Jennifer Elliott's nurse assistant/front office staff provided an extremely disappointing and unacceptable experience.
My appointment was scheduled for 9:00 AM, and I left home more than 40 minutes in advance. Due to unexpected traffic, I noticed around 8:45 AM that my GPS estimated my arrival at 9:18 AM. Wanting to be respectful of their time, I immediately called the office to notify them. No one answered, so I left a voicemail. A few minutes later, someone returned my call and informed me there was a 15-minute grace period.
I explained that my arrival time showed 9:18 AM and asked if they could please notify the doctor, since I urgently needed this appointment. I have surgery scheduled in less than two weeks and was seeking a second opinion. I had already completed pre-op check-in and submitted all required paperwork, so I was fully prepared for the visit.
Instead of showing any empathy or flexibility, the staff member repeatedly refused to notify the doctor and insisted I call back at 9:15 AM. When I called again, I was told that if I arrived after 9:15 AM, I would need to reschedule. This was incredibly frustrating, considering I was only projected to be only 3 minutes beyond the grace period.
I still came, arriving at 9:18 AM, only to be turned away. The front desk attendant told me the nurse had specifically come to the front and instructed them not to let me back.
What made this even worse was that the next available appointment was after my scheduled surgery, making the visit impossible to reschedule in time.
Based on how dismissive and uncompassionate I was treated throughout the entire interaction, I believe I was treated this way because I am African American while Dr. Elliott and the staff are Caucasian. Whether intentional or not, the experience left me feeling discriminated against and devalued as a patient.
Patients deserve fairness, professionalism, understanding, and care--not cold, rigid treatment that leaves them feeling singled out and unheard. read more