Story County Hospital

Pros

• Their care and attention are top notch.
• The staff are friendly and helpful.
• The nurses and doctors are compassionate and efficient, making patients feel heard and cared for.
• The outpatient and infusion services provide a 5-star experience with attentive nurses.
• The team remembers patients and quickly schedules appointments.
• Chloe (nurse) and Barb (case manager) are respectful and dignify elderly patients.
• Appointments are easy to obtain, with fast scheduling and minimal wait times.
• Shane Higgins delivers outstanding, patient-centered care and goes the extra mile.
• Dr Check is among the best doctors, delivering high-quality care.
• Dr Art Check is knowledgeable, passionate, and consistently provides high-quality care.

Cons

• A reviewer stated that the doctor wouldn't listen and vowed not to return if that doctor was present.
• A reviewer criticized a mental health provider for rushing a medication taper, misrepresenting prescriptions, and not listening, prompting them to seek a new provider.
• A reviewer called the clinic unprofessional and irresponsible for losing records, failing to coordinate insurance, and warning about withdrawal.
• A reviewer found the billing process sketchy, with an invalid URL, a payment portal that didn't recognize them, and a lack of transparency.
• A reviewer criticized the clinic's phone staff as disrespectful and for failing to relay messages to the physician, causing access issues.
• A reviewer described the ER staff as dismissive, claiming they didn't look sick and were sent home without proper examination.
• A reviewer found Doctor Rachel to be incredibly rude.
• A reviewer warned of fake charges and excessive billing at the facility, suggesting patients would be billed unjustly.
• A reviewer described ongoing prescription refill difficulties and felt blamed for delays due to telephone-based communication.

Review

Across a wide range of visits to Story County Medical Center and its related clinics, the overarching impression is that this is a community hub where care and attention are highly valued. Patients repeatedly describe a setting in which the staff's friendliness and willingness to listen are front and center. Many speak of easy access to care, whether it's getting into see a nurse quickly, slipping into an appointment without long waits, or feeling welcomed by a calm, well-kept environment. Some reminisce about pleasant touches like window views in the waiting areas and even decent meals during longer visits, which helps soften the sometimes stressful hospital experience.

A large portion of the feedback centers on the people who staff the place. Numerous reviewers highlight individual team members who stood out in a positive way. Jamie the ER nurse is praised for being efficient and reassuring, while Dr. Jen is described as fabulous and genuinely helpful. The outpatient department gets especially strong marks for 5-star service during a first infusion, with nurses who check in frequently and go the extra mile to ensure comfort. There are many stories of staff who remember patients, make them feel valued, and handle logistics such as insurance or tests with patience. Specific names crop up again and again - Chloe the nurse and Barb the case manager are singled out as respectful and dignified in difficult transitions for a 90-year-old relative; Shane Higgins is mentioned as a physician who has cared for families for over a decade, listening, calming anxious conversations, and smoothing insurance or testing processes. The sentiment is that these clinicians and staff help create trust and confidence in the care provided.

Several patients explicitly celebrate certain physicians as standouts. Dr. Shane is described as fantastic, easy to talk to, and consistently attentive to concerns, with many noting that he makes them feel heard and respected. A commenter explicitly calls Dr. Art Check "a diamond in the rough," praising his knowledge, passion, and genuine care for patients over many years. Across these testimonials, the doctors' ability to connect, explain, and advocate for patients is a recurring theme, and for many families Story County Medical Center has become a trusted place for ongoing care.

Yet the picture isn't uniformly perfect. A number of reviews voice concerns about communication and responsiveness, particularly when systems fail to coordinate across departments. One ER visit recounts a doctor who seemed not to listen, leaving a patient feeling dismissed. In mental health care, a formulation described as overly prescriptive and agenda-driven left a patient frustrated and seeking a new provider, with multiple complaints about follow-through on prescriptions and communication. Another patient describes ongoing difficulties with getting prescriptions sent to the pharmacy and a sense of anxiety around telephone communication, which is made more exhausting by repeated requests to call or contact the pharmacy after visits. There are also accounts of coordination issues when a doctor retires or changes, with patients finding no records or clear guidance and feeling left in limbo as their care transitions.

The concerns extend into the practical and financial realms. A reviewer laments a billing experience that felt opaque and risky, including confusion around a payment portal, a lack of transparency about who is paying what, and the sense that payment responsibilities were not clearly explained. Another patient warns about alarming charges and test billing that can feel excessive, expressing anger that medications and tests might be billed in ways that threaten financial stability. In a few cases, patients describe delays, miscommunications, or even fear of withdrawal if supplies are interrupted, underscoring how critical timely communication and reliable records are to the patient experience. These reviews emphasize the need for clear, proactive communication about billing, insurance, and prescription logistics to avoid undermining the trust built by compassionate clinical care.

Taken together, the collection of experiences reflects a hospital system that many patients rely on and value deeply for its warmth, accessibility, and dedication from many clinicians and staff. The stories of attentive nurses, thoughtful case management, and physicians who listen and engage constructively are powerful reminders of what good care can look like in a community setting. At the same time, there are clear and serious concerns about how information travels between departments, how prescriptions are coordinated, and how billing and scheduling issues are handled. For some patients, these gaps color otherwise positive experiences, while for others the overall care remains strong despite occasional hiccups. In the end, Story County Medical Center appears to be a place of strong clinician leadership, personalized attention, and a community invested in improving both medical care and patient experience, even as it continues to navigate the challenges that come with a busy regional medical center.

This part of Nevada, Iowa offers a variety of amenities that may be appealing for seniors looking to relocate. With two hospitals nearby, including Story County Medical Center and Mary Greeley Medical Center, residents have access to quality healthcare services. In addition, there are several pharmacies in the area for convenient medication pick-up. The town also boasts a number of places of worship, providing spiritual support and community engagement. For recreational activities, there are multiple parks within a short distance, such as Hattery Park and Ada Hayden Heritage Park. The area also offers a selection of restaurants and cafes for dining out or grabbing a cup of coffee with friends. Overall, this part of Nevada provides a mix of healthcare facilities, religious institutions, green spaces, and dining options that may cater well to seniors looking for a welcoming and vibrant community to call home.

Hospitals

• Story County Hospital North (0 miles)
• Story County Medical Center (1.2 miles)
• DaVita Ames Mary Greeley Dialysis (6.7 miles)
• Mary Greeley Medical Center (8.2 miles)
• Hearing Services of Iowa (8.7 miles)

Physicians

• Story Medical Clinic-Nevada (0 miles)
• Carleton Family Medicine (0.3 miles)
• McFarland Clinic PC (0.5 miles)
• Wolfe Eye Clinic (6.9 miles)
• Radiant Complexions Dermatology Clinics (6.9 miles)
• MercyOne Iowa Heart Center Ames (7.1 miles)
• Mercy Sleep Center (7.1 miles)

Pharmacies

• Nucara Pharmacy (0.3 miles)
• Parkview Pharmacy (1 miles)
• Walmart Pharmacy (7.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (7.9 miles)
• Target Pharmacy (7.9 miles)
• Medicap Pharmacy (8.1 miles)
• Walgreens (8.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• Memorial Lutheran Church (0.5 miles)
• Real Life Church (0.7 miles)
• St Mary's Church (7.1 miles)
• First United Methodist Church (8.3 miles)
• St Paul Lutheran Church (8.6 miles)
• Southern Baptist Convention (8.8 miles)
• Bethesda Lutheran Church ELCA (9 miles)

Transportation

• Nevada Taxi (0.7 miles)
• U-Haul Moving & Storage (8.1 miles)
• U-Haul Neighborhood Dealer (8.1 miles)

Parks

• Hattery Park (0.7 miles)
• Hickory Grove County Park (5.1 miles)
• Hickory Grove Park (5.2 miles)
• River Valley Park (7.6 miles)
• Bandshell Park (8.1 miles)
• Inis Grove Park (8.5 miles)
• Ada Hayden Heritage Park (8.8 miles)

Restaurants

• McDonald's (1 miles)
• Noodles & Company (8 miles)
• Wendy's (8 miles)
• Panda Express (8.1 miles)
• Jimmy John's (8.1 miles)
• Hickory Park (8.1 miles)
• B-Bop's (8.1 miles)

Cafes

• Panera Bread (8.1 miles)
• Cafe Diem (8.3 miles)
• Starbucks (8.6 miles)
• Starbucks (9 miles)
• Provisions Lot F (9.4 miles)
• The Filling Station (9.6 miles)
• Starbucks (9.9 miles)

Theaters

• Cinemark Movies 12 (8.3 miles)