Premier Care Center For Palm Springs

I would not recommend this place at all, my mother who is disabled and can't
communicated was placed there after a major surgery. She is already paralized on
one side and was having difficulty walking/standing on her own, so we were told her
being there for at least a week would be needed so she would be able to do Physical
Therapy at least twice daily. Her first and hopefully ONLY day/night there she pressed
repeatedly the button for help since she had to use the bathroom. NO ONE CAME TO
CHECK ON HER! So when we came in the morning she was drenched all the way up
to her back, her whole bed was drenched. My poor mother had to lay in her urine
ALL night with no one coming to her assistance. We are having her discharged today.
It is completely unacceptable that someone would ignore her or anyone there for
that matter. Please do not ever leave someone there, do whatever you can so your
loved one can stay at home...

— Verified visitor, Dec 2010

What I am relating to happened about three years ago. I had almost forgotten my
experience there but was reminded recently by a friend who didn't go there based
upon my experience and recommendation. She was recovering from a stroke and
based upon my recommendation didn't go to Premiere. (good for her)

Three years ago I was in a bad automobile accident. Besides a fractured and
dislocated hip, I had several other problems. (pneumonia for the 5 th time)
(broke and battered body) I was taken from Desert Regional Medical Center
(excellent facility) to Premiere Health Care.

The facility was horrible. I was supposed to get physical therapy daily. In
the three weeks I was there I had 3 so called therapy sessions. They were a
joke and did nothing to help me. They lasted approx. 5 minutes each, and
billed the insurance company hundreds of dollars. Outrageous!!!! (fraud)

In my 3 rd week there the administrator called me into his office. He said
there was a problem and my insurance would not pay for my care. I told him that
was impossible...that I had TriCare, the best insurance possible. I had
TriCare because I was retired Military.

He insisted I wasn't covered. But I was....his error.....which he never
admitted. (they were paid)

He told me I would have to promise to pay the cost myself or leave his facility.
I left his office, called TriCare, and they gave me a confirmation number to
give him that assured payment, which I gave to him.

He called me into his office and again he told me they still wouldn't pay. He
gave me 24 hours to vacate the facility. I was escorted out of his office by an
orderly. I felt that I was treated like a convicted felon. I was forcefully
removed.

All of this after happened after I got him the confirmation number from my
insurance company. All he had to do was ask the right questions...which I
would have assumed an administrator would know how to do. He didn't!!!!

I left the next day...against doctors orders. The doctor couldn't do
anything...they threw me out.

I had to hire a personal care assistant for a few weeks once I got home. In the
process I didn't get the physical therapy I needed. To this day I still have
hip pain. (and anger against my non treatment at Premiere).

Several months after leaving Premiere I was notified by my insurance company
that they still couldn't pay. Why...because Premiere kept screwing up the
billing. It took me many months and several phone calls to Premiere to explain
to them how to bill an insurance company. Finally with my help Premiere was
paid. (why did I help them......it seemed like the right thing to do).

My insurance company wanted to pay them...but Premiere kept screwing up the
payment procedure. I realized that's why they THREW ME OUT.....they kept
screwing up!!!!

I will say this....when they threw me out they did give me a walker. It took a
while for me to realize why......I couldn't walk on my own...they didn't do it
to help me. I couldn't have made it out of their facility if they hadn't
given me a walker.

I still have to use that walker sometimes...and wonder that if I had received
proper treatment would I still need that walker.

While driving past their building today it all came back to me. I recalled the
pain I was in.....the lack of therapy I got.....the callousness of the
administrator. I recalled being treated like a broke homeless person that
couldn't pay. I recalled being treated like a felon and escorted away for not
having the money to pay.

All of this happened because of the inadequeness of the staff at Premiere.

I am happy to say that I have steered several people to the nursing facility on
Indian Ave. I could not in good conscience have a friend treated at Premiere.

If it sounds like I am angry...I am. Horrible treatments and horrible
administrators. Every day when I have hip pains I think of them.....and the
administrative staff that threw me out.......a retired Marine with the best
insurance there is.

If all this doesn't sound right....I assure you it happened. I have the
paperwork and documentation to back up everything I have said. It took me a
long time before I was able to realize just how bad I was treated. I was weak
and suffering at the time and unable to defend myself properly. They could
never have gotten away with what they did if I wasn't incapable of defending myself.

I would WELCOME a rebuttal from the administrator (please). It would make my
day to show and prove the sub standard care I got. (and the total lack of care
and compassion). ...especially when I was fully covered in the first place.

Lastly, one of the questions here is would I not recommend this service to my
worst enemy........let me rephrase it..........YES......I would be very happy to
recommend this service to my worst enemy.

I have and will continue to tell everyone I know just how bad a place it really is.

I would be most happy to hear from someone from Premiere. I am well now, have
all my senses, the paperwork, and will not allow myself to be abused.

Respectfully,

John J Heyden

— Verified visitor, Jul 2009