I'm a fairly new patient; being that I have only gone in one time for a procedure. However, I'm very disappointed with this office, esp. staff handling calls and lack of customer service. For example, there is absolutely no follow-up/follow-through when leaving messages even after waiting 3-4 days later, so I end up chasing them to get answers to my questions. What the heck is going on??? Therefore, I honestly, can only give them a one-star rating, at best!
Here is some feedback I sent to a "Patient Specialist", and now three days have gone by, and typically, I'm met with no response, so just wanted to share my email with you and explain what my experience has been...here goes:
I am not sure if you are the Customer Service Dept. to handle patient grievances and how management is handled at Dr. Chuapoco's, but I am extremely unhappy of how things transpired in this particular office to the point of Yelping a one star review, unless there will be some immediate and proactive changes.
Firstly, I was told initially that I couldn't set up an appointment for colonoscopy until I received paperwork in the mail. I waited 2 weeks for my paperwork, with my first set of paperwork never received by US mail, so they had to mail a second set of papers upon my request, thus, delaying another week. On top of that incident, it was my follow up/initiative call after 2 weeks of waiting for a phone call from their office which never came, because I was eager to set up an appointment, since I was 'considered high risk', and cancer runs in the family. This incident showed me a lack of caring and professionalism.
Secondly, and post-colonoscopy, I had some billing questions, which on the phone prompt option says to contact "Sabrina", so I left a message for her to call me back because I needed an insurance claim resubmitted, and after waiting 3 days for no follow up call, I call to find out what happened. The receptionist says Sabrina no longer works there, so I asked if someone else in billing could have returned my call, and that maybe they should have corrected the 'voicemail prompt' with a substitute name in place of Sabrina. The receptionist never apologized for the miscommunication and lack of 'follow through', so basically my request was never resolved.
Lastly, when I tried to make an appointment for a new procedure called Hemorrhoidal banding, the receptionist gives me 'second choice' for an appointment time which suits the doctor's schedule, but not convenient for me. I told her I have never been turn down in a medical office in the past for a choice time which "caters" to Dr's schedule, and what happened to catering to a patient's request, or customer service? For example, I asked for the latest appointment time, which was 2:30 P.M. I told her I would opt for that time, and then the receptionist changes her mind and says she has to give me the 1:00 P.M. time so the doctor doesn't have to wait for one and half hour to see me (because she has no one scheduled in the earlier time slots). I thought this was very unusual 'reasoning', and made me feel like second priority, but I agreed to 1 PM. A few days after making this appointment, I received instructions in the mail informing me to take an 'enema' as a prerequisite to this 'banding procedure', when she could have told me this when I originally made the appointment. The reason for my being upset, after I called again, was that I told her I planned to go to work on this day, so taking an enema and running to bathroom was not ideal or a convenient situation. With this misinformation, the receptionist never bothered to explain these instructions to me, but went ahead and made appointment... Frustrated, and feeling and being treated like a second class citizen, I cancelled my appointment. I told her with poor follow up/customer service, e.g. no phonecalls returned, and discriminatory treatment, lack of priority in scheduling appointments, and misinformation, I do not wish to have anything to do with their office, and will take my healthcare concerns elsewhere. I am extremely disappointed with all aspects of this office, inefficiency in staff, and how things were handled.
I hope you can share this with Dr. Chuapoco and her staff to rethink their business practices.
Thank you.
Vanessa B. read more
