CHA Cambridge Hospital Campus

This past weekend we spent a few days at this hospital while a family member gave birth. This is the first time that I have been to this hospital and I have to say that I was impressed by the professionalism and service they provided here.
The staff was really polite throughout the whole stay and when it came time for our family member to give birth, they were incredibly supportive and allowed her to have the people she wanted in the room without any true reservations.
After the baby was born the nursing team was really receptive and treated our new nephew like a little prince. The nursing team was also very supportive to the new mommy and made sure to boost her spirits with a lot of praise while still providing all the necessary information first time parents would need.
Overall, the staff here was incredible and the only issue we had with this hospital was that parking was a bit of a nightmare. The two options were either street parking or valet, which was a bit expensive since their parking garage is under construction. That being said, the overall experience was great and we would encourage expecting families to consider this hospital.

terrible experience my wife had on ER visit about 1 – 2 months ago. Dr never called me as I was home sick —wife went by ER.— I asked her PCP office to call on my behalf.
Then receive a call back and DR was very confused. Made no sense. They had all her records, not sure they bothered to review. Never got a courtesy call on earlier review.

After waiting over two hours at the Winchester Emergency Room, I called the Cambridge Hospital ER and asked about the wait time. NO WAIT. We took off and my dear one was whisked into an exam room within three minutes of arrival and attended to by a physician within 20 minutes. Every trip to this hospital has been similar. Super efficient and a great network. They even managed to schedule us a follow-​up the following day (a Saturday) with an eye specialist. Love this place.

Wow! Julianna did an a amazing job stitching me up. Friendly, funny, and professional. All of the staff was helpful and wait time was not too bad at all. Hopefully I never need to come back, but it’s good to know I have a great option nearby.

First off, the healthcare system in the US shouldn’t require an ER visit for every minor issue, but it does. That said, if you need to visit the ER, which you probably will because primary care is woefully useless, I strongly suggest you go to Cambridge Hospital. They are quick, efficient, kind, and knowledgeable. Best of all, they treat you like a human being rather than a piece of meat on an assembly line. Also, you can call for an assessment of how busy they are and the parking garage is cheap and very close.
My wife and I are fairly accident prone so have been to the Cambridge ER there times, mount auburn (HORRENDOUS) and Mass General. Cambridge is by far the best ER.

So far very impressed with the knowledge and caring of the doctors and staff at the OBGYN. We are expecting in Dec. and feel reassured by the service and quality of care and facility so far. The only down fall, is the cost for parking. You will be charged $ 4, even if you are in the facility for less than an hour. I guess we make take public transit next time to avoid these parking fees.

Terrible service in the​health insurance, department, waited 3 hrs, the woman in front desk doesn’t worrying about anything, past friends in front, ridiculous!!! Employees need to be evaluated!!!
so disappointed!!!

Never have I felt so disrespect and lied to about so many things that had to do with my health just to switch to a primary care physician of CHA and came to find out they only did this to double charge me and my insurance going back to mgh

I recently went to the ER with stomach pains. After running some tests, I needed an appendectomy. My surgeon was so nice. I was scared, and I remember her rubbing my head and holding my hand as I was being put under. I had laparoscopy surgery at 10 am. I woke up in recovery and had the nicest nurse. Her name was Momoko. The doctor checked in with me and told me I could leave that night if I felt up to it. I left the hospital at 8 pm that evening! I had maybe a day or two of pain where I took meds. By day 3, I felt so much better. The care I received was excellent!

Omg, went to ER I had bad sciatic pain, saw a female physician assistant that immediately started questioning or interrogating me like if I was in jail…
They treat people like drug seekers. I am knew here I thought that it was a real hospital all I saw was the doctors flirting around and nurses drooling for attention. Nothing was done for me, I was screeming in pain, she ordered a toradol shot and I swear nothing was in the needle cuz I was given discharge papers, walked out in pain and traumatized … Warning, dnt go there they really suck and they are condescending to adults. I am a Cambridge native, dnt come into my Town and go to school here do your residency treat us like shit and take our apartments. Cambridge doctors we know your studying at Harvard and your here temporarily… cambridge people know what’s going on… This is a preppie doc hospital, learning hospital they dnt like to be disturbed, my family has lived here for years and still they suck, amazing! Bunch of college brats with white gowns on!

Went to Primary Care to get my elbow looked at. My doctor wasn’t there, but I was seen by a different doctor. I pinched a nerve in my elbow. He asked me about my tattoos, he wouldn’t stop looking at them. He asked if I am done getting them. I told him, I don’t take drugs. My tattoos have nothing to do with my elbow. Also, he seemed not to believe me when he asked where I worked. Then he brought up about me not going to see my arthritis doctor. This is not arthritis. It’s a pinched nerve. I am beyond done with this place. Every time I go to my primary doctor they look at me, judge me because I have tattoos, and assume I do drugs. NO I DO NOT USE. Stop judging me because I have tattoos. I’m currently looking for a new primary care doctor who will not discriminate. I would have give 0 stars.

Today while being treated at this hospital a nurse put a pulse rate monitor on my finger that had SOMEONE ELSE’S BLOOD on it. I don’t even have words for how vile that is. I’ve already contacted patient relations to report this egregious mistake. I’m disgusted and freaked out. Yes, the risk of any sort of infection is low but I shouldn’t have to worry about anything of that nature whatsoever. The worst part is the only reason the nurse even noticed is because I told her. The only reason I was given disinfecting wipes is because I asked her. And when bringing it up with the nurse that was discharging me, he was completely dismissive. Had I not know to specifically ask for the contact information for patient relations, they would have happily left it unaddressed.

This review goes to Labor and Delivery department of CHA Cambridge hospital. I delivered my baby in this Maternity suite. Overall experience was great in labor and delivery and average in postpartum. Nurses and doctors are very helpful. It was amazing to deal with such professionals and feel completely protected.

I wrote this on another CHA entry, but it looks like the main posting is here:
I’ve honestly never been so frustrated and irritated by such an incompetent group of «professionals.» About a year ago, I had a routine doctor’s appointment with Dr. Abigail Love. My insurance company claims the appointment was coded as a treatment, not preventative appointment, and didn’t cover a substantial portion.
It turns out, Dr. Love did code the appointment correctly, but the CHA decided not to resubmit it to my insurance company. Instead, they decided to constantly send me bill after bill for my appointment. I’ve probably spent the better part of a year — hours of phone calls, tons of energy invested in navigating their incompetent, useless bureaucracy — trying to get them to understand that I a) have written them a check — that they cashed! and b) don’t owe them the other amount they keep charging me. The slogan at CHA should be, «Sorry, I can’t help you, that’s not my problem, but how about I place you on hold?»
I will NEVER seek treatment here again, and I strongly advise others against doing so. It’s too bad, because Dr. Love was a terrific doctor, and I thought the quality of medical care I received was top-​notch. But the incompetence of the staff has left such a bitter taste in my mouth that I wish I hadn’t ever set foot in this place.

Just an update: Following my review, I was contacted by someone who works patient relations, who told me they would be reviewing the case. I was told I’d get a letter upon the reviews completion, and its been nearly two months with no such letter. Not a big deal, though.
Here’s my problem. Last October, I suspected I had scabies. Nothing was definite, but it most closely matched my symptoms, and it was getting very difficult to deal with. So I went to this ER and I made it explicitly clear I suspected scabies and wanted proof. I’m just remembering it now, but the first person I talked to said there was no test available to test for scabies. This is false, because there are several ways to confirm it.
The PA, who might have been Dr. Viveiros if memory serves, was adamant that it could not be scabies. She made it explicitly clear that I did not have scabies despite my indicators that it could be. So I believed her.
For the next three and a half months, the condition grew worse, and flared up terribly every few weeks leaving me unable to sleep for days on end. I tried anything no matter how extreme to combat the problem. I’m not too proud to admit that after several days of no sleep and my skin feeling like it was torturing me, I started having depressing and downward spiraling thoughts. Days of no sleep and mental exhaustion from trying to rip your skin off does this to people, apparently.
So I self-​medicated the best I could, until the next wave in January nearly debilitated me. My next experience was with the Union Square practice (check my review) where an incredibly sympathetic and kind PA listened to me, and didn’t tell it would just go away or lecture me on not having health insurance. Following this, I was able to make a follow-​up with another person who said I might as well try the scabies treatment.
And I did. And for the first in several months, I’m able to sleep a full night, able to eat foods without being terrified that they’d cause an allergic reaction, and I don’t need to self-​medicate with a cocktail of sleeping pills and actual cocktails. I knew I was doing unhealthy things, but I needed to in order to function.
Months of my life were at a standard of living that I didn’t consider worth living for. All because of this PA’s disbelief when I asserted that I had scabies. I want to be mad that she wouldn’t just prescribe me the simple prescription to fix it, because it would have saved so much sanity. But ultimately, I’m just so relieved my life is back to normal. But lesson learned, I will use this ER if I have an emergency, but stay as far away from this PA as possible.
Check how many reviews I have on this account, how fair my distribution for ratings are, because I didn’t write this lightly or out of spite.
Edit: All the testing as a result of my wrong diagnosis has left me with $ 1,000+ in medical bills because of this negligent PA. Thought that was worth noting.

«Cesspool» re-​defined. Or at least it was in July 2011.
The doctor was callous, abrupt, and completely blew me off when I told him something important. Neither he nor the nurse seemed like they were taking my condition seriously at all. I had to spend an unnecessary month trying to figure out my bill because I kept getting the runaround from some incompetent and disingenuous employees at the registration desk.
A hospital near where I live has MUCH more attentive and competent personnel. I’m sure that this can at least partly be attributed to the fact that patients fill out surveys after their experiences at the hospital. Perhaps if such a method was used here (and it may be; I wouldn’t know since I eagerly ran away after ten godforsaken hours there), some of the people from this establishment would be rightfully removed or would at least seriously consider modifying their behavior.
The Cambridge Health Alliance at Medford, however, was SUPER attentive and helpful.
The rest of the employees who worked here in July 2011, however — multiply any of their salaries by zero, and they’re STILL overpaid if you ask me.

This is the best hospital! I received the best medical care here. I am a heart patient and I spend a few nights in the hospital each year. I have stayed at
Cambridge Hospital’s mission is to provide the best medical care to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

I came into their ER yesterday after experiencing a severe allergic reaction to make up remover (my face was comparable to Quasimoto). The person who manned the check in desk was pleasant and accommodated me quite quickly (although there was only 1 other person in… thank god!). When I was escorted inside, the next person who took down my information (what happened, am I preggo, thoughts of suicide, yada yada) was a bit straight-​to-​the-​point/​No-​BS which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but caused this to go down to a 4-​star rating versus 5.
The doctor who finally saw me was extremely nice and really sympathetic to what happened to me. He gave me meds that worked pretty quickly (especially in comparison to the lack of reaction from taking Benadryl earlier on) and invited to come back if my symptoms persists.
All in all, what could have turned out to be a horrible experience (given the suckiness of my condition) ended up being great! Yay for the fact that the Cambridge Hospital is conveniently located a block away from my sister’s new place too!

After dislocating my shoulder three times, my primary care physician decided to forward me to an orthopedic specialist, Dr. Nicoletta (
), who’s main office is located within the Cambridge Hospital’s Orthopedics Center.
Just seconds away from Inman Square, the hospital is very conveniently located and there’s plenty of street parking, and a private parking lot. The Orthopedic Center is located on the first floor and the receptionists are very courteous, friendly and professional. Never had I had issues with appointments and I’ve always been taken care of on time.
Unfortunately, in my case, I needed some pretty major shoulder surgery and after a few appointments there, along with an MRI out in Framingham, Dr. Nicoletta operated on my shoulder — Everything was handled easily, including all of the paperwork.
I went there a few days before the surgery where I met the anesthesiologist and some of the staff — everyone was very friendly and took their time explaining everything to me in detail and we went over everything. The day of the surgery, the same thing happened; I was rather anxious and stressed and they did their best to accomodate me.
Fast forward six months and my shoulder is great shape and I’ve been able to resume regular activities, including contact sports, which in my case means soccer, ice hockey, and broomball, amongst others.
If I ever need any further surgery this is definitely the place I’ll consider to have it at. It’s clean and the staff is great.

This review is going to link to the Orthopaedic Clinic of the Boston Medical Center. It’s their fault I am writing this review in the first place.
I was admitted here after a bunch of douche rockets at BMC failed to advise about the possibility of, check for, or diagnose blood clots as a result of a prolonged leg cast. Even after I told them i was in pain and having trouble breathing. Anyway.
The *doctors* at Cambridge Hospital were relatively competent; they diagnosed my situation relatively quickly. I was pretty satisfied with the fact that I had two pulmonary embolisms, and a right-​side pneumonia and didn’t, you know, *die*.
It’s everything else about the hospital that pissed me off. I tried to get a B-​Reader to take a look at my chest film at 6:00 p.m. on a Thursday. Yeah. Might as well have asked Sister Mary McConnell if she wanted a quick tumble out in the servant’s quarters.
So I had to check myself into the ER and wait. Fortunately my PCP was greasing the wheels, so I only had to wait an hour, instead of the six that was projected. Rules are rules, and in a hospital ER, if you’re not bleeding on the floor, you’re not a priority.
The CT scan tech was an *asshole*. Straight up, fake blonde from Everett, doesn’t give a shit about people, just operates a machine for a living. Here’s a guy in his 30s, trying to tough it out, and comes close to passing out twice from pain, says «I can’t lie down, it’s killing me.» Now, to most people this says «Hey, this guy needs some help or something.» To Bottleblond McNorthshore it’s just an excuse to whip out her Customer Service voice and say «mmmkay, can ya just try one more, kaaay?»
I was biting off screams on the damn table. After ten minutes of this I sat up and told her she was going to have to get security to hold me down if she wanted more films. At THAT point she suggested: «how about if we got you some more pain meds, would that help?
Genius, you antipathic cow. Of course, god forbid the PATIENT suggests that lest they be instantly labeled a drug seeker and thereafter receive nothing more than ibuprofen. (Cue all the self-​righteous comments from health-​care workers about all the druggies they have to deal with)
The vacant-​eyed golem that wheeled me back again managed to go to the wrong floor twice, despite having been the same person that brought me down there in the first place.
I got a «room» at 1:30 in the morning. I use quotes because what I got was the third bed in a room that had previously been a double. They made it into a triple by pushing some furniture into a corner, sticking another craftmatic in there and another sliding curtain. My «room was 6′ x 9′. I was sharing it with a lovely old man who was a great dude, and a REAL drug seeking narcotics addict who they tried to discharge twice *because there was nothing they could treat him for».
Ugh. Never again.