I am extremely disappointed with how this office handled an already stressful situation for our family.
My son is having surgery, and about two weeks ago the office agreed to complete paperwork required for me to use a caregiver leave benefit through my employer so I could care for him during his recovery. The office was aware of the upcoming procedure and had plenty of notice.
During my son's pre-op visit, I specifically asked Dr. Donovan-Hunt about the paperwork. She seemed concerned that she was not the pediatrician officially listed on his chart, even though she has seen my son on multiple occasions, but she assured me that Dr. Glikesberg, who is listed as his pediatrician, would complete the forms when he returned.
Now, the day before my son's surgery, I received a call from the front desk questioning who had determined that I needed time off to care for my son and telling me that I did not need this time. I found it incredibly inappropriate and upsetting to have office staff questioning my need or desire to use a legitimate benefit provided by my employer. Whether I choose to use an available caregiver benefit to be present for my child after surgery should not be dismissed in this manner.
I was then told that Dr. Glikesberg would not complete the paperwork because he was not the physician who performed the pre-op visit -- despite what I had previously been told. If the office was unwilling or unable to complete these forms, that should have been communicated to me when they received them two weeks ago, not the day before surgery when our family is already nervous and stressed.
What disappointed me most was the lack of compassion and empathy in how the situation was handled. There was no acknowledgment of how difficult it is for a parent preparing for their child's surgery or of the unnecessary stress caused by waiting until the last minute to tell us this.
Thankfully, my son's surgeon has agreed to complete the paperwork, so the issue will ultimately be resolved. However, this experience has completely changed how I feel about this pediatric practice.
As a healthcare provider myself who also takes care of patients and families, I understand that offices have policies and physicians have limits on what they are comfortable certifying. What I cannot understand is the lack of communication, empathy, and professionalism in how this was handled.
I am very disappointed and would encourage parents to consider a pediatric practice where they feel their concerns and their child's needs will be treated with compassion, especially during something as stressful as surgery.
Update: I received a call today from the practice manager, Valerie. She personally reached out to ask about my experience and apologized for how the situation had been handled. I was genuinely impressed by how seriously she took my concerns. She was grateful for the feedback, and it was apparent that her call was not simply to apologize, but to truly understand where the process had gone wrong and how their procedures and communication could be improved going forward.
I greatly appreciate both Dr. Gliksburg and Valerie reaching out personally. Their responses made a significant difference in how I feel about the situation and showed me that the practice does take patient and family concerns seriously.
I know that mistakes and communication breakdowns can happen. What matters greatly is how an organization responds when concerns are brought to its attention. I was very disappointed by the original experience, but I am equally appreciative of how seriously the practice took my feedback afterward and the effort they made to address it. read more
