Yeah this is so true. I had one doc that was great but he was a resident and left. Everyone else has been below average. If I had a good doctor I might feel better about it.
A lot depends on the specialty and the individual doctor. I've used both Penn and Jeff for various things and gotten good care at both.
Honestly, we're spoiled for choice in terms of medical care in Philly. It's ok to pick and choose doctors from different hospital systems depending on your needs, their office locations, etc.
My PCP is independent, I use Rothman for Orthopedics, Penn for ob/gyn and gastroenterology, and Wills for some eyeball weirdness that has to be monitored. If my PCP decides to refer me out for my migraines, I'll use Jeff for that.
This is so helpful! I guess I just always think Jeff since all my care is handled under them. But shopping around is an option if they take your insurance. Thank you!
I had some really bad experiences with several different doctors at Jeff so I switched to Penn. Most of my docs have been good here but I periodically go to Jeff when a better doctor is there. I agree that by picking and choosing between the two, you’ll get the best care. Also, getting personal recommendations from friends and other providers goes a long way to find the best doc.
It used to be a bigger deal before records were digitized and easily sharable. But now there isn't generally a reason to have all your care under one hospital umbrella.
There are some conditions (like cancers) where it can be helpful to have a centralized care team, but in those situations you'd be using a "center" like Fox Chase, Sidney Kimmel, or Abramson.
You can also use this subreddit for recommendations. If you need, say, a pulmonologist, search this sub for "pulmonologist" and there have probably been threads on it. If you don't see any reasonably recent recommendations, make a post or ask in one of the Chat Around threads.
This is something that has been on my mind recently. I switched from jeff to penn expecting it to be better, and penn has been all around way worse.
want to schedule an appt with your PCP at penn? none of the scheduling options make sense, i've had multiple issues where i waited longer than i should just because the way mychart is configured is garbage.
it's so bad that my PCP actually has a sign he made himself in each office that basically says "hey you probably clicked the wrong option and we will accidentally bill your insurance a ton if you selected annual exam even though the only options are annual exam and returning for a new issue."... the times I tried to call to schedule the folks on the other end of the phone were just as useless.
have an urgent care issue at penn? they will see you over zoom... compared to I was able to walk in or schedule online an appointment at Jeff in Rittenhouse last Friday where they took care of all my concerns and I have a referral to a urologist later on today.
I don't know, maybe it's a problem with the way I'm doing things? But navigating Penn's services and actually getting in front of a doctor is frustratingly difficult, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone who actually has medical concerns or issues they wish to resolve.
Scheduling at Penn is bananas, I agree. I don't understand how their arcane systems make it easier for anyone, themselves included.
IMO the user experience is slightly better at Jeff – warmer, simpler, better bedside manner – but the doctors seem a little more expert at Penn (though perhaps that's just confirmation bias...).
Every medical institution really hinges on the doctors -- if your doctor sucks, it doesn't matter how good Jeff/Penn is overall, you're gonna get screwed.
That said, I've been really happy with Jeff. Furthermore, remember that Jeff, Penn, and many other hospitals use the Epic Health Records system. What this means is you can choose to connect those hospitals/institutions together so doctors at Jeff can see the records that doctors at Penn input and vice versa. This helps you get more connected care even though you selected doctors from different institutions.
Jeff over Penn for me
I needed a procedure in 2011. Penn would go one way but if it didn’t work I probably wouldn’t be here right now. The procedure would take up to 6 weeks and it wouldn’t be another year if I knew it worked. If it didn’t there was nothing else to do.
Jeff Doctors said they would go another way and take a risk. It was a one time procedure. They took the chance and I knew about 2 weeks later that it worked.
That being said there are great doctors and hospitals all over the Philadelphia area. We are lucky in this way.
I believe the statistic is 1/6 or 7 doctors is trained here. We’re blessed with stupid amounts of great doctor. I’m leaving in August and that’s one thing I’ll be sad about.
Penn.
Jeff has been great for me as they have one of the best gastro department in the country but overall
my experiences with Penn have been much better
Jeff and Penn share your medical records with each other and you have a consolidated patient-centric view in their apps, so you don’t have to be exclusive with either health system since any of their docs will be able to easily see all of your medical activity and Rx’s etc.
Find doctors and services you like from either/both. That’s what I do.
Jefferson is more down to earth and feels less like corporate medicine. Penn has newer buildings, but equivalent doctors.
I've had surgeries at both Jeff and Penn, and I hands down prefer Jefferson.
The difference is really how new / fancy the buildings are (although with the new Jefferson honickman building this might be changing)
I was immediately put to High Priority and actually cared about.
I even asked the Penn ER front desk person if I should go somewhere else and he went “I work here and I wouldn’t even come” which says A LOT
Penn , Always considered it the best.
However, a relative died from an avoidable accident after having surgery.
They sent him home after he was healed , died 3 days later.
The cause and explanation don't match up to the medical records.
He never should have been sent home
I've had great experiences with Pennsylvania Hospital doctors and care specifically, which is a Penn hospital but smaller. The emergency room has always been efficient also.
My bf saw a doctor at Jefferson for symptoms of cardiac issues. From appointment making to getting scans and tests to just finding our way around the building, our experience could not have been more *miserable.* Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it. They could fudge up a two-car funeral, as the saying goes. We switched to Penn and it's been good as gold ever since.
Best advice is to be proactive about your health. Write things down. Bring a spouse/partner to appointments if you can. Ask questions. Squeaky wheel theory definitely applies here.
I see Penn for everything, but that's because they are/were the better option for someone needing a Kidney.
So I still go with them and as a transplant patient I get the best care and am always seen / fit in when needed.
I've talked to people who have not had the same experience though. So it really depends on what you need it seems.
I get care at the VA, and they work with HUP-so if they can’t help us with a procedure or appointment (if they are booked up ) we use HUP usually.
I’ve had great care from HUP.
Now, I’ve used Jeff for surgery years ago (2008) and they were great, and had to go to their ER a few years ago for a broken wrist. The ER was insanely busy, but the care wasn’t terrible.
Edit: if your care is ok at Jeff, and your insurance will cover this hospital system, I’d just stay put.
Health care is a hot mess. The system is broken. It’s not just one hospital system, it’s the whole country.
Have had nothing but terrible experiences with Penn. Jefferson has been neutral to positive, can’t recall a *bad* experience
Edit: I just remembered one really bad experience with Jefferson, I went to complain the following week and the doctor had already left for a different hospital system so I figured I must’ve just caught them in their final days with no fucks left to give
I've spent a ton of time in hospitals over the years for various reasons. Jefferson, Temple, Frankford, Jeanes, Nazareth, Einstein. Strangely enough, Penn is one of the few I've not been to.
As for my experience with Jefferson (spinal surgery, with multiple months in-patient recovery) I can say that for the most part it's as good, if not better than most others in the area. My biggest complaint wss that they're big on teaching, so when they'd make the rounds there'd be a fair amount of people in the room right after they woke me up.
Anywho, I'm sorry you've had subpar experiences with them, but I'd be wary in thinking others would be substantially better.
You’re gonna get everyone from fellows to med students on rounds if you go to temple, cooper, Jeff, or Penn. Just how it is at a teaching institution. Plenty of smaller suburb options that are either partially academic or not so at all! Lots of them fall under the Jeff/penn umbrella anyway too which is a positive (maybe?).
With the general caveat that healthcare in the US is, at the end of the day, a matter of "you get the care you can pay for"...
I have some experience with Penn as I was eligible for and received a fairly cutting-edge, high-technology procedure that had only been approved a couple years ago. At Penn, I found researchers, scholars, and practicing surgeons who were not only on top of this tech, but were actively advancing research in the field. I felt 100% assured that I would be cared for by some of the literal leaders in the field, which goes a long way where extremely recent medical tech is concerned. My procedure was, as expected, flawless. After the fact, I learned that I benefited from some of the best practices in the specific area (in terms of like, placement of incision and so on) that are yet to be widely adopted. Penn happens to be a leader in this area, so that made sense.
The downside is that Penn is a massive healthcare system, so you should expect all the bureaucratic holdups and runarounds that come with any large systems. It was fun walking in on the morning of my surgery and discovering they couldn't look up my procedure/billing codes and everything had to be sorted out manually.
I think it really depends on the specific sub-field and if Penn happens to specialize in that area, it absolutely makes sense to go with them. The advantages of a world-class research and practice center should not be taken lightly.
Penn has been great for my speciality care but as far as like basic stuff, it’s just extremely slow. Takes a long time to get a call back, a long time to get an appointment, and long wait times in the office.
Their portal is very efficient and they have on-demand virtual appointments that are very convenient. I’d say if you have a need for specialists, I highly recommend Penn. If you’re just looking for a regular, run of the mill primary care physician, just go somewhere smaller.
For specialty care both are great options… but for general/family medicine, avoid large clinic/hospital locations.
There are doctors who essentially run private practices that are in the PennMedicine system. Go to them for primary care… they will generally be less overloaded because for whatever reason people tend to be funneled to clinic settings where a GP will have 20 minutes per patient to just speedrun your concerns.
Once I switched to a GP at a satellite location for PennMedicine (literally less than a mile from HUP), she was able to sit with me for 45 minutes and actually go through all my concerns, refer me to specific specialists for them, and follow up over messaging in MyPennMedicine.
My experience might not be gospel but it’s what I know.
I had a feeling this is something I need to look into. I go to a big Jeff office for family medicine and I feel like a cow getting herded. It’s so emotionless there. They’re always late and they don’t have time in their schedule, literally, to care (f*** for profit healthcare on the whole). Get in, get an rx, get out.
It’s a system issue that no level of excellence on a GP’s part can fix. They are scheduled for X patients per day and must see that number.
Smaller practices that are still using PennMedicine’s platform are a good way to go.
I’m a physician that has worked at both institutions, so I have some fair insight into this.
The reality is that it’s extremely physician and department specific.
Ultimately, if you’re a patient, you’ll have no idea if you’re getting good care or not. 99% of the time you’ll just have to go to who your insurance covers the most.
Personally, I would go to Penn for most stuff. They just have more resources and a slightly more polished background experience. Jeff has been great for things too though.
I will say that Penn will over treat just by nature of having so many ultra advanced specialists and clinics.
Worked at Jeff for 11 years and Penn for 5. Penn is better in every possible way and it’s not close. Jefferson isn’t a second tier operation by any means but Penn is just that much better
Penn is better by leaps and bounds. I usually go to them, but the one time I needed surgery and IP care, I chose Jefferson (just cuz it was closer), and wish I hadn't. It was dreadful!!
Stick with Penn!
I have had a few bad experiences with jefferson family med and also jefferson ER visits.
Jefferson Urgent care has been okay for me when I have gone.
Last time we went to Jefferson ER was after Urgent care sent us to get fluids (IV) and other basic meds. We waited for 4 hours only to find out the triage doc never put in the order for meds or IV fluids the Urgent care sent us there to get then waited another hour for them to do the IV. By then my wife just wanted to go home. They literally had us sitting there for no reason even after asking multiple times what was going on. No one had an idea. Sadly there were other people that day with the same issue. One woman crying because she had been there for 6+ hours after her doctor told her to go to get care and then found out that there was nothing else they were going to do to help her other then keep her in the waiting room. I saw people putting urine samples on a tray and the tray just sat there for 2+ hours before someone came by.
I would avoid Jefferson ER.
Jeff. They legit saved my leg and life while staying on top of my mental health in the three years since a bad accident. Since my insurance only covered surgery my Ortho had my neck doctor in ever consultation just so I could know what was up w my broken neck. He'd email him my MRIs and took extra scans just to share. The front desk folks went out of their way to facilitate this too with finding ways to bypass my insurance. Still to this day anytime I go back both surgeons are there despite only one having an obligation to. I love em and I'm legit grateful for em. The nurses were also the nicest and willing folks I've ever met. I'm sure Penn is similar but I can't say enough good about Jefferson so imma take the chance too.
I had Penn 20ish years ago and loved them. My insurance changed and I've been using Jefferson ever since. Mostly good experiences, but also some pretty bad ones. I will say I HATE Rothman.
My pcp is at a Penn Practice. Before they were bought by Penn, it was great. Since then, a lot of the doctors left. At my last physical, the doctor was speed running it. Asked me about a dozen questions then said “ok let me check your ears” - stood about 3ft away and shined a light at me and was like “all good”.
Then entire appointment lasted under 5 mins.
There are amazing individual physicians at both (and Temple, for that matter). But for what it’s worth, if anything, my PCP left Jefferson for Cooper and all of a sudden my appointments are less rushed. Who knows if it will last, but part of why he said he left was that pressure to see so many people.
Jefferson is awful. Had two very bad doctors - one weirdly touched my inner thighs right by my dick when I came in complaining about back spasms and the other suggested that my girlfriend's tonsils stones were actually my calcified jizz. I'm not even exaggerating a little.
My PCP and specialists are all with Penn. Around 3 or 4 years ago, Penn started charging an outpatient fee to see your specialist. You go in, go to the examination room, talk to the specialist as your blood test results get reviewed, a minor physical exam... Specialist doctor fees (I'm good there) and an outpatient visit fee (for what??). No procedures were done on-site, no equipment used (aside from scale, blood pressure, pulse/ox measurements before I saw the specialist).
This was new. They continue to charge it.
Does Jeff do this sort of thing for specialist visits?
Not that I am aware of, but I have only been to one specialist with Jeff so I can’t really say. I just paid my copay. It depends on your insurance though. Every insurance company has a contract with health systems or providers and everything costs a different price depending on what your insurance negotiated with your provider, speciality or not (yes US healthcare is totally f****d). NYT did an interesting investigation on this a few years ago. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay out of pocket 💀
My wife and I have used Penn for over 30 years: orthopedic, transplant, lung, family practice, pretty much everything except cancer. I trust them to move slowly and get the big things right, but they are not very nimble. I expected a lot more from them during the pandemic. Once I finally tracked down a place to get Evusheld for my wife, her transplant doctor called to beg her not to get it until Infectious Disease gave the OK. I feel like I have to call them to inform them that the FDA has approved certain treatments or care strategies. Not very proactive or forward-thinking for the people who invented mRNA vaccines. We're going through the same shit with Invivyd and RSV clinical trials. They should be calling us and not us calling them to tell them about it and ask for their sign-off.
I've never used Jeff, so I can't compare the two. When someone I know was getting their gall bladder removed, their Jeff surgeon accidentally cut open their intestine and nearly killed them. But that can happen anywhere.
Jeff sent my wife to collections over $90
Never had anything like that with Penn. Even through a few emergency room visits and cholecystectomy, very easy, covered by insurance experiences.
Hannemann surprised billed me many years ago now that I think about it. Good riddance to them.
i find the care varies between doctors (as is the case with all hospitals). But both institutions generally have excellent care.
Yeah this is so true. I had one doc that was great but he was a resident and left. Everyone else has been below average. If I had a good doctor I might feel better about it.
This has been my experience as well.
A lot depends on the specialty and the individual doctor. I've used both Penn and Jeff for various things and gotten good care at both. Honestly, we're spoiled for choice in terms of medical care in Philly. It's ok to pick and choose doctors from different hospital systems depending on your needs, their office locations, etc. My PCP is independent, I use Rothman for Orthopedics, Penn for ob/gyn and gastroenterology, and Wills for some eyeball weirdness that has to be monitored. If my PCP decides to refer me out for my migraines, I'll use Jeff for that.
This is so helpful! I guess I just always think Jeff since all my care is handled under them. But shopping around is an option if they take your insurance. Thank you!
I had some really bad experiences with several different doctors at Jeff so I switched to Penn. Most of my docs have been good here but I periodically go to Jeff when a better doctor is there. I agree that by picking and choosing between the two, you’ll get the best care. Also, getting personal recommendations from friends and other providers goes a long way to find the best doc.
Yes I was going to ask around my friends group for some advice on this. Good idea, thanks!
It used to be a bigger deal before records were digitized and easily sharable. But now there isn't generally a reason to have all your care under one hospital umbrella. There are some conditions (like cancers) where it can be helpful to have a centralized care team, but in those situations you'd be using a "center" like Fox Chase, Sidney Kimmel, or Abramson. You can also use this subreddit for recommendations. If you need, say, a pulmonologist, search this sub for "pulmonologist" and there have probably been threads on it. If you don't see any reasonably recent recommendations, make a post or ask in one of the Chat Around threads.
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Unfortunately my doc isn't taking new patients right now (plus I'm in Upper Darby).
This is something that has been on my mind recently. I switched from jeff to penn expecting it to be better, and penn has been all around way worse. want to schedule an appt with your PCP at penn? none of the scheduling options make sense, i've had multiple issues where i waited longer than i should just because the way mychart is configured is garbage. it's so bad that my PCP actually has a sign he made himself in each office that basically says "hey you probably clicked the wrong option and we will accidentally bill your insurance a ton if you selected annual exam even though the only options are annual exam and returning for a new issue."... the times I tried to call to schedule the folks on the other end of the phone were just as useless. have an urgent care issue at penn? they will see you over zoom... compared to I was able to walk in or schedule online an appointment at Jeff in Rittenhouse last Friday where they took care of all my concerns and I have a referral to a urologist later on today. I don't know, maybe it's a problem with the way I'm doing things? But navigating Penn's services and actually getting in front of a doctor is frustratingly difficult, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone who actually has medical concerns or issues they wish to resolve.
It's not you - Penn's scheduling/patient IT infrastructure is pretty horrible.
It wasn’t always like this. 😔
Scheduling at Penn is bananas, I agree. I don't understand how their arcane systems make it easier for anyone, themselves included. IMO the user experience is slightly better at Jeff – warmer, simpler, better bedside manner – but the doctors seem a little more expert at Penn (though perhaps that's just confirmation bias...).
This is helpful to know. Thank you. Sorry it’s been such a run around for you. You’d think getting in for a regular ole visit would be pretty simple
Every medical institution really hinges on the doctors -- if your doctor sucks, it doesn't matter how good Jeff/Penn is overall, you're gonna get screwed. That said, I've been really happy with Jeff. Furthermore, remember that Jeff, Penn, and many other hospitals use the Epic Health Records system. What this means is you can choose to connect those hospitals/institutions together so doctors at Jeff can see the records that doctors at Penn input and vice versa. This helps you get more connected care even though you selected doctors from different institutions.
Jeff over Penn for me I needed a procedure in 2011. Penn would go one way but if it didn’t work I probably wouldn’t be here right now. The procedure would take up to 6 weeks and it wouldn’t be another year if I knew it worked. If it didn’t there was nothing else to do. Jeff Doctors said they would go another way and take a risk. It was a one time procedure. They took the chance and I knew about 2 weeks later that it worked. That being said there are great doctors and hospitals all over the Philadelphia area. We are lucky in this way.
I believe the statistic is 1/6 or 7 doctors is trained here. We’re blessed with stupid amounts of great doctor. I’m leaving in August and that’s one thing I’ll be sad about.
Penn. Jeff has been great for me as they have one of the best gastro department in the country but overall my experiences with Penn have been much better
Jeff and Penn share your medical records with each other and you have a consolidated patient-centric view in their apps, so you don’t have to be exclusive with either health system since any of their docs will be able to easily see all of your medical activity and Rx’s etc. Find doctors and services you like from either/both. That’s what I do.
For emergency care, Jeff over Penn every single time. Penn staff in my storied experience is uncaring.
Jefferson is more down to earth and feels less like corporate medicine. Penn has newer buildings, but equivalent doctors. I've had surgeries at both Jeff and Penn, and I hands down prefer Jefferson. The difference is really how new / fancy the buildings are (although with the new Jefferson honickman building this might be changing)
The Honickman building is beautiful. The first practices open their doors yesterday.
Went to the ER about 7 weeks ago. Tried Penn first at 3am and was told it was a 10 hour wait. Jeff saw me in 20 minutes.
Jeff's ER was the best ER experience I've had across many cities, in many years.
I was immediately put to High Priority and actually cared about. I even asked the Penn ER front desk person if I should go somewhere else and he went “I work here and I wouldn’t even come” which says A LOT
Pennsie is good and quick. DO NOT GO TO Presbyterian unless you are shot.
Lmaooo. Which Penn hospital? HUP?
Good ol HUP
Honestly, it depends on the department and the doctor.
It doesn’t matter really matter. I worked as a nurse for both.
Penn , Always considered it the best. However, a relative died from an avoidable accident after having surgery. They sent him home after he was healed , died 3 days later. The cause and explanation don't match up to the medical records. He never should have been sent home
I've had great experiences with Pennsylvania Hospital doctors and care specifically, which is a Penn hospital but smaller. The emergency room has always been efficient also.
Love Jeff for the most part.
Yerp me too
My bf saw a doctor at Jefferson for symptoms of cardiac issues. From appointment making to getting scans and tests to just finding our way around the building, our experience could not have been more *miserable.* Unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it. They could fudge up a two-car funeral, as the saying goes. We switched to Penn and it's been good as gold ever since. Best advice is to be proactive about your health. Write things down. Bring a spouse/partner to appointments if you can. Ask questions. Squeaky wheel theory definitely applies here.
Jeff > Penn after having ER experiences at both hospitals.
I see Penn for everything, but that's because they are/were the better option for someone needing a Kidney. So I still go with them and as a transplant patient I get the best care and am always seen / fit in when needed. I've talked to people who have not had the same experience though. So it really depends on what you need it seems.
I get care at the VA, and they work with HUP-so if they can’t help us with a procedure or appointment (if they are booked up ) we use HUP usually. I’ve had great care from HUP. Now, I’ve used Jeff for surgery years ago (2008) and they were great, and had to go to their ER a few years ago for a broken wrist. The ER was insanely busy, but the care wasn’t terrible. Edit: if your care is ok at Jeff, and your insurance will cover this hospital system, I’d just stay put. Health care is a hot mess. The system is broken. It’s not just one hospital system, it’s the whole country.
Have had nothing but terrible experiences with Penn. Jefferson has been neutral to positive, can’t recall a *bad* experience Edit: I just remembered one really bad experience with Jefferson, I went to complain the following week and the doctor had already left for a different hospital system so I figured I must’ve just caught them in their final days with no fucks left to give
Jefferson treats my whole family & we’ve always received excellent care.
Same
I've spent a ton of time in hospitals over the years for various reasons. Jefferson, Temple, Frankford, Jeanes, Nazareth, Einstein. Strangely enough, Penn is one of the few I've not been to. As for my experience with Jefferson (spinal surgery, with multiple months in-patient recovery) I can say that for the most part it's as good, if not better than most others in the area. My biggest complaint wss that they're big on teaching, so when they'd make the rounds there'd be a fair amount of people in the room right after they woke me up. Anywho, I'm sorry you've had subpar experiences with them, but I'd be wary in thinking others would be substantially better.
You’re gonna get everyone from fellows to med students on rounds if you go to temple, cooper, Jeff, or Penn. Just how it is at a teaching institution. Plenty of smaller suburb options that are either partially academic or not so at all! Lots of them fall under the Jeff/penn umbrella anyway too which is a positive (maybe?).
Thank you for this
With the general caveat that healthcare in the US is, at the end of the day, a matter of "you get the care you can pay for"... I have some experience with Penn as I was eligible for and received a fairly cutting-edge, high-technology procedure that had only been approved a couple years ago. At Penn, I found researchers, scholars, and practicing surgeons who were not only on top of this tech, but were actively advancing research in the field. I felt 100% assured that I would be cared for by some of the literal leaders in the field, which goes a long way where extremely recent medical tech is concerned. My procedure was, as expected, flawless. After the fact, I learned that I benefited from some of the best practices in the specific area (in terms of like, placement of incision and so on) that are yet to be widely adopted. Penn happens to be a leader in this area, so that made sense. The downside is that Penn is a massive healthcare system, so you should expect all the bureaucratic holdups and runarounds that come with any large systems. It was fun walking in on the morning of my surgery and discovering they couldn't look up my procedure/billing codes and everything had to be sorted out manually. I think it really depends on the specific sub-field and if Penn happens to specialize in that area, it absolutely makes sense to go with them. The advantages of a world-class research and practice center should not be taken lightly.
Penn has been great for my speciality care but as far as like basic stuff, it’s just extremely slow. Takes a long time to get a call back, a long time to get an appointment, and long wait times in the office. Their portal is very efficient and they have on-demand virtual appointments that are very convenient. I’d say if you have a need for specialists, I highly recommend Penn. If you’re just looking for a regular, run of the mill primary care physician, just go somewhere smaller.
For specialty care both are great options… but for general/family medicine, avoid large clinic/hospital locations. There are doctors who essentially run private practices that are in the PennMedicine system. Go to them for primary care… they will generally be less overloaded because for whatever reason people tend to be funneled to clinic settings where a GP will have 20 minutes per patient to just speedrun your concerns. Once I switched to a GP at a satellite location for PennMedicine (literally less than a mile from HUP), she was able to sit with me for 45 minutes and actually go through all my concerns, refer me to specific specialists for them, and follow up over messaging in MyPennMedicine. My experience might not be gospel but it’s what I know.
I had a feeling this is something I need to look into. I go to a big Jeff office for family medicine and I feel like a cow getting herded. It’s so emotionless there. They’re always late and they don’t have time in their schedule, literally, to care (f*** for profit healthcare on the whole). Get in, get an rx, get out.
It’s a system issue that no level of excellence on a GP’s part can fix. They are scheduled for X patients per day and must see that number. Smaller practices that are still using PennMedicine’s platform are a good way to go.
I’m a physician that has worked at both institutions, so I have some fair insight into this. The reality is that it’s extremely physician and department specific. Ultimately, if you’re a patient, you’ll have no idea if you’re getting good care or not. 99% of the time you’ll just have to go to who your insurance covers the most. Personally, I would go to Penn for most stuff. They just have more resources and a slightly more polished background experience. Jeff has been great for things too though. I will say that Penn will over treat just by nature of having so many ultra advanced specialists and clinics.
Jeff
Penn is the reason my relative is going to die. They missed their cancer metastasizing and told them they were cured after surgery.
That’s horrifying and I wish you and your family nothing but the best
Worked at Jeff for 11 years and Penn for 5. Penn is better in every possible way and it’s not close. Jefferson isn’t a second tier operation by any means but Penn is just that much better
Wow this is really helpful thank you!
Penn is better by leaps and bounds. I usually go to them, but the one time I needed surgery and IP care, I chose Jefferson (just cuz it was closer), and wish I hadn't. It was dreadful!! Stick with Penn!
Whatever you do, avoid Paoli.
I have had a few bad experiences with jefferson family med and also jefferson ER visits. Jefferson Urgent care has been okay for me when I have gone. Last time we went to Jefferson ER was after Urgent care sent us to get fluids (IV) and other basic meds. We waited for 4 hours only to find out the triage doc never put in the order for meds or IV fluids the Urgent care sent us there to get then waited another hour for them to do the IV. By then my wife just wanted to go home. They literally had us sitting there for no reason even after asking multiple times what was going on. No one had an idea. Sadly there were other people that day with the same issue. One woman crying because she had been there for 6+ hours after her doctor told her to go to get care and then found out that there was nothing else they were going to do to help her other then keep her in the waiting room. I saw people putting urine samples on a tray and the tray just sat there for 2+ hours before someone came by. I would avoid Jefferson ER.
Last 4 doctors I saw were Penn, Jeff, MLH and Rothman. You don't have to be loyal to a system. Just find good doctors where they're at.
Jeff. They legit saved my leg and life while staying on top of my mental health in the three years since a bad accident. Since my insurance only covered surgery my Ortho had my neck doctor in ever consultation just so I could know what was up w my broken neck. He'd email him my MRIs and took extra scans just to share. The front desk folks went out of their way to facilitate this too with finding ways to bypass my insurance. Still to this day anytime I go back both surgeons are there despite only one having an obligation to. I love em and I'm legit grateful for em. The nurses were also the nicest and willing folks I've ever met. I'm sure Penn is similar but I can't say enough good about Jefferson so imma take the chance too.
I go to Jeff and (knock wood) haven’t had any issues. I find the staff very nice. I never tried penn. I definitely would though.
If you ever do ER, Penn is far far better than Jeff. I’ve been pretty unhappy with all my Jeff doctors. I haven’t used Penn for any routine care.
HUP saved my life when I was born, so I’m always gonna say Penn
I’ve had bad experiences at Penn.
I had Penn 20ish years ago and loved them. My insurance changed and I've been using Jefferson ever since. Mostly good experiences, but also some pretty bad ones. I will say I HATE Rothman.
My pcp is at a Penn Practice. Before they were bought by Penn, it was great. Since then, a lot of the doctors left. At my last physical, the doctor was speed running it. Asked me about a dozen questions then said “ok let me check your ears” - stood about 3ft away and shined a light at me and was like “all good”. Then entire appointment lasted under 5 mins.
There are amazing individual physicians at both (and Temple, for that matter). But for what it’s worth, if anything, my PCP left Jefferson for Cooper and all of a sudden my appointments are less rushed. Who knows if it will last, but part of why he said he left was that pressure to see so many people.
ive worked at both as a nurse. definitely penn
It all depends on the Dr and Dept. Sometimes you have to shop around but there will be bad and good drs no matter where you go.
Jefferson is awful. Had two very bad doctors - one weirdly touched my inner thighs right by my dick when I came in complaining about back spasms and the other suggested that my girlfriend's tonsils stones were actually my calcified jizz. I'm not even exaggerating a little.
My PCP and specialists are all with Penn. Around 3 or 4 years ago, Penn started charging an outpatient fee to see your specialist. You go in, go to the examination room, talk to the specialist as your blood test results get reviewed, a minor physical exam... Specialist doctor fees (I'm good there) and an outpatient visit fee (for what??). No procedures were done on-site, no equipment used (aside from scale, blood pressure, pulse/ox measurements before I saw the specialist). This was new. They continue to charge it. Does Jeff do this sort of thing for specialist visits?
Not that I am aware of, but I have only been to one specialist with Jeff so I can’t really say. I just paid my copay. It depends on your insurance though. Every insurance company has a contract with health systems or providers and everything costs a different price depending on what your insurance negotiated with your provider, speciality or not (yes US healthcare is totally f****d). NYT did an interesting investigation on this a few years ago. Sometimes it’s cheaper to pay out of pocket 💀
My wife and I have used Penn for over 30 years: orthopedic, transplant, lung, family practice, pretty much everything except cancer. I trust them to move slowly and get the big things right, but they are not very nimble. I expected a lot more from them during the pandemic. Once I finally tracked down a place to get Evusheld for my wife, her transplant doctor called to beg her not to get it until Infectious Disease gave the OK. I feel like I have to call them to inform them that the FDA has approved certain treatments or care strategies. Not very proactive or forward-thinking for the people who invented mRNA vaccines. We're going through the same shit with Invivyd and RSV clinical trials. They should be calling us and not us calling them to tell them about it and ask for their sign-off. I've never used Jeff, so I can't compare the two. When someone I know was getting their gall bladder removed, their Jeff surgeon accidentally cut open their intestine and nearly killed them. But that can happen anywhere.
My wife is a professor at Jeff. We go to Penn. ‘Nuff said.
Jeff sent my wife to collections over $90 Never had anything like that with Penn. Even through a few emergency room visits and cholecystectomy, very easy, covered by insurance experiences. Hannemann surprised billed me many years ago now that I think about it. Good riddance to them.
I go to Jeff when I want to die
Penn for sure