After experiencing a lot of let downs in healthcare in the Portland area this place left me disappointed too. My saga started when I thought I was calling the office on Sunnybrook in Clackamas. Apparently the number listed here on yelp is for an office near mall 205, none of this was disclosed to me when I made my appointment over the phone (and this would not come out until far later in the story). So when I went to the office on Sunnybrook today I was told I had to go to the other location. (Even though the girl at the front desk said to me, "we aren't busy this afternoon.") Although I was a little annoyed I couldn't let that get in the way, after all what does that matter if I can get quality healthcare.
I went to the other office, which I can't remember the name of, but it definitely wasn't the same. When I walked in I was kind of put off by the dark, dingy, old and kind of smelly office. Again I tried to remind myself that ultimately the quality of care is the most important thing and not let that bother me. Plus even though I was nearly 40 minutes late they didn't even bat an eyelash or make me feel bad, so that is the one positive I can say.
I was lead back to my room and to get there I had to walk past a giant room of about 10 tables and a few people receiving PT and also their family members sitting by and watching. Not only is this a HIPAA violation it felt really creepy. Not to mention one of the patients brought in their dog which was clearly NOT a service animal. It kept barking, which was only making the loud room even louder.
I went into my room for chiropractic care and noticed the door was not closed. This is when I stopped ignoring the uneasy feeling, and it only got worse from there. A few moments later a woman came into my room and told me she was the biller, and she started by telling me that she was unable to get ahold of my Geico claim adjuster and had me sign some papers, all the while making me feel like they were more concerned about making money than patient care. As a medical biller and someone who has been working in the medical field for the past 5 years this made me feel so bad. I would feel ashamed if I ever made one of my patients feel like that woman made me feel.
After she left the chiropractor came in, and he did not close the door to the treatment room. After struggling to hear him over the noisy patients I asked him to close the door and he told me, "I can't, it's the owners policy that I can't close the door." WTF? When people receive chiropractic care they are put into compromising and vulnerable positions. I don't want any random stranger seeing me like this, or even being able to hear about my personal private medical problems. This was about the time my brain said "run" but I kept ignoring it for the sake of trying to give this guy the benefit of the doubt. After he asked me questions that made me feel like I was neglecting to take care of myself because I just started a new job and couldn't take time off work for appointments he dealt the final blow the break the camel's back.
The chiropractor finally asked where I worked and lived and when it was revealed that the Sunnybrook location would have been far more convenient he looked me straight in the eye and said, "why did you schedule an appointment here if that location is better for you?" It took all my strength not to yell and I said to him, "actually I DID schedule an appointment there but when I showed up they told me to come here." He then told me, "oh, yeah, we've had that problem a lot because Yelp lists our number as theirs."
Really!? IF YOU KNOW THIS IS A PROBLEM THEN WHY DONT YOU HAVE YOUR RECEPTIONIST CONFIRM WHEN A NEW PATIENT SCHEDULES THAT THEY KNOW WHICH LOCATION THEY'VE SCHEDULED WITH? Again, I've worked in healthcare for the past 5 years and this is customer service 101. If you know a problem like this exists then it's your job to remedy it. But I digress.
After just 5 minutes ago chastising me for not "putting my health first" he told me that he might not be able to treat me since I likely would be going to the other office for further treatments. He left and talked to the biller and then came back and said he could go ahead and treat me today. At that point I was so off put by the lack of professionalism and abhorrent HIPAA violations that ran rampant through this office I decided I would not be seeking treatment at either clinic.
All in all I was so appalled and disgusted by the lack of professionalism and concern for patient privacy that I could not justify ignoring my gut feeling. I hope they read this and work out their issues. read more