Famous person as patient?

Nurses General Nursing

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Have you ever had a famous person as a patient in hospital or clinic? You need not say the reason for their visit for sake of confidentiality, if they are still living. Did they expect or receive special or unique attention?

Were they humble or pretentious?

There is so much grey area in the HIPAA law compliance using patient names. By definition of the law, you can use a patients name as long as nothing but the name is said. But then how odd of a sentence in conversation would it be to just say. Donald Duck I saw today.

Mathis has come up a lot, as patents names are said out loud to locate patents in waiting rooms and public waiting areas on screen they are written for anyone to read, same with pharmacy etc. Therefore there withholding of patients names by conversation is no more liable against a nurse or doctor as it would be a by stander going home to tell there family. Today at Kaiser I saw So and so at the pharmacy or in the emergency room.

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When I was in nursing school I took care of someone who was in a band and a very famous movie. I actually had no clue until we were talking. Was very pleasant, told me I was choosing the right career and it’s something to be proud of. Very nice person. Other than that, I have taken care of our “VIP” docs/admin, who have also all been very kind.

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Specializes in CMSRN.

I have also had the honor of taking care of the "famous" docs/admins. I was always the chosen one. Either the doc or wife were hard to deal with. Otherwise no celebs.

However some of the best patients I have had were the homeless and prisoners. I even took care of one guy who was shot several times due to a drug deal gone bad. (His friend died) I got him when he was downgraded to med/surg after 2months in ICU. (Again, I was the special chosen one) Nice guy though. Mom was a loon. (this was a private hospital in the burbs and we saw very little trauma)

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On 4/18/2020 at 3:28 PM, amoLucia said:

turtles - where do you work that discharges are 'glacial' speed?

My last hospitalization, I was told at 11:19a that I was being dschgd - out at 1p. They were setting up everything, incl transp which arrived at 12:30p.

My previous hosp, at 5:30p during dinner, I was told I "would be transferred to rehab/NH at 8:30p. Here's a list - pick a facility".

Both hospitalizations occurred within the past year; the last I was anticipating dschg soon, but not immed. The second earlier one, caught me sooo off-guard and I made the biggest mistake of my life with my 'rehab/NH from Hell' unresearched choice.

turtles - I'm going to steal 'glacial speed' phrase. ?

LOL - the doctors at my hospital round in the morning and go see everyone. Often, they'll tell the patient that things look good, and the plan is to discharge. Awesome right? Patient hears at 8am he's leaving. Some even start to get dressed.

Except...

The doctors don't start working on the discharge documentation until after they have rounded on everyone. Usually they've laid eyes on everyone by multi-disciplinary rounds (including MDs, RNs, and case managers) at 11ish, and the case managers can weigh in on where they are in the process of getting approval for rehab, setting up VNA, etc. Sometimes, some of that work has been started, sometimes not.

Assuming we've got a place for the patient to go, we wait for logistics of transportation, either chair car or ambulance, which have to be booked, and which don't always come on time (chair cars are usually okay, but I've had ambulance rides be 1-2 hours after schedule).

For patients going home, we need to make sure any meds are ordered. My hospital has an agreement with a commercial pharmacy that will deliver to bedside so the patient doesn't have to stop on the way home for pick up, but that's another thing to arrange. I really, really prefer the patients who want to use their own pharmacies.

Since it's a teaching hospital, usually the residents will do the notes, but the patient can't leave until the attending signs it. I can't tell you how many times I've had everything set up, but we had to wait an hour for an attending to get out of a meeting and go over the discharge.

Once everything is done on the doctors' end, my part usually takes about 10 minutes before I can print it and go over discharge teaching. That is, IF I don't find an error that I have to contact a doctor to fix. Which, depending on what the doctor is doing, can be fast or slow.

I rarely get anyone out before 1 pm, even when I know at 7am that the plan is for discharge. If there's something we're still working up, discharge is later.

If the patient is going home, we seriously don't kick them out; if someone says his son will pick him up after work, we'll just let the patient stay there until 6pm.

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Specializes in retired LTC.

Yeah, I guess 'glacial speed' says it all very well. ?

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Specializes in SCRN.

I had this doc who wanted a special treatment...

she did not receive a special treatment

she wasn't even famous

just an arrogant jerk of a doctor as a patient.

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Specializes in NICU.

The worst...patients(politician) and another was the secretary of a politician, a baseball player,a horse jockey, ungrateful,demanding,entitled,threatening staff with lawsuits,reported on staff for imagined offenses.Expected free supplies,...ugh the jockey and friends left the room in terrible mess broken bottles,etc,the famous refused autograph requests...

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Specializes in nursing ethics.

What about celebrities that make their health problems, diseases public? So many, especially in the news.

Is it wrong to mention that you knew them?

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Specializes in Dialysis.
1 hour ago, Mywords1 said:

Is it wrong to mention that you knew them?

Yes...HIPAA...

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Every hospital has the infamous patient who is known by every unit, ancillary staff, and doctor in the hospital. They are not famous in the public celebrity sort of way, but they are truly infamous.

When things gets boring, I do miss them until....

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46 minutes ago, DesiDani said:

Every hospital has the infamous patient who is known by every unit, ancillary staff, and doctor in the hospital. They are not famous in the public celebrity sort of way, but they are truly infamous.

When things gets boring, I do miss them until....

A LTC facility had a paralyzed resident who sold drugs. He was very nasty and nobody wanted anything to do with him for all the trouble he caused, including attracting the police. He actively sexually harassed every female employee and wasn’t any better toward the male caregivers. It was known that he was not at home because his brother had enough of him. Otherwise alert and ‘with it’, one wondered why he wouldn’t want a better environment than languishing in a nursing home at his age. One of the first warnings given to new employees, “Mr. Infamous the Drug Dealer”.

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I'm not a nurse yet and I served them in restaurants so I can throw out some names:

Leo DiCaprio- nice, dressed like a homeless person b/c was filming The Revenant. Walked w/a slump and was so unrecognizable that when I told another guest he was in the restaurant the guest said "oh my god I shared the elevator up w/him- I didn't even know!"

Bono- amazing guy- lived in the neighborhood. I waited on him 3 times. Was with The Edge one of those times. Likes good wine and talking about world peace politics. Friends w/Obama

Ivanka Trump & Husband Jared Kushner: nicest, most polite couple ever. Waited on them three times b/c she lived across the street from our restaurant (in Trump Tower). When I was pregnant and a maitr'd she told me I was "the most beautiful pregnant person I've ever seen." True story

Matt Damon- bought his whole family and sat on our mezzanine to dine privately. Big group of people. Very nice.

Hillary Duff: Very fun. Can throw down a few btls of rose' w/her friends

2/3 of the B52s: hipsters. Vegan everything

2/3 of REM: see above comment. tipped well

Tony Danza: gave me a hardcore one up and down when he sat behind my bar. I know this b/c my co-worker told me. Nice guy, but a ladies man for sure.

the actor who played Newman on Seinfeld: dined w/his whole family, lives it up and tips well

Brook Shields: was an hour late to meet her family- looks a lot different in person than on TV/magazines

Ben Stiller and wife who is also famous: he's very short. they were very quiet. sat in a crowded room in a crowded UWS brunch spot as if they weren't famous. It's caused a stir.

Jon Hamm & girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt. So Jennifer came to my restaurant by herself and I was the only waiter (this was a small restaurant). I recognized her so I said "have you been here before?" She seemed uncomfortable so I realized about ten minutes later she was semi-famous. I recognized her from a movie I had seen recently called Ira & Abby (that I really liked). I went back out to her and said "I realize why I recognize you, and I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable." I didn't say anything else. This went over VERY well b/c she proceeded to tell me she and Jon just moved to the hood and were new and then later that night she brought him back w/two friends and they asked for me to wait on them.

That's all I can think of for now, but there are more... I became jaded honestly. I always got the celebrity tables.

Edited to add: I totally forgot Anne Hathaway and her entire family for Easter brunch. She was very polite, asked my name, and proceeded to use it throughout the meal. Basically unheard of for a celebrity to do. She was a vegan then, so I think the whole party ordered vegan. This was not long after she won an Oscar, and my restaurant was part of the company that made her gown that she wore that night, so I wondered if there was an arrangement.

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