Ascension St. Vincent's Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center Riverside

Avoid Dr Lenka Zachar like the plague. She is not kind towards patients but even worse she is rude towards the people that work with her. Multiple times I have seen her berate nurses and staff in front of me. She lacks compassion and does not listen. If you are able to read this please do not allow this doctor to treat your loved one go somewhere else.

The nurse practitioner (blonde middle aged lady) we saw was extremely rude and unprofessional to me while I accompanied my dad to a doctors appointment. I have been the one changing his dressings (I am also a licensed RN) And I was simply describing the drainage that I witnessed from his foot which warranted an ER visit. I was not being overbearing or anything, I described in one or two short sentences a description of the drainage I witnessed from the wound and she very rudely told me to stop talking with an attitude not once but TWICE which was extremely uncalled for. I would never treat a patient or their family member this way especially when they were giving important information to assist in his care. Not to mention-They've also dropped the ball SEVERAL times: they were supposed to order a home health nurse to come change his dressing as well as xrays-that never happened so I've been the one doing it. Then they applied a specialty dressing and told him they would see him back in a week this went on for 2 to 3 weeks and he was only having his dressing changed once per week come to find out she told him that it should've been getting changed every two days and not once a week- so no wonder his foot got worse. (they never gave him instructions) Today was his first visit in 3 weeks because we were told she went on " vacation", However we were told today that he should've been coming for weekly office visits during this time but that never happened and nobody called him to schedule. Come to find out as we were checking out today that his primary care office would have to put in referrals for home health for dressing changes, Had we known that a couple of months ago, we would have done that- and maybe he would've been getting the proper care so his foot could heal. Again no one communicated this to us and office visits were not scheduled like they should have been. The one thing I will say is that the office staff and the tech that prepped him in the room was very nice. But the provider definitely needs to work on her bedside manner, And in general respect for other people.

I went in with a 3" diameter non-healing wound on the back of my lower leg. After a month of treatment the wound was 10 times larger and much worse. It now extended from the middle of my foot to almost my knee and all the way around my leg. It was very painful but pain medication was never discussed no matter how many times I told them I was in pain. The compression bandage they applied was supposed to stay on for7 days but after two days it was soaking wet from my wound seeping fluid and burning like it was on fire. When I called I was told the Dr couldn't see me until my next appointment as she is only there one day a week but I could go to the emergency room. Two more days went by and I called again and they said I could come in and the tech would check it. I did and was appalled at how much worse the wound was. The dressing was literally dripping with fluid and smelled terrible. The tech put on another compression wrap. By the time I got home my leg was burning again and the wrap was again soaking wet. I called but was told I could go to the emergency room but they don't know how to do these kind of compression wraps. After 3 weeks of treatment each time I went to have the wound rewrapped they acted like it was my fault the wound was soaking wet and getting worse. I asked if a home health nurse could come and change the dressing daily and the doctor told me no they don't know how to do the compression wraps properly. I was in constant pain. The doctor kept accusing me of getting the dressing wet. I had not had a shower in all this time. I developed a fungal infection from the constantly wet dressings. I went to a dermatologist to find out why I had all these skin bumps and a rash on my legs and arms. The wound doctor acted like she didn't believe me about the dermatologist. Wanted to know the exact locations of the skin scrapes and what medication was prescribed. Then acted like she had never heard of the medication. I finally asked if she wanted to call the dermatologist. The doctor tried to make me feel like everything was my fault that this wound would not heal. The last visit I asked if she would send home some extra wound pads so I could change them when they got soaking wet. No the clinic is not allowed to do that. I told her that the dressings were soaking wet after 24 hours and needed more frequent changes but she said they couldn't do that. I asked if they had some more absorbent dressings. No they don't. She told me there was nothing more they could do. This place does not let you see the doctor more than once a week and they don't care about your pain. They do not have adequate supplies to treat wounds properly. As a result I now need to go to a wound care facility that DOES have the supplies and ability to monitor wounds frequently enough to ensure that healing is progressing and not deteriorating. So, I would not recommend this place if you expect to see a doctor when you need one, or need more than limited supplies for your wound, or need any help after hours or on weekends.

I am compelled to share my recent experience at the St. Vincent Riverside Hyperbaric Treatment office, and unfortunately, it has been nothing short of disappointing. My husband, who is dealing with a medical emergency, had his first appointment scheduled, and from the get-go, we faced numerous issues, primarily with the secretary. On the day of the appointment, the secretary dropped the bombshell that the doctor wouldn't see us because my husband lacked an MRI, specifically for radionecrosis diagnosis. This was news to us, and it was disheartening to learn that this information wasn't communicated earlier. We were informed that without the MRI, the insurance wouldn't cover the treatment, despite it being an emergency. We promptly arranged for the required MRI, only to find out that we had to wait an additional two weeks for the doctor's availability. Meanwhile, my husband endured a month of excruciating pain. We sought assistance from our Oncologist and Oral surgeon, who wrote a letter to the insurance to facilitate coverage. The day of the 2nd scheduled appointment was a nightmare. The secretary, with no prior notice, informed us that the doctor wouldn't see us, citing a phone call that supposedly went unanswered. This was untrue, and her lack of explanation added to our frustration. Despite presenting the MRI results, she claimed my husband didn't have the necessary diagnosis, and consequently, the treatment wouldn't be covered. When I questioned why this information wasn't communicated earlier and requested her to send the documentation to the insurance, she adamantly refused, stating that the doctor wouldn't see him. It's important to note that two specialists had already sent letters to the insurance, yet the secretary deemed it fit to make unilateral decisions about coverage. This entire ordeal resulted in lost workdays and another month of my husband going without the critical treatment he desperately needed. It is disheartening that such a crucial and time-sensitive matter was mishandled by the very office that should prioritize patient well-being. In summary, the lack of communication, unprofessionalism, unexplained delays, and a seemingly arbitrary denial of treatment have left us deeply dissatisfied with our experience at St. Vincent Riverside Hyperbaric Treatment office.

Nurse Toni is the best. Nurse Jen is also a very good nurse. Together they took very good care of me even though I'm not always sunshine and light while in pain. Nurse Toni has top tear bedside manor. She's super compassionate while doing her job with excellence. She always takes great care to make sure I was in the least amount of pain as possible. Nurse Jen is also a Rockstar. You need a professional wound care nurse that is fast and knows her stuff? Nurse Jen. I simply asked her to get the old drainage off of me thinking she would use a piece of gauze and saline. She immediately stopped and sponge bathed me. I couldn't be more appreciative to these nurses. The doctor is awesome too, but the nurses keep this place running. P.S I appreciate the "Too much joking from the staff." They don't want a stuffy, sad doctors office. They absolutely still go 100 miles an hour.