I found Dr Liss's name on a list of recommended Drs when I was searching for someone to help me get to the bottom of my health issues. I had been feeling terrible for months and FINALLY decided to take care of myself and get some answers. There was a notation by Dr Liss's name indicating she may not be accepting new patients but I decided to take a chance and call anyway.
From the beginning, things were strange. After a bit of a wild goose chase, I found her current number, although the receptionist just answers the phone as "Doctor's office" (not the name OF the Dr). Not bad, just odd and mostly confusing from the very beginning. I was thrilled to know she WAS accepting new patients, but her next available appt was in December (3 months away). Deciding this was an indication she was a much sought after Dr, I booked and waited, feeling progressively worse every day. I called to ask about cancellations but was told the list was very long and it was highly unlikely I would get in early.
December came, and I didn't receive any reminders so I called to confirm, only to leave several messages before getting a confirmation the day before my appointment.
I arrived to a very dark, messy, office. The walls are a weird shade of pink, there are boxes, papers & brochures strewn about everywhere. The office furniture is a mish-mash of second hand cast offs. People were dozing off in the wheeled desk chairs they use as waiting room seating. It looked kind of like a state funded clinic. BUT I KEPT THINKING IF SHE'S A GOOD DOCTOR I DONT CARE. The receptionist didn't have any forms for me to fill out but she did rip off a piece of notebook paper and asked me to write down my name, date of birth and address.
I waited over an hour to see the Dr. Again, very old looking patient rooms. The nurse's computer sits on an end table, which is stacked atop an old wood coffee table. When I finally saw the Dr, she was nice, quiet, took lots of notes as I talked, and then ordered a ton of lab work. She said we would wait to see what the results were and take it from there. She didn't offer any wisdom or advice in the interim, just to get the blood drawn there in her office. She told me the results would arrive in 2 weeks and that although she couldn't see me for another month, she would post the results to a patient portal website I could sign up for.
Two weeks later was Christmas and the labs weren't posted but I assumed it was due to the holiday. After three weeks I called to inquire and received a message from someone who read my results over the voice mail but I could not understand due to her thick accent. She said that I needed MORE tests because some labs didn't process correctly (which I discovered later was due to her office submitting the labs improperly...this was noted on the lab result sheets that I finally saw at my next appointment).
The follow-up appointment was on a Sunday, which again was weird but I thought was indicative of the Drs commitment and quality of performance. WITHOUT AN OUNCE OF EXAGGERATION I WAITED THREE HOURS IN THE WAITING ROOM! THREE! A woman who was also waiting (and intermittently sleeping) told me she's been going to Dr. Liss for 20 years and that kind of wait was completely normal for her, but that she didn't mind because Dr. Liss was worth it. I found this so confusing because 3 hours past your appointment time is ridiculous but someone saying she was that good of a Dr made me wonder if she was right. But I sat there as a guy sitting in as the receptionist watched international news on his computer very loudly in the waiting room, yelled at one of two delivery men delivering food to people in the office, vocalized his disagreement with his computer news and smelled his stinky lunch/dinner as he ate it (also loudly).
After 3 hours of waiting (I asked to reschedule but desperately wanted to just get some answers after 4.5 months!), I finally saw the Dr. She had no answers, she "forgot" to run some basic things like my iron levels and wanted to re-test the things that didn't get processed. Another month before the next appointment? NOPE. Done.
I found a new Dr. who is super professional, respects my time, digs for answers, offers lots of helpful, educated insight, has a clean, organized, orderly facility and employs respectable, respectful assistants.
P.S. It took me 3 attempts to cancel my future appointments with Dr. Liss because you are not allowed to leave messages on her office machine and while I waited on hold for 4 minutes only to have the receptionist ask for my number to call me back (she would NOT take my quick cancellation message because she was "with someone"), she never returned my call. I emailed as well but ended up calling and waiting AGAIN, before finally getting the message that I am not returning as a patient here. I really did try to give her the benefit of the doubt but my health is worth more. read more
