Bear Lake Memorial Hosp Svc in Montpelier, ID

Pros

• Bear Lake Memorial Hospital staff are incredibly kind and attentive, making patients feel cared for.
• The ER team is thorough, knowledgeable, and compassionate, providing clear explanations and options.
• Travelers visiting Bear Lake can rely on excellent emergency care at Bear Lake Memorial Hospital.
• The nurses and doctors work collaboratively to ensure patient comfort and safety.
• The maternity and labor care teams deliver compassionate, patient-centered care.
• The facility is clean, comfortable, and well-maintained, contributing to a positive experience.
• Patients describe the care as life-saving and often feel they are treated like family.
• Imaging and support staff provide attentive, courteous service, going above and beyond.
• Bear Lake Memorial Hospital is recognized as outstanding in a small-town setting.

Cons

• One reviewer would give Bear Lake Memorial Hospital zero stars.
• A reviewer described the front desk and the doctor as disrespectful, with terrible bedside manner and a bad attitude.
• The hospital was criticized for overpriced services, including a $700 bill for a short ER visit.
• A reviewer claimed the staff could not do their jobs correctly and provided horrible service.
• A reviewer advised avoiding Bear Lake Memorial Hospital at all costs due to high costs and poor service.
• A reviewer asserted that a lack of care led to a medical condition worsening (melanoma spreading to the brain).
• Nurse Practitioner Jennifer Felter was described as arrogant and rude.

Review

This community is best suited for families and travelers who find themselves in the Bear Lake region and may face an urgent or unexpected medical need. The ER and acute-care experience here consistently show a capacity for rapid assessment, decisive action, and attentive, compassionate bedside manner. Postpartum and short-term inpatient experiences frequently receive high marks for kindness and thoroughness, and several physicians are praised for their competence and ability to explain options clearly. In short, for urgent care during a Bear Lake visit or a local family event, this hospital delivers the kind of personal, front-line care that can make a stressful situation more manageable.

Those who should consider alternatives are primarily cost- and process-driven families. A pattern emerges in the reviews of inconsistent billing practices, opaque or delayed itemized charges, and occasional frustration with administrative responsiveness. Multiple accounts describe high bills for relatively simple procedures, challenging experiences obtaining medical records, and encounters with staff whose bedside manner varied from excellent to abrasive. For anyone who prioritizes predictable costs, transparent pricing, and seamless documentation, a larger facility with a more standardized administrative workflow may be preferable.

On the positive side, the key pros consistently center on human factors that matter in emergencies and during short hospital stays. The ER staff - nurses, physicians, and radiology teams - are repeatedly described as competent, thorough, and genuinely caring. Notable clinicians earn high praise for staying with patients, explaining treatment options, and delivering care that feels personal rather than procedural. The environment often feels calm and welcoming, with praise for cleanliness and comfort that can temper the anxiety of a medical visit. For procedures or events that require swift, compassionate hands-on care, the strengths here can be decisive.

The main cons, in contrast, cluster around cost and consistency. Billing disputes recur, with patients noting bills that seem disproportionate to the service and frustration when the process to obtain itemized charges or reports stalls. Several reviews mention delays or gaps in obtaining medical records, which can complicate follow-up care elsewhere or impact work and paperwork deadlines. Some encounters describe staff attitudes or communication gaps that undercut the otherwise strong clinical care, reminding prospective families that the human experience of care varies by shift and provider. These factors can erode trust if not navigated carefully, especially for families needing ongoing or complex medical management.

Balancing the pros and cons, the hospital's strengths most strongly offset the risk for those facing acute needs in Bear Lake. When the objective is life-saving stabilization, rapid symptom relief, or compassionate end-of-life or palliative-type care in a small-town setting, the clinical team frequently rises to the moment. The personal attention, evident empathy, and demonstrated competence of key doctors across high-stakes encounters create undeniable value. However, for routine, ongoing care, or non-emergency visits where price transparency and administrative predictability are paramount, the drawbacks become more consequential. The decision hinges on context: emergencies and urgent travel scenarios are where Bear Lake Memorial tends to prove most dependable; routine billing and records logistics require caution.

For practical decision-making, start with the likely need profile. If staying in or visiting the Bear Lake area and a medical issue arises, this hospital is a solid first responder with proven strengths in urgent care and compassionate nursing support. Before any non-emergency visit, request an itemized price and confirm what will be billed to insurance to avoid sticker shock. If non-urgent care or ongoing management is planned, consider whether a nearby, larger facility with a steadier administrative process might offer greater predictability. Have a backup plan: know nearby alternatives in Logan or beyond, and arrange access to medical records in advance where possible. In the end, Bear Lake Memorial Hospital offers reliable, family-centered emergency care in a small-town environment, tempered by cost and administrative considerations that require proactive handling.

Hospitals

• Bear Lake Memorial Hospital (0 miles)

Restaurants

• Twisted Subs (0.1 miles)
• El Jaliciense (0.3 miles)
• Dan's Drive In (0.3 miles)
• Taco Time (0.3 miles)
• Subway (0.4 miles)
• Arctic Circle Restaurant (0.4 miles)
• King's of Montepelier (0.5 miles)

Pharmacies

• Broulims Supermarket (0.2 miles)
• Bear Lake Drug (0.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (0.2 miles)
• Community Presbyterian Church (0.3 miles)
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (0.4 miles)
• Montpelier South Stake Gym (0.4 miles)
• Jehovah's Witnesses (0.5 miles)
• Bible Believers Baptist Church (0.7 miles)
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (0.9 miles)

Cafes

• Fizeez (0.2 miles)
• Huckleberry Creek (0.3 miles)
• Stone Age Soda (0.4 miles)

Parks

• Montpelier Dog Park (0.2 miles)
• Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge (0.5 miles)

Transportation

• U-Haul (0.3 miles)
• Union Pacific Railroad Company (0.6 miles)

Theaters

• Centre Theatre (0.4 miles)