This letter to Dr, Alexander will explain everything:
October 11, 2023
Sanford Scott
7170 128th St.
Seminole, FL 33776
Dr. Alexander:
In my 83 years, I have never experienced the medical disaster that was my contact with Mr. Dattilo (I hesitate to call him Doctor, in that Hippocrates would roll over in his grave knowing someone of his character had that title) yesterday But I will get to him momentarily.
I have had 6 appointments with three of your physicians recently, Dr. Perler for lower leg pain, Dr. Nalley for my painful arthritic neck, the result of a C1 fracture some years ago, and the aforementioned Dattilo.
Every appointment resulted in a ridiculously long wait in the exam room. The epitome of that was my third appointment with Dr. Perler last week. On my initial appointment with him, we went through the usual interview process and X-rays were taken of my lower left leg. He gave me a script for a nerve evaluation which I accomplished and then had my second appointment with him. On that appointment we discussed the possibility of trying Botox as a less evasive try than surgery. I was sent home with some ineffective CBD cream and on the appointment last week we were to discuss the plan of action.
After a long delay in getting what turned out to be a non-appointment - I literally waited in a small, windowless exam room for an hour and 35 minutes, breaking my previous wait record of an hour and 15 minutes at your facility. The assistant always says the same thing, to wit: "The doctor will be right with you." Uh huh, it has yet to happen.
At one point, a podiatrist serving a fellowship under Perler came in to inform me that he was running late. Amazingly, at that hour and 35-minute point, I noticed an email had arrived on my phone indicating that there was a post to my patient portal record. I opened it and was more than amazed to discover that it was a report of my non-visit. I had so many questions to ask and none were addressed and I received no treatment such as the Botox he had previously mentioned. When that happened, I walked out of the exam room, only to find Perler standing at the end of the hallway. I mentioned the patient portal entry and his reply was, "Thank you for the book (I had given him a book on my previous visit), you can go and I'll see you in three months? Huh? I left in disbelief and disgust.
Now to Dattilo. The plan was for me to have a hip replacement surgery at Pasadena Hospital on October 18th. I have been in severe pain which makes it difficult to sleep and walk, but unfortunately on my first visit, I received a cortisone injection which was ineffective, but hence had to now wait for 60 days before surgery could be performed. I was given a script for blood work and told my providers would be contacted for the necessary other things such as EKG results, etc. As aside, I have an EKG every 4 months with my personal friend, Dr. John Norris, since undergoing an ablation with him some years ago. The results are always good.
Suddenly, I am contacted asking about the EKG and chest X-ray. I sent Britany Doyle a copy of the EKG that I recently had at Morton Plant while undergoing a 7-hour TAVR evaluation, and sent a recent CTA scan which is certainly more extensive than an X-ray in the chest area asking if that would substitute. I asked her to ask Dattilo. I never heard back.
Being someone who just doesn't sit around and wait for things to happen, I contacted the Pre-op nurse at Pasadena with whom I had an appointment on October 12th. She said all of those should be fine to satisfy their needs and if something was still needed it could be done at the time of the up-coming evaluation. So, I was set.
I was then told by one of your people that they could not contact Dr. Norris' office, which I found to be ridiculous in that if there was ever a practice at which you immediately always connect to a human when you call, it is that practice. I also had 10 vials of blood extracted at Quest Diagnostics and a urinalysis on October 4th so I was assuredly good to go.
Yesterday, I received the most distressing possible call. I am living in pain day and night eagerly awaiting my surgery. In that I have to be off of my supplements, my much-needed Tumeric for my neck pain had to be ceased so between the neck, lower leg and hip pain, to say that I am miserable would be the understatement of the century. But I digress.
The phone rang, I picked it up and it was Dattilo with the nastiest possible voice saying, "I am tired of you giving my assistants a hard time, you are finished, I am cancelling your surgery. You have refused to get an EKG and a chest X-ray." I tried to explain that I have an EKG, etc., but he was not about to listen.
I gave no one a hard time. You can certainly confirm that by checking my correspondence through the patient portal and email. read more