To begin with I want to explain that Dr. Carlton Miller was able to give me a diagnosis for a…read morerather rare disorder, and for discovering that, I am grateful for his care. I also want to note that he has a rather intense personality, by which I often feel overwhelmed. I have viewed this as a difference in communication styles and not necessarily a reflection of his care and professionalism. Rheumatologists are notoriously difficult to get an initial consultation with. In my experience, it takes at least six months to get an appointment in the central Virginia area. I was grateful that I was able to get an appointment with Dr. Carlton Miller in about six weeks. My first visit took more than three hours and was thorough, though there was also a great deal of waiting. Subsequent visits were also time-consuming with long periods of waiting. The office has phlebotomists and radiology on site, so it is a self-contained, one-stop facility. The difficulty with this is that, unlike with external labs and imaging centers with which one can communicate and get reports and X-rays easily, the AMDC office is not responsive to record requests. Communication with the doctor and the office is chaotic and unclear, which can be frustrating. It is extremely time consuming trying to get records and test results for other providers, regardless of tactics used to obtain them: I have experienced lack of response to practitioners' requests with signed releases, letters of request from me for the other practices, in-person signed releases at the AMDC office, as well as calls placed by me, doctors' offices, and faxed requests. For some reason, it feels as if this practice holds on to records and lab results as if they are proprietary, which is counterproductive to specialists working together and primary care providers monitoring progress. General communication is also difficult. I don't feel like I ever get clear diagnoses and prognoses, and I do not feel like I am an active participant in my care. I learned of some diagnoses, which were determined by lab results, only through prescriptions called in to my pharmacy, after which I called the AMDC office. There was no contact with me whatsoever. I feel like my continued care requires a lot of work on my part without understanding. Rheumatology is a complicated specialty and requires better patient education than what is provided by AMDC.

This place is atrocious. I make early morning appointments to avoid delays and they are often more…read morethan 45 minutes late 30 minutes after opening. Docs are largely unavailable and make you meet with nurse practitioner. Office staff is dismissive and unkind by default and totally unhelpful if you call in for anything between appointments. Prescriptions are frequently not called in to pharmacy and it takes at least 3 calls to remedy most times. If you can get them to actually do more than the bare minimum anyway. Staff also commonly ignores patients and will delay service to gossip loudly in the halls. Messages left for docs are rarely delivered causing confusion at the appointments. Seriously, find yourself another rheumatology clinic...I would if I wasn't stuck here by insurance and distance to other options.