Watauga Medical Center

Make sure that if you have a loved one hospitalized here, that they have some one always with them. The situations that have me seeing red tonight will be shared when I can sum up all the issues that I have witnessed with my elderly parents. This hospital sent my father home after a long stay only to have him collapse and die within 6 hours of his return home. Now my elderly mom is here and they forgot to feed her tonight! When I caught onto the fact she had not been given a food tray, I rang her call bell, thirty minutes later, no one responded. After numerous complaints she was given leftovers that weren't fit for a dog. Plus--this is the NASTIEST HOSPITAL I HAVE BEEN IN. Housekeeping came in to her room each day but they didn't even wipe anything down. In the elevator the silver panels are covered in fingerprints, snot and smears.

My beloved uncle was received at this hospital in a terminal condition. This was the best possible place for his remaining days on earth: it's a clean, new hospital with the finest staff. Every single person, from front desk to janitors to nurses and other aides was so kind and helpful. He was very comfortable there. Of course, you always need an advocate there in person with a loved one, especially when they have a terminal condition. I'm grateful to have been by my uncle's bedside and deeply grateful to the staff who treated him so respectfully.

I had surgery 6/27/25. The surgery went well. The hospital stay was fine. My complaint is with the Billing Department. I was advised prior to surgery that I should pay half of the cost of my out of pocket expense which I did on 6/20/25. The person I talked to advised what my remaining balance would be. The insurance company was working on the itemized bill. I received a bill for the balance from the hospital before my insurance was finalized. Not knowing, I paid the remaining balance to the hospital on 7/27/25. Once my insurance sent my Explanation of Benefits to the hospital it showed that I should have been charged less. As a result of this I ended up paying more than my out of pocket expense since other bills were settled before the surgical bill. I contacted my health insurance company who advised that the hospital would need to contact them regarding the EOB. I called the hospital billing department on 9/3/25 to discuss. Armenia advised that they need a new EOB but would not accept one from me. The insurance company would have to send one to the hospital. The hospital was already sent the EOB by BCBS. I contacted BCBS who stated the hospital would have to request another one. I contacted the Billing Department in Raleigh and received no help. on 9/17/25 we went to the hospital and spoke to someone there who stated that they would pass my information along to billing. As of today ,12/14/25 I still have not received a call, letter, or any type of assistance. The hospital has collected money that does not belong to them. I was overcharged and they have not made efforts to make me whole. If this can't be resolved I will be reaching out to the Attorney General, Joint Commission, and an Ombudsman. I just want to be reimbursed for my overpayment.

Fantastic care, wonderful compassionate staff, and as funny as it sounds super comfy bed very quiet room and extremely clean. I had an overnight emergency stay and it was actually the best night sleep I've had in a long time. The breakfast was great too. I feel very fortunate to have such a great hospital nearby, I wouldn't go anywhere else! They saved my life!

Honestly worst place I and many others have been to. Their sanitation rating is a red flag in itself. I've been misdiagnosed and given a solution that made the problem worse. I was told when I asked about a potential concussion that "we have no way to test you'll just feel a little weird." Looking back I definitely had a concussion and was throwing up with it and have never been the same since. They did not chart one of my friends family history which significantly affects the results she got on an ultrasound. Went with my boyfriend recently and the triage nurse was distracted on his phone, didn't ask him if he was on any medications or anything which his answer would've affected the amount and type of medications they gave him. They also had multiple people give me different diagnoses once for a sprained ankle, including that it's just a twist (not a diagnosis) (it was sprained). I called billing for my misdiagnosis and they never sent the itemized list or negotiated my bill, just sent it to collections. They also never properly filed my workers comp claim and sent that to collections instead of telling me it didn't file correctly. Obnoxious but often your only choice.