Our experience at Mary Rutan Hospital began with concerns about the overall process and ultimately…read morebecame a very upsetting experience for my wife.
My wife has been experiencing significant lower back pain for approximately six months. She was recently diagnosed with arthritis, although the specific type and underlying cause of her symptoms have not yet been determined. She has completed physical therapy, which provided no relief, but was required by insurance before additional imaging could be authorized. To date, an MRI has been completed, resulting in the general arthritis diagnosis. She recently had an online consultation with a rheumatologist through a referral from her primary care physician. She had also been referred to Mary Rutan Hospital for a pain management consultation, which she decided to keep so she could establish a relationship with a pain specialist and maintain additional treatment options.
Upon arriving at the hospital, we asked the main entrance receptionist where pain management was located. We were told it was "down past the emergency room" and directed with a thumb gesture. We followed the signs toward the emergency room but could not find anything identifying pain management or outpatient services. We eventually asked a cleaning staff member for assistance, and she contacted a passing nurse. We were then informed that pain management was located in outpatient services, which we had already passed. Both employees were courteous and helpful, and we appreciated their assistance.
My wife was checked in and taken back to Room 3 in outpatient services within approximately five minutes. Unfortunately, the condition of the room was extremely concerning. The floor was visibly dirty, with hair, stains, and trash present. The vents were also dirty, the sink appeared outdated and not up to code, cabinets and drawers had no locks, and the door showed significant rust. Additionally, the exit sign was blinking.
The admitting nurse was thorough when reviewing my wife's medical history. However, she initially used a blood pressure cuff that was clearly too small. A larger cuff was readily visible in its packaging in the basket beneath the machine. My wife explained that the cuff was extremely tight, and the resulting blood pressure reading was unusually high. Despite this, the nurse did not replace the cuff on the second attempt and instead attributed the elevated reading to my wife being in pain and nervous.
The appointment was scheduled for 11:00 a.m., but we waited approximately 25 minutes before Dr. Anuj M. Shah and his PA entered the room. Dr. Shah did not ask my wife whether she was comfortable with the PA participating in the appointment. The PA remained in the room with a full-size laptop throughout the consultation.
Dr. Shah initially stated that he wanted to review my wife's MRI before developing a treatment plan. My wife agreed and explained that she had recently consulted with a rheumatologist and wanted to keep this appointment to establish a relationship with a pain specialist and maintain additional treatment options. At that point, Dr. Shah's demeanor changed considerably.
His communication became confrontational and dismissive. While leaning against the sink with his arms and legs crossed, he spoke to my wife in a manner we perceived as condescending. He proceeded to tell her what he believed she was experiencing and where she was experiencing pain, then demanded that she stand and identify the locations of her pain. He rapidly questioned her about other areas of discomfort without allowing her adequate time to respond.
When my wife discussed arthritis as a possible cause, Dr. Shah dismissed the concern, stating that "everyone has it, even my PA." The PA appeared to smirk at the comment. The interaction continued to escalate until Dr. Shah demanded, "WHERE ELSE!?" At that point, my wife and I stood up and explained that the interaction was not helping. We decided to leave. Dr. Shah attempted to stop her by saying, "Ma'am," but I stated that we were finished and we were leaving.
We found Dr. Shah's behavior to be extremely rude, unprofessional, demeaning, and, in our opinion, bordering on abusive. Most importantly, my wife was seeking help for significant and ongoing pain--not medication or drugs. She was attempting to better understand the source of her symptoms and identify appropriate treatment options.
We left the appointment feeling that my wife's concerns were dismissed rather than evaluated. Regardless of a physician's opinion regarding the cause of a patient's symptoms, patients deserve to be treated with professionalism, dignity, patience, and respect. Our experience fell far short of those expectations, and we believe the hospital should seriously review both the condition of the outpatient facility and the conduct displayed during this appointment.
