I initially came here for a dermatology appointment last Spring. The doctor was highly recommended…read moreby a colleague of mine, and I was very excited to find a doctor of color, to help me with my skin care. She has two offices, one in Parkchester, and the other on the upper east side of Manhattan. I live in the Bronx, so naturally I picked the Parkchester location, but in hindsight, this may have been my first mistake.
My first consult was great. The doctor prescribed tretinoin, for which I was hoping. She reassured me that my simple beauty routine was fine. I inquired about DPN removal and she explained the procedure. I immediately made an appointment.
The office is quite disorganized, as far as, informing the patient of next steps. No one told me prior to my appointment, that I would require a topical anesthetic. They set my appointment (well, canceleled and rescheduled it without informing me) and I came in, ready to have my DPN removed. When I was brought to the exam room, I was asked if I had lidocaine. I said no, and the person informed me, at that time, that I was supposed to have the cream to apply an hour prior to the procedure, and that someone should have told me about it. I explained to her that no one told me of this, and was left in the room. I could hear through the door when she explained to the doctor, that no one told me about the lidocaine, and instead of an apology or an explanation about how this could have happened, I was made to feel like the procedure could not be performed because I likely would not be able to endure the pain associated with the removal. Just a note that she removed the largest one off my eyelid, and while I was nervous because, I mean, scissors to face, I was able to handle the pinch without issue. This was my second mistake - I should have spoken up and said that I heard them talking through the door, and then inquired about the lidocaine, and as to why I was not told ahead of time in preparation for the visit. I gave them the benefit of the doubt because I also work in healthcare, and mistakes are made, and sometimes it's best to just make an excuse so as not to escalate a situation. When I asked about rescheduling, I was told that I would have to wait until after the summer. I was very disappointed.
Fast forward to this past December, when I rescheduled my DPN removal. This time I made sure they told me what to do with the lidocaine, and that I applied it before my appointment. I arrived at the office by 930A, for my 10A appointment. I waited until 1015, and asked how much longer. At that time, I was told there were 3 patients ahead of me. I'm unsure, how they were behind that early in the morning. They likely book patients every 15 minutes, so that means they knew when I arrived, that they were behind, and that there would be a wait. Why did they not inform me?
The entire time I was in the waiting room, the women at the front desk were talking about a rice dish they wanted to get for lunch, that they later discovered is actually called, "chofan". This is what they were doing in an unprofessional earshot range, instead of managing their patient schedule. It was kind of infuriating that they basically just shrugged their shoulders, and I'm standing there with a face that is numb from lidocaine. There was no way I could wait any longer. I explained that I have my own patients scheduled in my own office, for which I provide direct care. I specifically set up my office schedule to accommodate this appointment based upon the information I received when booking the appointment, weeks in advance.
I left the office, face numb, went to work, and continued my day with my work schedule. I was extremely upset and uncomfortable with the numbness I was experiencing, for literally no reason. I received neither a call of apology, nor an offer to reschedule. I pay out of pocket for my visits and any elective procedures I receive. I would hate to think that, had I scheduled at the Manhattan office, my time would have been better respected. The entire experience makes me wary of how offices handle their patients and exhibited patient care; if I see anything resembling this foolishness, I, for sure, won't be paying for the subpar care.
