I have been a patient at this office for several years. I am a 39-year-old registered nurse with a…read morehistory of invasive melanoma and multiple melanoma in situs. I have seen multiple dermatologists and was specifically referred to a physician at this office for her reputation as a leading specialist in this field.
My first two appointments, I was very impressed. The medical assistants communicated effectively with the physician and appeared to understand the seriousness and complexity of my medical history. Unfortunately, my experience has steadily declined since then.
At my previous appointment, the physician introduced herself by saying, "It's nice to meet you," even though I had seen her multiple times before. I do not expect a physician to personally remember every patient, but I do expect the provider or medical assistant to review the relevant history and previous visit notes before entering the room, especially for a patient with an extensive history.
My experience on July 16th (today) was the final straw.
My appointment was scheduled for 11:40 a.m. I drove an hour to the office and arrived approximately 15 minutes early. I checked in at the front desk, provided the credit card information required under their new policy, and was told that I was checked in. I asked whether I had time to move my car because I had parked very close to another vehicle in their small parking lot. The front desk employee told me, "Yes, the doctor is running behind, so you have time." I returned to the waiting room by 11:35 a.m., five minutes before my scheduled appointment.
After waiting approximately 45 minutes, I was finally taken to an examination room. The medical assistant showed little interest in why I was there and appeared unfamiliar with my medical history. She instructed me to undress and remove my facial makeup because the appointment was for a full-body skin examination and follow-up of an area of precancerous cells on my face.
After she left, I could hear her talking with another medical assistant. Eventually, everything became quiet. I remained undressed in the examination room until approximately 12:40 p.m., a full hour after my scheduled appointment time and 1 hour and 15 minutes after my arrival time.
I finally stepped into the hallway and told a male medical assistant that I believed I had been forgotten. He told me that everyone was on their lunch break and that he was not sure what had happened. I asked, "They left me waiting undressed in a room while everyone went to lunch?" He confirmed that the staff was at lunch.
I returned to the room and got dressed. As I was leaving, he claimed that I had arrived late. I explained that I had arrived 15 minutes early and had been checked in by the front desk. He then said the front desk had not notified the clinical staff that I was there.
He also told me that because I was supposedly there for a cosmetic appointment, he could reschedule me for a longer appointment with a different provider. I explained that this was not a cosmetic appointment. I have had melanoma 10 times and was there for a full-body skin examination and follow-up with a melanoma specialist.
Before leaving, I explained the situation to the front desk employee, who said she would notify the manager. I then drove an hour back to work after losing several hours for an appointment that never occurred.
Approximately five minutes after I left, the medical assistant who had initially taken me to the room called me. She stated that the front desk had marked me as a no-show and acknowledged that she had placed me in an examination room after the doctor had already gone to lunch. She also admitted that she should have told me.
To summarize, I arrived early, was confirmed as checked in, waited approximately 45 minutes in the lobby, and was then left undressed in an examination room for another 30 minutes while the physician and staff went to lunch. No one informed me of the mistake, explained the delay, or checked on me. I have no idea how long I would have remained there had I not stepped into the hallway myself.
The lack of communication, awareness of my medical history, and basic professional courtesy was unacceptable.
Because I work in healthcare and have an extensive history of skin cancer, people frequently ask me for dermatologist recommendations. Based on this experience and the decline in care I have observed over time, I will no longer recommend this office. This was an extraordinarily unprofessional and concerning experience.
