If you've got lots of time on your hands to wait to see the doctor, and you happen to need some…read morecursory care for your foot or ankle, Virginia Foot and Ankle Center will do. But asking for records to be sent for an emergency second opinion when you can't walk 8 months post-surgery, this place is not the place for you. If you try to express the urgency of your situation and your frustrations when the office staff rudely pontificates on office regulations and ends her speech with "NO!" when she really means "tough luck!", take the hint and go elsewhere. If you understand that your doctor hasn't read the notes on why you're there, or she forgets to give you critical information regarding surgery and post-surgical care, go elsewhere.
I have been a patient of Dr Kaas's for almost 15 years. In those years I have always received the very best of care, that is, until the last 2 years. Dr Kaas did total foot reconstruction surgery on my left foot 8 months ago. All I was told was,"it'll be hard for you". That was it. Post-surgery I learned just how hard it was. Had I been given a list of medical supplies to purchase in advance or told I could rent a wheelchair from Dr. Kaas' office, or that I would need physical therapy after my surgery, the quality of my recovery would have been substantially improved.
The pain has never diminished, and walking is just as painful as it had been before surgery. I made 3 appointments to see Dr Kaas for the pain in my toes, the ball of my foot, and the arch of my foot. I can't walk without pain. With each visit, I waited for over an hour to see her. Unfortunately, the time I waited was exponentially longer than the time I received in actual treatment. The pain in my foot has been migrating up my ankle and leg, causing burning and numbing. My toes are immobile, and it affects my balance. When Dr Kaas inserted the needle into my toes she said it sounded like she was sticking the needle into a piece of celery (not good). The other shot was for a neuroma (nerve pain) on the underside of my foot. Belatedly, Dr Kaas told I should have gone to physical therapy. That was one of the things I was never told, and it wasn't in my records. I was told to go home and do the PT myself. One month later, the pain is worse, and it's climbing up my leg.
Worried about the prognosis for my feet (the right one needs surgery too), I made an appointment to see an ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON. I was relieved when I was scheduled within a week. My biggest problem was trying to get my surgical records sent to the new doctor. I sent emails and called Dr Kaas's office requesting my records be sent, only 4 pages were sent. When my Dr's office called for my records, nothing additional was sent. Finally, the doctor's office asked me to call Dr Kaas to request the rest of the records.
To say that Tanya, the business manager, was rude is an understatement. I didn't even get a chance to explain the urgency of my request before she launched into a very aggressive lecture mode about "office protocol" ....and that I shouldn't expect to have my records sent ASAP.
When medical support staff are unable or unwilling to listen and treat patients with respect, there's a problem. When Tanya was done with her diatribe, and I was allowed to talk, she had quick retorts for everything I tried to say. I get it, rules are rules, but when it comes to a patient's health and welfare, don't take it personally. Listen and see how you can help them. Don't tell them, "when you come back...." NOPE! I won't be back!
