★★
I want to share my deep disappointment with the care and discharge planning my sister-in-law recently received at Avera Health in Sioux Falls, SD. While I am grateful to the medical team for stabilizing her and quite possibly saving her life, the follow-through on her discharge needs was extremely concerning.
From my perspective, the decision not to recommend inpatient rehabilitation (OT/PT) appeared to be influenced by her lack of insurance and Medicaid. She was assigned multiple providers, including several doctors, therapists, a social worker, a case manager, and a patient advocate--but in my experience, no one seemed to explore alternative solutions or assist us in finding a path to the care she truly needs.
I ultimately went to the Finance Department myself, and thank goodness I did. Jess, provided accurate information about her policy, and we learned she is eligible for inpatient rehab at 100% coverage. When I informed the doctor the next morning (the day my sister-in-law was being discharged) the response I received felt dismissive, and I was told PT would need to reassess her. Nearly a week later, she still has not received PT, OT, or the home health support we were told to expect.
My sister-in-law has been seriously ill for four years and has been trying to get by the best she can. Throughout this process, it has often felt like her situation was viewed as "not their problem," and that responsibilities were being passed along without resolution. At one point, the social worker simply stated a phone number she found online for the Department of Social Services. In contrast, when I spoke with DSS myself, they were thoughtful, supportive, and provided a list of agencies and ideas for additional help, something I wish had happened at the hospital level.
I do want to be clear: the bedside nurses were wonderful, and Jess in Finance provided the clarity and support we desperately needed. But overall, the discharge planning experience left us feeling abandoned and unheard during an incredibly vulnerable time. I sincerely hope Avera takes steps to improve communication, coordination, and patient advocacy so families like ours don't have to struggle this hard for appropriate care.
★
Be VERY VIGILANT of your bills should you make a trip here. I went to the ER one night in January or so and NEVER received any correspondence regarding a balance that I owed.
I gave them my phone number, my email, my mailing address, and my insurance. Hell, I even WORKED THERE and never heard a thing.
Now I have a letter from a DEBT COLLECTOR saying I owe over $200.
I would have been happy to pay my bill HAD I KNOWN ABOUT IT.
Avera had every way possible to contact me, and they didn't. Instead they chose to turn over my bill to a debt collections agency, which will affect my credit score, and it's not even my fault.
Be better, Avera. This is disgusting.
★
I'm truly appalled at the treatment here. My mother was treated so poorly during her stay. She was told different things by case workers, surgeons, and nurses. Which was unnerving because it felt like no one knew what to actually do with her injury. They eventually just decided to wait and see. Our last straw was when she was left with an improperly working wound vac leaking into her bed for days because her doctor was "on vacation and they didn't have anyone trained to replace it". The unit manager, Quinn and her nurse Kaylin, lied about her care to cover their tracks and ultimately blamed my mom. This place should be investigated because no matter who you talk to, it is clear they are all are trained to say the right things so they can not be held liable for their malpractice. The other reviews said this, we should have listened.
UPDATE: After discharging herself due to the inadequate treatment, we drove her to Mayo in MN and they informed us Avera was MAJORLY messing up her condition. She was going to lose her hand at Avera! They informed us the treatments she had were not conducive to saving the hand and in fact, were causing her more pain and because they didn't place the integra correctly they have to start all over to fix what Avera did. The care was tenfold better than Avera, she finally got her pain managed. I am devastated that we stayed at Avera and trusted their surgeons for as long as we did. Shame on all of you.
★★★
Staff were friendly my only complaint with this hospital is the extra long period of time I was in recovery waiting to be brought to my room. Besides the recovery time I was in an additional 45 mins, I believe this is an ongoing problem. For another surgical procedure they couldn't find a staff member to take me back after my Knee revision surgery. I spent almost 2 hrs that time. My family member experience the same problem an extra 2 hrs in recovery after her procedure. She watched many patients come into recovery and leave before her this is totally uncalled for. We have family members waiting and we patients want to get back to our family. I am doing this review to others that may also have gone through this. If they can prevent this it would have been rated 5 star.
★★★★★
Thank you Dr. Hu and the amazing nursing team for bringing our loved one back from the ICU in April 2025. We're so grateful for your care, compassion, and everything you did during such a critical time. The quality of care was superb, and it's clear your staff is exceptionally well trained!
