While you may not have the luxury of choosing a St Louis hospital during an emergency, you can take the time to choose one in advance, so that if something happens, you can get the best medical treatment available. While there are a number of considerations that you should keep in mind, the following include the basic tips you need to choose the right hospital in St Louis. In some areas you might not have too much of a choice on hospitals, but if there are one or more in your immediate area, then you can choose one. It is always a good idea to ask around and check recommendations, and to check pricing and payment options as well.
St. Louis Hospitals
While it is nice to think that you might be able to travel anywhere in an emergency, you do want your primary hospital to be as close as possible. This is especially true in any sort of medical emergency, whether you’re having a baby, or you have a broken wrist. The closer the hospital, the sooner you can get there. For that reason, many people automatically default to the hospital that is geologically closest to them. However, there may be more STL hospitals then you know in the area. Try searching hospitals with your town or city name, and then making a note of any within a thirty-minute drive.
| Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center | 314-362-7578 |
| Barnes Jewish Hospital | 314-747-3000 |
| Barnes Jewish Hospital West County | 314-996-8000 |
| Cardinal Glennon’s Children’s Hospital | 314-577-5600 |
| Mercy Hospital | 314-251-6000 |
| Missouri Baptist Hospital | 314-966-5600 |
| Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital | 314-872-6400 |
| Shriner’s Hospital | 314-432-3600 |
| St. Alexius Hospital | 314-865-7000 |
| St Anthony’s Hospital | 314-525-1000 |
| St Louis Children’s Hospital | 314-454-6000 |
| St Louis University Hospital | 314-577-8000 |
| St Luke’s Hospital | 314-434-1500 |
| St Mary’s Hospital | 314-768-8764 |
| Washington University Medical Center | 314-362-5000 |
Hospital in St. Louis
Another special consideration is that you may have special needs. If you need a hospital with excellent heart care then you want to find a St. Louis hospital with excellent cardiothoracic or cardio surgeon. Check out the resident doctors in each hospital to see what they specialize in, and try to choose one that best suits your needs.
Reputation – Every hospital has a reputation, whether it be good or bad. The best way to get an idea of what the hospital’s reputation is to actually ask patients. Unfortunately this isn’t always possible, so try checking out their social networks like Facebook, and look them up to see if they have a Yelp page. You should see plenty of opinions on both pages, although be warned, many hospitals will delete negative comments. You can also do a search to find the hospital in the news to see if they have been in any medical related lawsuits or issues.
Equipment – Another thing you might notice about hospitals is that not all of them have the newest and best medical equipment in St. Louis. If possible, consider doing a quick tour to see if everything is new, or if it’s been there since the mid 90s. Most hospitals are upgrading their medical equipment, but some quite simply don’t have the funds.
STL Hospital
Insurance – Finally, if you want to make sure that you have the right hospital, call your insurance company and see what they recommend, and what they are willing to pay for. Some STL health insurance companies work with specific hospitals and doctors and if you want coverage, you have to make sure that your chosen hospital is on the ‘approved’ list.
