THE FACILITIES ARE GORGEOUS. DON'T BE FOOLED.
I spent all summer unable to run or hike, during which I saw 2 PAs and an orthopedic doctor at EmergeOrtho.
I did everything I was told to do, including taking a prescription anti-inflammatory.
After 3 visits, doing what they said, no improvement, I went to Duke Sports, where I was told that NOTHING that EmergeOrtho told me to do would ever have done a thing to fix my issue.
It was all a TOTAL WASTE of time and energy and a summer...
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Three different appointments with 3 different people for what was finally diagnosed as a from of tendonitis in my right ankle.
Second time was told I'd been scheduled to see "ankle specialist" -- okay so -- who did I see the first time? (I wasn't walking in or an ER-type case. I could wait...)
"Ankle specialist" (who turned out to be PA, not orthopedic doc -- told me to wear a floor-to-calf plastic walking boot for a week (when "real feel" was 104F) -- I'm 67 and my house has stairs. Not comfortable -- but I do what they say.
I see they charged my insurance $350 for this boot. I have found that the EXACT SAME BOOT -- same manufacturer, style, everything -- is available from many sellers on Amazong for $55-85. Bear in mind, too, that they get these at wholesale prices -- so probably pay $25. Yes, I understand mark-up. Things are "keystoned" -- so EmergeOrtho would typicall mark it up 100%. Double the wholesale OR the retail price and it would be $50- 170 -- NOT $350!
THIRD VISIT -- finally saw an orthopedic DOCTOR who told me that the boot was useless -- kind of snorting as she said it as if to indicate that was a ludicrous thing to have done. She told me it would never have done me any good (not in her notes of course). She told me to ice my ankle 3x a day, put Voltaren on it 5x a day and write a prescription for an anti-inflammatory, which I was to take once a day.
No real improvement. I'd now had the problem for FOUR months.
I got an appointment with Duke sports. Orthopedic doctor, resident and a physical therapist spent half hour with me, going over x-rays, etc. (EmergeOrtho had also taken xrays).
VERDICT: I'd wasted four months and EmergeOtho was charing me over $1000 for NOTHING. NOTHING they told me to do would EVER have helped me. the ONLY thing that would have helped me was PT -- weeks of specific stretched. I asked SPECIFICALLY if Volaren, ice, walking boot, Rx inflammatory would have cured the problem and was told definitively that NO, the ONLY thing was exercises.
NO excercises, not PT were ever prescribed by EmergeOrtho (surprised, since it's right there and a profit center for them). PT/exercises never once mentioned by any of the 3 "medical professionals" I saw.
I have a high deductible. I paid for the first visit -- people aren't perfect, they don't always get it right, fine. AFTER insurance paid, they're trying to get nearly $1000 from me for -- basically malpractice. (I'm 67 and took a prescription anti-inflammatory for 2 weeks that I NEVER needed!)
They told me who to contact in billing -- but would not give a phone number of an email address. Seems she works out of her home and no one's allowed to talk to her? I finally got the name of the person I should contact -- not allowed to phone her, either.
I sent a registered letter containing the full report of Duke's orthopedist, my bills, proposing that we just agree to accept my payment for the first doc visit as payment in full -- which seems more than fair, given that I made no progress getting rid of this pain for 3 months, did not run, no hiking or treadmill -- as I did what EmergeOrtho told me to, which proved to be utterly useless.
I've had no reply in 3 weeks. No phone call, no email, no letter.
No messages on their "online patient portal" -- and no change to what they say I owe -- BUT all of these have now been sent to collections! (I have had an extremely high credit rating all my life -- and these people are going to now ruin it for me?) read more