St Alexius Transitional Care

Pros

• The staff demonstrated that their profession is a calling, approached with love, kindness, and dedication.
• The daughter received the utmost respect, love, and care from every doctor and nurse who attended to her.
• The morning hallway experiences were heartening, filled with compassion and warmth, with smiling faces and courteous greetings.
• The staff consistently exceeded expectations, addressing every need and ensuring a seamless experience.
• The staff were deeply passionate about their work and genuinely loved caring for others.
• Dr. Paulo and her nurses were amazing, friendly, and efficient.
• The ER teams provided superb care and immediate service.

Cons

• The reviewer stated that billing is outsourced overseas and criticized the management as incompetent.
• The reviewer stated that the hospital failed to issue a revised invoice after insurance payments, which led to collections.
• The reviewer stated that there has been excessive CEO turnover in six years, a red flag.
• The reviewer stated that there is no US-based help for invoices and called the management pathetic.
• The reviewer stated that waiting five hours to get into a room was ridiculous.
• The reviewer stated that no doctor appeared for hours and the nurses did not treat the patient in severe pain.
• The reviewer stated that a nurse named Barbara assaulted them, creating fear for their safety.
• The reviewer stated that Dr. Catherine Hixson was unkind and lacking in compassion.

Review

St. Alexis/St. Alexius Health emerges in these accounts as a place where care is not simply a duty but a calling lived out in everyday moments. Several reviewers describe how the medical professionals approached hospitalization with genuine warmth: a daughter hospitalized with pneumonia was treated with respect, kindness, and attentive consideration from every doctor and nurse who attended her. The morning walks through the halls became moments of quiet reassurance, with smiling faces and courteous greetings that helped ease a difficult time. In these memories, the staff's mission to heal is palpable, and their approach - patient, respectful, and compassionate - left a lasting impression of what it means to love one's profession.

An earlier, extended reflection richens that portrait with details from the children's floor. The author recalls being welcomed by staff who made a two-year-old feel safe and at ease, providing toys, juice, and milk, and taking time to engage and calm her during moments of distress throughout the night. The sense that the caregivers were deeply passionate about their work shines through, as does the feeling that the family was treated almost like members of a larger hospital family. Such experiences emphasize not just clinical competence but a holistic care ethos, where emotional support and a reassuring atmosphere are as much a part of treatment as medicine itself.

Across multiple testimonials, the hospital is praised for exceptional, life-affirming care during significant medical events. Births are described as smooth and well-supported, with epidurals, attentive nursing, and prompt assistance when help was needed - even when labor stretched out or required quick intervention. The Bone & Joint Center earns high marks for outcomes and ongoing care, with patients noting successful surgeries and a pathway back to mobility and daily life. Imaging and diagnostics - MRI technicians, echocardiograms - are mentioned as courteous and professional, reinforcing a sense that the staff strives for excellence in both kindness and technical proficiency. There are praise-filled nods to individual practitioners, such as Dr. Rodenberg and Dr. Wade Fischer, whose expertise and care are repeatedly highlighted as making a difference in patients' experiences and outcomes.

Yet, alongside these consistently positive notes, there are pointed critiques about the hospital's administrative and systemic operations. Several reviewers bluntly challenge the billing and accounts process, accusing the organization of outsourcing to overseas entities and of failing to provide timely revised invoices after insurance payments. One account describes being turned over to collections after months without proper billing adjustments, followed by criticism of executive turnover and a perceived decline in strategic thinking at the top. The overarching sentiment in these comments is that, while patient care can be excellent, the financial and administrative machinery surrounding the patient experience can be frustrating, opaque, and inconsistently reliable.

Other reviews register serious frustrations with wait times and treatment delays. One patient recounts a prolonged stay in which a room was not promptly assigned and a doctor did not promptly attend, despite the hospital not being visibly overwhelmed. The tension between moments of superb clinical care and episodes of poor process becomes a throughline: people remember the compassionate hands and skilled clinicians, but they also remember the friction in communication, scheduling, and access that can color a hospital stay. These contrasts illustrate how a facility can simultaneously excel in bedside care while stumbling in the logistics that support that care.

There are equally troubling reports of safety concerns and interpersonal distress. One review describes a frightening incident where a nurse allegedly assaulted a patient who was both disabled and vulnerable, an accusation that understandably raises alarms about patient safety and trust. Another account focuses on a physician, Dr. Catherine Hixson, whom the reviewer portrays as unfriendly and abrupt, recounting a lengthy wait and an interaction that felt dismissive and hostile. Together, these narratives underscore the reality that even in a place lauded for compassion and competence, individual experiences can vary dramatically, and negative encounters can cast long shadows over otherwise positive memories.

Interwoven with the evaluative voices are emphatic expressions of faith and gratitude. Several patients recount spiritual moments - the sense that prayers and religious reflections were part of the healing milieu in the surgical and hospital environment. One reviewer speaks of prayers over the PA system as a source of motivation and strength, while others attribute their recovery and progress to a supportive, faith-informed environment. This dimension - where medicine and meditative or devotional elements intersect - appears as a consistent thread for many, suggesting that for some individuals, the hospital is not merely a place of clinical intervention but a community that holds and guides them through vulnerability with a shared sense of purpose.

Taken together, the tapestry of reviews presents St. Alexis/St. Alexius Health and related CHI facilities as complex, multi-faceted institutions. The vast majority of narratives celebrate a culture of genuine care: nurses and doctors who listen, explain, and comfort; pediatric and maternity teams that make families feel seen and supported; and specialists who bring skill and reassurance at moments of high anxiety. At the same time, there are clear, sometimes stark reminders that administrative and billing processes, wait times, and interpersonal dynamics can falter, sometimes dramatically. The strongest impression is not of a single, uniform experience but of a hospital system capable of extraordinary patient-centered care - paired with areas where improvements in transparency, consistency, and safety protocols would help ensure that every patient's encounter reflects the best of what the hospitals aim to provide.

This area of Bismarck, South Dakota, offers a variety of amenities that may be appealing for seniors looking to relocate. With several physicians and healthcare facilities nearby, including the Heart & Lung Clinic and the CHI St. Alexius Health Sleep Center, residents have convenient access to medical care. Additionally, there are pharmacies like Heritage Pharmacy East and The Medicine Shoppe in close proximity for easy prescription refill needs. For dining options, there are cafes such as Cafe Etc and Bistro within walking distance, as well as restaurants like Laughing Sun Brewing Co and Elbow Room offering different cuisine choices. Places of worship like First Lutheran Church and The Bridge Church provide spiritual support, while parks like Hillside Park offer opportunities for outdoor recreation. Overall, this area of Bismarck provides a comfortable and convenient environment for senior living.

Physicians

• Heart & Lung Clinic (0 miles)
• CHI St. Alexius Health Sleep Center (0.1 miles)
• Center For Women (0.1 miles)
• Dr. Stephanie Dahl (0.1 miles)
• Bismarck Surgical Associates (0.2 miles)
• TLC Laser Eye Centers (0.3 miles)
• Dakota Neurology (0.8 miles)

Cafes

• Cafe Etc (0.1 miles)
• Bistro (0.3 miles)
• Caribou Coffee (0.7 miles)
• Panera Bread (0.9 miles)
• Heaven's Helpers Soup Cafe (0.9 miles)
• Starbucks (1.5 miles)
• City Brew (1.9 miles)

Pharmacies

• Heritage Pharmacy East (0.1 miles)
• The Medicine Shoppe (0.7 miles)
• Valley View Pharmacy (1.3 miles)
• Northbrook Drug (1.6 miles)
• Thrifty White Pharmacy (1.6 miles)
• Heritage Pharmacy (2 miles)
• Health Mart Pharmacy (2.1 miles)

Restaurants

• Laughing Sun Brewing C (0.3 miles)
• Elbow Room (0.4 miles)
• Peacock Alley (0.4 miles)
• Blarney Stone Pub- Bismarck (0.4 miles)
• HuHot Mongolian Grill (0.6 miles)
• Broadway Grill & Tavern (0.6 miles)
• Ground Round Grill & Bar (0.7 miles)

Places of Worship

• First Lutheran Church (0.4 miles)
• The Bridge Church (0.6 miles)
• McCabe United Methodist Church (0.7 miles)
• The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit (0.9 miles)
• Church of Saint Anne (0.9 miles)
• Calvary Chapel Bisman (0.9 miles)
• Steer (1 miles)

Parks

• Hillside Park (0.9 miles)
• Sertoma Park (1.6 miles)
• Sleepy Hollow (1.7 miles)
• Igoe Park (2.7 miles)

Hospitals

• Marillac Manor (1.5 miles)

Theaters

• Grand Theatres (1.9 miles)

Transportation

• Nationa Lease (2.6 miles)