Unfortunately, I have experienced a systemic breakdown in patient care, hygiene, and clinical…read morecompetence across multiple UC Health departments.
To provide full transparency, here are the specific issues that have forced me to make this change:
Ophthalmology & Vision Care
* Hygiene and Professionalism (Clifton): The technician performing my eye exam had such poor personal hygiene that I nearly walked out of the office.
* Disregarded Patient History: I explicitly warned the eye doctor about my severe sensitivity to dilation drops (past reactions caused 24-hour dilation and 3 days of severe sclera redness). He used full-strength drops anyway, leaving my eyes painful and sore for 3 days.
* Informed Consent Violations (Dr. Hutchins): Without asking my permission, Dr. Hutchins brought in multiple students to view my retinal hole. After he and an intern examined me, the intense bright light triggered a severe headache. When he ordered another student to "get in there, you need to see this," I had to firmly advocate for myself and refuse.
* CEI Blue Ash: I switched to the Blue Ash location specifically to avoid the environmental issues at Clifton, but the clinic still fell short. The doctor smelled as if she had not bathed or cleaned her scrubs.
Orthopedics & Neurology
* Unprepared Intake (Dr. Donaworth, West Chester): Dr. Donaworth failed to review my medical history or evaluate X-rays of both knees. Consequently, he completely missed that my Osgood-Schlatter was knocked off in a 2019 accident. When he casually suggested physical therapy, I informed him I already ride a stationary bike for 30 minutes every morning; his dismissive response showed a complete lack of preparation for a new patient.
* Inadequate Testing (Dr. Ross): Dr. Ross was deeply disappointing. He performed a nerve conduction test using only external stimulation and failed to find my ulnar nerve issue. Despite me reporting a total loss of strength in my left hand and an inability to open jars, he never checked for De Quervain's tenosynovitis. (By contrast, Dr. Shaftel immediately recognized the issue, identified a knot at the base of my thumb, ordered an X-ray, and began successful treatment).
* Positive Note (Dr. Grawe): Dr. Grawe provided my only positive experience outside of your office, and the physical therapy team at Varsity Village was exceptional. This is how health care should be from all doctors.
Cardiology & Diagnostics (Dr. Naz's Referrals)
* Sleep Study: After waiting 6 months to get a sleep study done through UC Health, they called a week before and canceled the test. They wanted to reschedule the test for 3 months from the original appointment. Thankfully my doctor recommended going to Sleep Management run by Dr. Corser who is part of the Christ Hospital network. The office appointments and the study were completed in two weeks.
* Faulty Equipment & Skin Damage: Dr. Naz ordered a heart monitor and assured me hypo-allergenic pads would prevent past skin reactions. Instead, I developed severe, oozing, raised rashes that poked through the gel membrane. The severe, needle-like pain forced me to stop the test. Additionally, the device was faulty, draining from 97% to 21% battery in just 8 hours.
* Scheduling Failures: I was told the earliest heart MRI appointment at Clifton was December 23, 2026, completely missing Dr. Naz's 3-month medical window. Only after I called to cancel--noting I secured an August 22nd appointment at The Christ Hospital--did a UC Health opening suddenly appear for August 28th. (Christ Hospital has since proactively moved me up to August 18th).
* Unsanitary Facilities (Clifton Stress Test): The stress test technician noticed my severe chest sores from the monitor, then proceeded to sand and alcohol the open sores off to attach new electrodes. When I used the restroom, I found feces on the toilet and urine coating the floor under the bowl.
* Unclean Clinical Environment: Upon entering the scanning room, the technician, Clovis, explicitly warned me: "I would not recommend setting your bag on the floor, it's not clean." Receiving a medical test in an environment the staff openly admits is dirty is deeply alarming.
* Invalidated Test Results: During the stress test, the technician, Mallory, accidentally hit the stop button while taking my blood pressure, interrupting the procedure and making the validity of the final data highly doubtful.
* Dismissed Neurological Symptoms: The pharmacological injection induced a severe headache. When I expressed concern due to my grandfather's history of stroke, I was told not to worry unless my blood pressure topped 220. Later, when I told Clovis I could feel my heartbeat and saw pulsing in my eyes, he ignored the comment and escorted me to the door.
* Severe Post-Test Complications: On my drive home on Monday, both of my arms became so weak I questioned if I would make it home safely.
