I have visited the Henry Ford Urgent Care on West Road in Woodhaven on several occasions over the past few years, but when I was feeling unwell in late December, I didn't feel up to driving that distance, since I live on Grosse Ile and the clinic is about two miles from my house.
The convenience is great; the service is a whole other thing.
As I waited in the very tiny waiting area, I was able to hear the doctor's conversations with his patients including every word of his diagnoses. (HIPAA, anyone?) As it was just a few days after Christmas, all of the patients had flu or sinus infections and received injections and/or prescriptions.
When I was brought in for examination, it included an attempt to take my blood pressure. The sphygmomanometer didn't work. The medical assistant tried for a second time as she said, "Oh, this thing isn't working again." I expected that she'd get an instrument from another room, or transfer me to one that had a working instrument, but no, she simply pushed it aside and told me the doctor would be in in a moment. They still don't know if my blood pressure was a point of concern, because they never measured it.
Everyone was friendly, but, until I asked, all failed to identify themselves by name or by role.
I am a standardized patient associated with a local medical school. Part of our program consists of training medical personnel in patient communication. An acronym that's basic to that communication includes "I" - identifying oneself by name and by function. Since uniforms are somewhat generic, they often aren't very helpful, and no one wore ID badges, so staff should *say,* "I'm the nurse / medical assistant / etc." Not until I asked was I told names or roles. When the doctor entered the room, he, too, failed to identify himself. A name was embroidered on his coat, but, again, I had to ask for confirmation.
The atmosphere overall was unprofessional. It is an environment that I do not ever plan to enter again unless there is a dire emergency and the bridges to the island are inaccessible, preventing me from going to Henry Ford's facility or any other one. read more