I could not agree more with Amanda F .... in fact, I would give HIGH Mountain Health ZERO stars if it was an option!
I had been seeking a new primary care physician, and had also received indicative test results from a blood test that I needed to explore further for a diagnosis. After a lengthy process of reviewing area doctors in my health insurance network, I decided on High Mountain Health for their seeming versatility and primarily due to the high marks for patient care received by Dr. Peter Carrazzone. Unfortunately, Dr. Carrazzone was not available on the date I was looking for an appointment so I agreed to make an appointment with doctor in the practice (.... thinking the standard of care would be the same across the practice -- not the case).
I arrived at the office and checked 15 minutes prior to my 6 pm appointment to complete any paperwork. First, although there were only 2 other patients in the waiting room I was not acknowledged until after 6 pm (when I had to listen to the woman at the front desk telling me how tired she was and how she never sees her husband), and then did not get called into the treatment room until 6:55. When, at 6:40 I asked the girls at the desk when they thought the doctor would be available, their snippy reply was that the doctor takes his time with his patients (that proved not to be accurate).
Finally, I was called back, and had my weight, height, symptoms, etc taken down by an aide - who was very nice - but seemed to be just checking off symptoms via a computer program without probing further. Ok - not a problem, I assumed the doctor would probe further when I met with her.
10 -15 minutes after the aide had completed her portion of the visit, the doctor finally came in for my exam - which could not have lasted more than 10 mins (so much for the doctor taking time with patients ... and this was my first visit!!), and for 1/2 of that time, the doctor lectured me that if I ever wanted to get pregnant I would have to do it now because my window had just about closed (as if at 38 years old that wasn't apparent)! Pregnancy, or the hope to get pregnant, had NOTHING to do with the purpose of my visit. In fact, the condition I was concerned about was something that should be addressed before getting pregnant .... I had to point this out to the doctor. The doctor asked me nothing about my symptoms, did brief physical exam and ordered blood work and an untrasound and then told me to call her the middle of the following week so that she could be reminded to look at my tests.
When I contacted the office the Wednesday of the following week I was told by the front desk person that all my results had been received and that a "nurse" would call me. By Friday, I had not heard back and when I contacted the office was told this time, that only my bloodwork had come in and the ultrasound was still outstanding (had I been given accurate info, I would have followed up earlier in the week with the imaging lab). On Saturday, the office confirmed they had all results and would request that the doctor review them and that a "nurse" would call me.
Finally, the following Monday, a nurse called me to say that my ultrasound was normal, but that they were still waiting on final bloodwork - as they had only received "preliminary lab results" (again contrary to what I was told previously!). I contacted the lab, was told they had sent over final results (they don't do preliminary reports), when I called the doctor's office again, the person on the phone agreed they had final results and said - "I don't know what the doctor was looking at." Again, a nurse called me back to report normal blood work. I tried to ask questions regarding the various tests that were run, with not forthcoming information from the nurse.
Seemingly - my medical concerns were a closed issue based on these tests and I was never able to get the doctor on the phone to discuss the results or next steps to a diagnosis. Also, I had to practically beg to have my lab/test results sent to me as they were not updated on the patient website as promised (I had to contact them multiple time with respect to this as well).
Now, 7 weeks later, after seeing another doctor for a second opinion - and based on the same exact ultrasound and bloodwork High Mountain Health received but had said were normal -- I have been diagnosed with and am being treated for the exact condition I originally went in to see Dr. Saros about diagnosing.
I am shocked at this lack of patient care and concern and the fact that no effort was made to form a diagnosis .... symptoms don't disappear even if tests come back "normal," which in this case they were not. Even to my untrained eye, I could pull out several readings that were indicative of the condition I was ultimately diagnosed with. read more
