I had a chronic on going cough and was happy to find a doctor who was compassionate, patient and "old school." Dr. Armstrong is amazing. He thinks outside the box and explains things in layman's terms. He's a 10 star doctor. He listens. He "gets" it. It doesn't matter what "it" is. He understands.
The "gatekeepers" (front desk staff) are no stars. Doctors are busy. That is why they have nurses and staff members to handle details for them. If I can't reach a doctor, he won't know I called.
The last straw for me was rushing to an appointment only to find out that the doctor was out of town. No one called to cancel. I don't blame the doctor. I'm disappointed in his staff. This isn't the first incident. It is simply the last one for me. What added to my disappointment was that someone scheduled me for an appointment while my doctor was on vacation.
If the receptionist had apologized for making a mistake, I could have accepted it. When four people frowned at me and wanted to make it my fault that they were wrong, I had already fired them in my head. I have caller id. No one left a message to say they needed to reschedule, unless it was a psychic one.
All patients have the right to be treated with dignity and respect. I placed five calls (over several weeks) to the doctor's office. None of the messages were relayed. Since the doctor's office is private, the patient advocacy office couldn't help me.
I spoke to my insurance company. I didn't want to burn a bridge. I wanted to reach my doctor when needed. To make matters worse, when I complained, the employees changed their story and said that they didn't have the correct number on file.
The most disappointing moment happened after a follow up visit. The office manager didn't realize I could hear her talking about me. If an office manager is unkind and staff members won't relay messages, there isn't a way to keep visiting the doctor, even if he is decent and has a passion for practicing medicine.
If you can't leave messages or be smiled at, why schedule an awkward encounter every few months? I can get grumpy service at many fast food restaurants and the wait time is shorter.
Pun intended, I won't be holding my breath for the doctor to call me back. read more