Not worth coming here.
I was the second person in line the morning I showed up injured and needing their care. I was literally standing outside behind an older gentleman for the doors to open. Though they indeed took payment from me within the first 10 minutes I was there, and though I was the second name on their "sign-up" sheet --I waited over an HOUR to see, not Dr. Hershfeld, but a nurse who spent a total of ten ambiguous minutes with me. I left with a referral to a specialist and not even an inkling of an idea of what was wrong with me.
I noted some things that bothered me somewhat as I sat and waited for much ado about nothing:
*The Doctor strolls in 15 mins AFTER his office opens.
*The staff behind the front desk never acknowledge patients or looks up at you nor do they smile. They just call your name out like you are cattle (i.e. "pay your co-payment, it's your turn to be seen" or "is that how you spell your last name??!").
*The unfinished" half-walls of plaster and sheetrock" throughout the whole office when a simple coat of paint would do. Not sure why 9 months AFTER Hurricane Sandy, a coat of paint is so tedious. Then again, that kind of lack of attention to details illustrates my point exactly that much of what they do, feels tedious to them.
*Despite a "Sign-In" sheet, there seemed to be about 5 persons who came in well after me, but went in ahead of me.
*They have signs all over the walls that warn you there will be a longer wait time due to the "processing of medical records from paper to electronic" because they lost everything in Sandy. My question is: Who isn't electronic these days?? Plus, you can't trick me like that; I was there a few times before Sandy and the wait was just as horrendous. Something about those signs seemed in poor taste, as if they were taking a pathetic turn at using Sandy as a crutch (9 months later) to excuse poor service and lack of efficiency.
My overall experience from "start to finish" was pretty lousy. I noted a lot of senior citizens in the waiting room the day I was there, as well as young folks who needed simple "health physicals" or "workers comp" cases to be dealt with. As I left, I saw that their waiting room was full to the brim with patients and I'm guessing it remained that way throughout the day.
Important to note: They used to have an x-ray machine, but now they do not. For any care you need that requires x-rays, Dr. Hershfeld's office will refer you down the block to another facility that, despite taking "digital" x-rays (READ: IMMEDIATE RESULTS), they too, will have poor follow-up skills concerning your results and will not tell you what they are taking/doing with you and where your results are going when they are done and when you should expect that your Doctor's office (who is down the block!) might call (if at all) to give you the results.
All of that aside, Dr. Hershfeld's office was not even aware that the results from my specialist referral had been sitting on their fax machine. My conversation with his office went like this:
Me: Hi, did you get my results from South Shore Radiology yet?"
Dr. Hershfeld's office/Front Desk: "Did we call you???"
Clearly, there is an undertone in that kind of exchange, and part of it is just plain dismissiveness. This was actually was the second time I had called, as the first time, they told ME to call the specialist to remind them to fax the results over. Heavens Forbid they look for them. And I am getting billed for all of this! Knowing that Dr. Hershfeld's office would close (4:00pm) soon, I had no choice but to chase my diagnosis down.
In summary, at this establishment it is the patient's responsibility (read: ME) to tell them that your results are sitting on their fax machine, even if they blow you off (read: ME) over the phone every time you call. Wait, no head's up as to the care of my injured body part going forward? How I was to treat myself in the coming weeks / expected recovery?? I requested to speak with an actual medical professional because, while yes, I was injured (and okay, not fatally), it seemed completely inappropriate that the front desk personnel was telling me my results and trying to get me off the phone.
I got my information off of GOOGLE as to the care I should follow -not his office. Which is why I say - avoid being in the care of this "Doctor's office" if you can. There are better, more professional medical offices in New York that employ courteous and knowledgeable staff to take care of their patients. Go THERE instead!
When I think about the whole day I wasted dealing with them from the early morning until just before they closed, I was wishing I just took myself to the ER as the poor service here only added insult to my already painful injury. read more
