Inova FX/ vs Inova Fair Oaks

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am in the process of choosing a hospital for my delivery. I was told that Fairfax has better reputation, however Fair Oaks has better facilities such as private rooms, etc.

Which hospital have you chosen?
BTW, can one get a private room at Fairfax, and what would it cost?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I delivered at Fair Oaks last Tuesday and I can't say enough great things about that hospital. Unless you are high risk I would choose them in a heartbeat. EVERY SINGLE PERSON I encountered was cheerful, helpful and extremely nice. I honestly was sad to leave such a calm, peaceful environment.
Fair Oaks is newer, smaller, and you don't get the baby factory feel like at Fairfax. All rooms are private so no extra charge. Fairfax charges 100 per night, I believe.
Visiting is A LOT easier with the free valet and they don't charge in the lot. Room service and food was GREAT. But the best part was the amazing staff. Can you tell I loved it?!

[Anonymous]

I delivered at Fair Oaks last year (unscheduled c-section) and had a great experience. The staff were great. The main reason I went with Fair Oaks over Fairfax is that my doctor tended to prefer Fair Oaks. I believe she had "rights" to practice at Fairfax (or whatever that term is called), but her primary hospital is Fair Oaks.

The food was deeeeeeeee-licious. And trust, after having GD, I went to TOWN ordering food after delivery. Mmmmmm.

On a more serious note, another think I like about Fair Oaks is that they limit visitors. No kids under 18, unless siblings of baby, as I recall. The visitor policy at Fairfax may have changed since last year though, given the swine flu stuff.

[Anonymous]

20:18 again.

I should mention that other than GD, I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and there was absolutely no expectation that I or the baby would need any special services.

If I thought I was having anything but a "regular" delivery, I would have opted for Fairfax as they are known to have top NICU/surgery facilities from what I understood.

[Anonymous]

We chose Fair Oaks over Fairfax for all the reasons already stated above. Most people we talk to seem to think that Fair Oaks is better than Fairfax. Just make sure your obgyn has privileges at the hospital you end up choosing.

[Anonymous]

If you prefer better amenities, then Fair Oaks may be what you want. If you want a better medical facility, then Fairfax is what you want. Only you can decide for yourself which is more important to you. Personally, I had a very good experience with Fairfax. First and foremost, I personally prefer a better hospital just in case. But when I was there, I was taken care of, the food wasn't that bad (I was hungry at that point and really didn't care too much) and I was able to get a private room.

[Anonymous]

I delivered at Fairfax in October 2008 and thought it was fine. The nurses were nice. Facilities were decent and we got a private room for $100. My only complaint was that it was across from the nursery, so LOTS of traffic in the hallway. Oh well. Food was not very good, but there's a cafeteria downstairs and several restaurants nearby if you can get your husband to go pick up food for you.

I chose Fairfax because (a) Kaiser delivers there and (b) it's two miles from my house so traffic/weather wouldn't have affected me being able to get there easily. I kind of liked that it had a rep as a "baby factory" - that reassured me that they'd know what they were doing, no matter what happened. (I'm older but had an uncomplicated pregnancy, but C-section was on the table for awhile.) Also, if you pre-register, checkin is a breeze.

[Anonymous]

It's not just about the amenities at Fair Oaks. Obviously, no one would choose it over Fairfax if it was a sub par medical facility. Fairfax isn't a "better" hospital.
People are mistaken if they think Fair Oaks can't handle your medical care. Your baby would have to have severe problems to need to be taken to Fairfax. Most doctors go between the two hospitals, so it's not like the doctors are worse at Fair Oaks. And all the ones I've talked to prefer Fair Oaks. And I don't consider the nursing staff that takes care of you your entire labor and assisting in delivery an amenity. They are what made the experience so great. Not the better food, or parking etc.
If you need a level IV NICU or have certain complications that require long term bed rest in the hospital then yes, Fairfax is your hospital. Otherwise, either will offer excellent care so really you can't go wrong with either.

[Anonymous]

I think you've interpreted what is meant by the term "better" a bit to the extreme. Fairfax being better in the sense that they are more qualified to handle the "if something goes wrong" scenario. If both hospitals are good, which they are, and people have claimed good experiences with nurses and the whole birthing experience at both, then yes, you are looking at amenities vs. the very best hospital if something goes wrong. Good OBs are, indeed, at both, but the specialists are at Fairfax. The point is that simple - if both are good hospitals then you have to look at what does set them apart. No one is saying Fair Oaks isn't good.

[Anonymous]

I delivered at Fair Oaks -- it was closer to my house, so I never seriously considered Fairfax. But I was pleased with Fair Oaks -- staff was great and I can't fathom not having a private room, especially since I ended up with an unplanned c-section and had to stay several days. I had no questions about the quality of my care.

One odd thing, at least to me, was that I literally walked out of the hospital on the Sunday afternoon when I was discharged, without any staff accompanying me, checking to see if I had a car seat, etc. Maybe because it was a Sunday and there's less staff? I kind of liked it because I was ready to just get home by that point.

[Anonymous]

I always planned on Fair Oaks vs. Fairfax due to experiences I have had in the past with both (non-L&D events for other family members) and location. We LOVED Fair Oaks - the nurses were amazing. I can't say enough wonderful things about the entire staff at that hospital. Food was good - DH actually raved about one meal he had. Our room was on the small side but we had a weird corner room - still private though! Our friends delivered recently and their room was HUGE... so I think it's luck of the draw, but it's always private.

I love how much easier it is to get in and out of the hospital and the actual maternity floor, too... Fairfax is just enormous. We liked having visitors and it would have cost them an arm and a leg to visit us, plus Fair Oaks was closer. We also pre-registered (which I think is a must now) and we were signed in and I was upstairs getting checked in under three minutes.

After our daughter was born, we had a terrible experience at Fairfax in the pediatric ICU (when she was two weeks old). I think they were understaffed, which may have contributed to the problem, but our nurses were unfriendly and had to be hunted down constantly... not to mention, the room was absolutely disgusting.

My two cents - if your doctor hasn't deemed your pregnancy high-risk (for either you or your child) and you have a choice and live relatively close to either... Fair Oaks hands down.