St Charles Medical Center – Bend

My son had to have an emergency appendectomy that had some complications. Every person we encountered at St. Charles were kind, professional and efficient. I was a very teary and scared mom, and I felt completely supported and confident that my son was in great hands. The nursing staff in the pediatric unit went the extra mile for my son. He turned 13 years old while in the hospital. He was sad to spend his birthday there, but the staff threw him a surprise party that included presents, decorations, balloons and cake. They made a bad situation a great memory. Pediatric nurse Marissa, made us feel like we were in a home away from home. I can’t thank her enough! Now, we haven’t received the bill yet ( ), but I have to say, we could not have been happier with the level of care we received! Dr. Matheson was very confident and a skilled surgeon! A big thank you to the pre-op, post-op and of course all of the pediatric nurses! Thank you!

PEDAL Clinic / St Charles - while I really appreciated and like Dr Shank for my son, I was extremely disappointed in the front desk. The person takes days and numerous calls to return calls to set up an appointment . She did not even acknowledge us while in waiting room ( you check in up front then are sent to pedal), she has the glass pulled shut even when not on phone. Failed to acknowledge us both times we were in. Learned she doesn’t even acknowledge other patients as a friend has been in numerous times with her daughter. Took me three calls to make an appointment after referral was sent as no one answers the phone or returns calls in timely manner. A week after a referral was sent to Pedal I called to make an appointment. I left a message as no one answers. I left three message over several days and finally got a slightly snarky call back ten minutes before they closed for the day. I was finally able to set up an appointment ( number of weeks out for my teen with PCS /concussion issues keeping him school and putting him in depression). Upon coming to our appointment you check in out front then are sent to the Pedal clinic. The waiting room has a reception area with the glass door. The same lacking phone call responder is up front. She was on the phone so the glass was closed yet she could not be bothered to look up and make any acknowledgment of us. Perhaps St Charles should put a sign out telling people that the front desk person is not there to acknowledge any visitors, super unwelcoming and dysfunctional and terrible customer service.

Three years ago I went in to see how much it would be to have my baby here. I was very clear that I just wanted to know the price before getting any services. They gave me a quote of $27,000 and I promptly left because that is just highway robbery. I had my baby at Bend Birthing Center and it was amazing and so much more economical. I am leaving this horrible review because I just discovered that they charged me for the intake appointment and it ended up on my credit report. You shouldn't charge people to fill out medical intake forms when they are just asking for the price.

This review is mainly about the medical staff and a some about the facility. I am only a friend of a patient so I don't know anything about the billing, admission, etc. I was at St Charles this weekend as a friend of mine was in ICU after having suffered an AVF or AVM I think... She ended up on a ventilator and her husband (who is also a friend), her family, and three of us friends were there with her. It was important for her to be an organ donor, so we waited for all that to be set up. It prolonged her death by a couple of days but what an incredible time it was. A HUGE part of that was the staff -- this is just a short list as I didn't get everyones names but... Sam and Katie (the nurses that took care of my friend) answered my endless questions with patience and kindness. There was a night nurse that I didn't know her name and she was kind, caring and talked to my friend as she did things and that touched me too... The Organ donor advocates (not necessarily the right title but...) -- Erin, Jenna, Patrick. Chaplain Brian and I think one of the respiratory nurses was a Brian too. Jenna was amazing too the night that my friend died. She was so compassionate, patient (explaining things again and again), she took care of us guiding us through everything step by step. She worked hard to keep us updated with the timeline of everything and even asked what kind of music my friend liked to play for her in the OR during the end. She got permission for all of us to be with my friend when they took her off the ventilator to be with her when she died. She was straightforward and didn't use euphemisms to sugar coat things. We had been advised that it could be unpleasant when the ventilator was taken out but the respiratory team member that took it out (I think it was Brian) did an amazing job of preserving my friends dignity and keeping if from being traumatic for all of us. Even though she was an organ donor, they still kept the focus on my friend and her family to make sure they knew they and my friend were the priority not the organ recipients. The next day, they called my friends husband and kept him in the loop as to the fact that the surgeries had been successful and she would be able to help 3 people with life saving organs and others with corneas and tissue. They also flew an organ donor flag at half staff in her honor. It was an amazing experience with a wonderful, professional caring team working at St Charles. Thank you to everyone who helped and was there. The dignity and respect shown was phenomenal. The facility was also very nice. It had a homey, soothing, western feel that I liked. It was clean and quiet too. Thank you again for making the end of a life the best you can have with something like that...

I was a surgical patient for a highly specialized surgery more than 20 years ago at St. Charles in Bend. From the moment I walked through the front door until the day I left, the care I received at St. Charles was above and beyond anything I could have imagined in the healthcare world! The surgery I had at St. Charles was truly life-changing. Today, I am celebrating another anniversary of that surgery. St. Charles and the people who work there will always have a very special place in my heart.