambulance there, I also explained I had my mothers medical power of attorney and wanted to be there with her. They called back and said the doctor was with her. And that the doctor preferred to see patients alone. I reiterated that I had her medical power of attorney and wanted to be there with the doctor. They said no, and I would have to wait until they called and said the doctor was finished. I again reiterated that I wanted to hear what the doctor had to say. They were not compassionate at all, and were flat out unkind. No kindness at all. No, compassion for my situation. I sat in a waiting room that I never once saw anyone cleaning. Emergency room waiting. Who knows what illnesses went thru. The room was empty except for a couple people (one obviously in need of care). After 10 minutes of being ignored, the doors were standing open so I attempted to walk back to find my mom or someone more pleasant. A short black woman accosted me and told me I wasn't allowed back. I reiterated that I just wanted to be there for my 89 year old mom. I'd driven in from Ohio to give her support and comfort. Sitting in the waiting room wasn't helping her at all. She could not have cared less. I got the eye rolls and the attitude. She told me to sit down or she'd call security. I reiterated that I had her medical power of attorney and I wanted to be there to talk to the doctor with her. My mom has her faculties but is a people pleaser and does not ask questions. In all fairness, I was in tears and getting frantic. The woman called security. The whole time my mother was less than 20 feet away. No offers to check on her, or call back to see if the doctor was through. The security officers were amazingly kind. They offered to get me a drink. Promised they would get me back there as soon as possible. I sat, in tears. After another 10 minutes, the security guard walked thru and saw me sitting still there and went over to the gentleman by the door at the first station. He then called back to the nurses station, and escorted me back to my mom's room. The two women at the B station would not even look at me. (I had told her that regulation for regulation sake alone without humanity was cruel. Got the eye roll.) The gentleman was kind. He escorted me back and joked with my mom. I was crying, she was crying. She was in tremendous pain. Hadn't been given any pain meds yet. Couldn't remember seeing the doctor at all. She'd gotten there just a few minutes before I did. But I was kept waiting for a half hour outside. I did not get any reason other than the doctor was with her. Of course, no way the doctor was with her for half an hour. Those women were trying to make a point by not admitting me as soon as possible. I know a power play when I see one. The good news is our nurse when he got back from his dinner break was very kind. (Mr. G, Gabriel). The doctor flew in and out a couple times. Gabriel said she was very smart. But for whatever reason we didn't get much info. Mom was sent to xray and came back screaming in pain for a prolonged period. She said the tech was trying very hard but the hard metal table she had to scoot onto exacerbated the pain and spasm in her back. Finally Mr. G. gave her dilauded. My mom's hearing aid batteries were failing, I had to keep interceding for her and explaining things to her. She should have been given pain meds much sooner. We never did get a report on what the xrays (two, chest and back) showed. She was finally transferred to her room and the Nurse there, Sam (Samantha) was great. Fifth floor. Spoke loudly and clearly enough without being condescending. She was patient and kind with my mom. After five and a half hours I felt I could leave her in good hands for the night. Unfortunately her hearing aid batteries were failing, my sister was bringing her charger in the morning. (Only one of us could be with her at a time.) But all the doctors came in before the batteries could be charged so I still don't know what was on her xrays. The long and the short of it, the most miserable experience for me was caused, unnecessarily, by the intake personnel. I recognize they've probably seen it all, but this was my scenario. When you are trying to help our senior loved ones, I think, it is vital to have someone there for them, when at all possible. I know I gave my mom a great deal of comfort, and I was able to advocate for her. There was no reason to keep me in the waiting room for half an hour. read more

This place is pathetic I walk in my mothers room to give my father a ice tea then say hello to her. And the floor manager comes in being a complete jerk I hope she loses her job. Then when I leave the room she goes back in there to talk crap on me to my father. I go back in there and say talk crap on me when I'm standing there and she says she will call security on me and I say go ahead and she never does. If this hospital doesn't do anything about this you will be hearing from my lawyer. I am still here at the moment send the main people up here and talk about it. read more

Just want to let the public in the Pittsburgh Area know that the so called Doctors in this hospital almost killed my 73 year old mother about two months ago in October 2021, mainly due to their inability to actually care and find a root cause for her choking symptoms she was frequently experiencing. She'd have a choking episode and would then go in for an endoscopy, then have her esophagus stretched as part of the treatment to stop the intermittent choking. This happened 4 times over the course of 18 months to 20 months and not once was there an attempt to further diagnose WHY she was having choking issues. No recommendations were provided on how to prevent reoccurrence, or whether to go seek a specialist. On the 5th occurrence and 5th endoscopy at this same hospital, it's been determined that the Doctor more than likely caused a cut in her esophagus during the procedure, and then sent her home. Over the course of 3-4 days, my mother internally bled 1 QUART of blood into her gut region..so blood was collecting in her pelvis region. She was in IMMENSE PAIN for 5 days. She went to the emergency room, and had emergency surgery, featuring an 8" vertical incision, to drain all the blood. And now she is still in recovery to this day. As I live in NJ...my parents didn't want to FaceTime me or for me to even visit as they didn't want me seeing her like that. Since my parents probably aren't going to sue, I'm going to let everyone know what happened, and will be adding names to this review once I'm able to read the reports. By the way, the northern NJ and NYC area hospitals don't spend nearly as much on marketing propaganda commercials as UPMC does. Another fun fact..UPMC has been running continual static advertisements (on hang down TVs) in the Newark Airport terminals for at least 5 years now (I used to be a frequent flyer before Covid), touting how experienced and capable their hospital system is. Why? And in the EWR airport? Maybe spend less on marketing, especially outside of the Pittsburgh area and more on making their Doctors actually care about their patients. read more

Dr.Monahan has been my primary care physician for over 20 years. And I have absolutely nothing but wonderful things to say. I am always seen quickly and promptly when I arrive for appointments. If I have a question he has always been wonderful with returning my phone calls. He is so personable and actually cares about why I am there and my wellbeing. He is a wonderful doctor and I could not be happier that he has been my doctor for this many years. I highly recommend him for all ages. He is wonderful with children all the way to adults. read more

Please do yourself a favor and look at the Healthgrades rating of St. Margaret's before you go there! St. Margaret's hospital was extremely disappointing. My husband took me to the Emergency room there and we couldn't believe how rude the staff was. We thought it would be a competent hospital since part of UPMC. It was so not. I gave the nurse my diagnosis -from a UPMC doctor- and she then asked me how to spell it. Then my husband asked the nurse about my pulse oxygen monitor going off repeatedly, so she just pulled it and said I didn't need it -even though I am on oxygen and it kept dipping really low. We ended up leaving and going to another ER where I received very good care. The nurse and Dr. were rude at St. Margaret. read more

I have came here before to the ER and to just get blood work done. I have to say that my blood work and other lab tests went by very smoothly and the nurse was great at talking my blood without leaving a bruise or really hurting me. However, my ER experience was a little less comfortable. I wasn't a fan of my first nurse as he was a little rough with my veins. I had a pretty sizable bruise the remaining of the week. The doctor was nice and understanding and gave me fluids/nausea meds through IV immediately. It was a bit of a wait after my first bag of fluids had been finished, but luckily I had my best friend and boyfriend there to keep me company. Overall I think the ER was a little slow, but it's understandable if they were busy and understaffed. read more

I am tempted to give UPMC St. Margarets five stars, but four is a good place to start so far since we are just starting out. Its should be understandable as I have trust issues with most major hospitals since a terrible ordeal I endured with a Allegheny Valley Hospital in the Allegheny Health Network affiliation. When I had to take a family member to UPMC St. Margarets I was very nervous and scared because I was expecting it to be just like Allegheny Health Network, but to my surprise the hospital staff were very friendly and down to Earth, professional, and answered all of our questions. Mostly everybody seemed happy to work there, and the hospital is well kept, clean, and organized. Of course I hope we never have any future trips to a hospital. I mean who wants to be sick? We will try to be as healthy as we can. But if there is ever a time where we need help, UPMC St. Margarets will be our first choice. read more

Upon seeking the care of one hematologist, in particular, I am much happier with the service. Dr. Giorgiadis for the win.

8 years ago I had a terrible surgical experience at St. Margaret's hospital. When I came to the ED 3 weeks ago with a bowel obstruction, surgery was the last thing I was expecting. I was told I had a surgical emergency and needed surgery that same day to correct the problem. Since the prior surgeon and her team was no longer there, we gave St. Margaret's a second chance. Unfortunately for me, this was a huge mistake. While the surgery itself seemed to go well and resolve the obstruction, I ended up having a significant post-op bleed requiring interventions. I understand that sometimes complications after surgery cannot be controlled however, the entire post-op management of this complication has been a nightmare. Instead of immediately addressing this issue, I was kept in the hospital for 15 days total. During this time, the blood in my abdomen became infected and for almost 3-4 days, we reported fevers/chills/increased pain to the surgeons that told me this was "normal" and that I didn't need any further testing or interventions. It wasn't until my temp hit 102.8 that they even considered getting an updated CT scan, ordering tests for post-op infection, and starting antibiotics. I was told after that, that I did not have an infection and antibiotics weren't warranted despite my symptoms of infection. My husband had to threaten to transfer me to a different hospital in order to be heard by the surgical team and once antibiotics were started, my symptoms started to improve (surprise surprise). After 8 days of IV antibiotics, one drain placement with drainage of some of the abdominal hematoma, I was deemed well enough to go home. I was prescribed oral antibiotics to continue to take at home. At my post-discharge appointment, I explained that I was still having sweats and low grade temps which seemed of no concern to the surgeon. Prior to the appointment, yet another CT scan was obtained showing multiple (approx 4) distinct areas of hematoma. I was sent to IR for drainage only to be told the areas are now clotted and there is nothing that could be done. I asked my surgeon's office what the next step was and was told to "just go home and keep doing what you're doing". One day after this appointment, I became more ill at home, had increased pain and a temp of 102 despite 1000mg of Tylenol and knew I had to seek medical care at a hospital, yet again. Due to my now 2 terrible experiences at St. Margaret's hospital, I sought care elsewhere and by the time I was evaluated in the ED, my WBC was 21...which means that what I was told by the prior surgeon to "just go home and do what you're doing" failed. This surgeon failed me. St. Margaret's failed me, again. I will never return to St. Margaret's hospital ever again and neither will any of my friends or family. Furthermore, the communication between the surgical residents, the patient and the actual surgeon stinks. We were given conflicting information many times while inpatient by all of these people which is unacceptable. The nurse that discharged us taught us how to use the drain but also misinformed us of how to flush it which was also very upsetting to discover a week later. We attempted to report these issues while in the hospital to an administrative staff person which resulted in her giving us some free parking tickets and a few vouchers to the cafeteria. After all we had been through, absolutely insulting. Seems to me that the staff at St. Margaret's on all levels need an overhaul. Now I get to suffer the fallout of this disastrous experience. Absolutely unacceptable. read more

Clean, friendly, great patient care. Medical arts building has a wide variety of both primary care and specialists all under one roof.

The emergency staff at upmc st. Margaret, specifically the nurses, seem to be more interested in laughing and joking with each other than caring about their patients. I saw this unprofessional behavior twice in one month! Both my father and my friend were in this emergency room in the same month (on different nights) and I witnessed this behavior while with each of these individuals. Not only did I witness the laughing and joking, I also asked the staff questions and no one seemed knowledgeable enough to provide me answers about what was going on with either patient. Not only that, the nurses seemed annoyed by my questions (I had only asked one question about my father and two about my friend). The one nurse caring for my father seemed very aloof and uncaring when my father asked questions and then after leaving his room her and the other nurses began laughing amongst each other. I understand that it's just a job for nurses and a stressful job at that, and that humour can help staff cope, however when they laugh and joke right after talking with a patient it makes the patient feel that they are laughing at the patient's expense (my father expressed this to me). I should also note, on both of these nights, there were only a few people in the waiting room, so its not like they were busy. I think if you're not busy, you should definitely be able to answer a few simple questions about your patients. I think that anyone entering this emergency room should have a friend accompany them to make sure the visit is professional. read more

This is not a complaint about the hospital itself our the doctors. The doctors are great. My complaint is the nursing staff. And this is based on three experiences. They are rude. They act as if you are making them go out of their way and not like it's their job. My mom need to use the rest room she hit the button and 20 minutes later still no one. So I went out to find someone and told the nurse who gave me attitude. You can claim all you want to the supervisor but nothing gets done. It's almost getting to the point where they expect to be paid for doing nothing. It's sad really. read more

Our family's experience at this hospital was not good. Being that its affiliated with UPMC is shocking because UPMC is known for good hospitals in the Pittsburgh area. About a year ago we had to rush a family member to the ER because he/she was having problems breathing. The ER staff was actually pretty good, especially the nurses. They were amazing and attentive to handling his/her comfort and breathing problems. The issues started after he/she was admitted. The lack of communication by the doctors to the patient and patient's family was awful, then lack of communication between the doctors themselves! And then comes the miscommunication. After the x-rays and CT scans are done you have one doctor saying there's nothing to worry about on the results of the tests, then another doctor saying it looks bad because it could be cancer. How do you go from "nothing to worry about" to "cancer"?!?! We had all kinds of doctors and PA's filtering in and out of his/her room asking the same questions over and over, it was chaos. You would think they would talk amongst each other and share information but they don't. Then when a diagnosis was finally made the doctors wouldn't talk about it with the family or patient, it was like they were afraid or something. They just wanted to start radiation treatment right away but not talk about other options or even getting us set up with a palliative consult. With a stay of 12 days in the hospital and a diagnosis as serious as it was the discharge was handled very poor. He/she started radiation treatment at the hospital on his/her 9th day then they discharged him/her 3 days later. The medical social worker seen him/her for 5 minutes and gave him/her the "all clear" to be released home. Meanwhile he/she was suffering with terrible side effects from the radiation including weakness and extreme fatigue due to insomnia, not eating, diarrhea and dehydration. With nowhere to go (since a palliative consult was never offered) we took him/her home and after just two days we had to bring him/her back to ER because of the poor discharge the first time around and he/she was suffering so much from the radiation side effects. This should have never happened! A lot of states actually fine hospitals for readmittance on patients within a month due to premature discharge but for this to happen after just 2 days being released is neglect, and to top things off he/she ended up with a nasty bed sore too. Please do yourself and your loved ones a favor and stay away from this hospital if it's a serious health condition, they don't know how to handle it. read more

I am a RN and know protocol for drawing blood. I went to Saint Margret's Hospital for blood work yesterday. A lab tech who called himself Bob Drew my blood yesterday. It was strange and I did see red flags. When I went in, the needle was open and on a 4x4 which could be sterile. I sat down and he found my vein. He had on these big blue gloves which looked like the sterile ones you use in surgery not the kind you use when drawing blood during the whole procedure. He then told me that he needed to mark my vein to know where it is and he tapped my vein with his gloved finger and then without using alcohol before I could say something he drew my blood. If I get some strange disease I'm definitely suing. read more

Magee women's mammography department 5 stars for Melissa the ultrasound person. Melissa is caring and gentle. I was quite anxious and she put me at ease. read more

I had an endoscopy done and no one told me in advance to eat light the day before or to not wear any jewelry the day of. The nurse messed up putting the IV in my hand so she had to put it in my arm instead, which she still caused it to bleed and bruise. Instead of Dr. Pusateri speaking to me after the endoscopy, he had the nurse speak to me who could not answer all of my questions. Dr. Pusateri was very uninformative and rude when I told the nurse I had questions for him afterwards. read more

I spent over a year and a half on and off in this hospital due to severe infections acquired because of unsanitary conditions in the hospital. I had 2 very severe infections that required 6 weeks of very powerful antibiotics.Some of the unsanitary things that happens are: Nurses and Dr.s not using gloves or washing hands during patient visits.Nurses putting gloves that fell on floor back in the box and putting patients with infectious MERSA next to a patient who has had lung surgery.I would not recomemend this hospital to my worst enemy. this cannot be posted because they claim my e-mail is incorrect. I have had the same one for over 2 years. read more

I am writing about the valet parking at Saint Margaret Hospital and how the cars are taking up space that the EMT's are allotted for parking ambulances. The cars are three deep at times making it impossible to get thru to get a parking space or they are parked in the orange zones leaving us with no where to park. The idea of valet parking is great, but should be put some where ELSE as not to cause so many problems for patients who MUST be transported by ambulance to receive their treatments. IT'S A DISGRACE THAT SOME PEOPLE HAVE NO COMPASSION AND DO NOT OBEY THE RULES. read more

This hands down has to be the worst hospital I've ever been to. My 24 year old brother came in with intense chest pains. Initially the service was great, we got right in. They connected the blood pressure and everything at 7:30, Then 7:45 his blood was drawn and taken to be tested. From 8:00 to 11:30 not a single person came into the room to check on my brother suffering of chest pains and profusely sweating. We aren't talking about a fever, me my mom and brother himself suffered with anxiety as to what was happening to him. When we begged the nurse to come in and check on him she came in like a raging bull, so rude and defensive and went as far as kicking my mother out of the room while her son sat in pain alone. We didn't get to leave that hospital until 12:00 with the answer of a possible muscle spasm. we have never been treated so poorly in a place whose intentions are to make you feel safe and positive. All patients beware of Tony, she is the rudest, unhappy, miserable nurse I've ever met. Please do not depend on this hospital to treat you well and comfort patients family. read more

My wife had been admitted for a UTI and also a thyroid condition. Her stay in the hospital was fine, but her discharge was a disaster. First, she does not walk and needs to be put in a wheelchair. They use a Hoyer lift to transfer her from bed to the wheelchair. The RN in charge of the Hoyer team was not familiar with the use of the Hoyer and had my wife almost upside down until some of the other people pulled her upright. They finally got her in the wheelchair, and told me to get our van. I waited 25 minutes until she was brought down and when they brought her down, they did not put her coat on, but covered her with a light blanket. Also the straps to her Hoyer harness was wrapped around the legs of her wheelchair and could not be adjusted. A security guard helped me loosen the straps and get her into the van. On the way home her foot slipped and I had to stop to get her foot back in position. When I loosened the seat belt, she slid on the floor (They must have had her sitting on the edge of the seat) and I had to call the paramedics. They could not get her up, but we were able to get her home and with the help of some other people who they had meet us. She finally got in the house and into bed. The next morning, her ankle was swollen, so back to ER only to find out it was broken. After putting a soft cast on it we decided to send her to a nursing home until she got used to the cast. When sending over her discharge, they neglected to send over the list of meds that included her thyroid medicine. She was in the nursing home a whole week, before I discovered it. She has been the nursing home going on 3 weeks now and all because of the incompetence of the discharge team. All of this has been reported to Nancy In Patient Relation and I was told they would call me and follow up with a letter, in about a week, but after over two weeks I sort of given up on them. Their slogan "Above and Beyond" is certainly A lot of talk. read more