I visited Dr. Hoffman today for an unsightly mark on my bald head. (It wasn't malignant, thanks for asking!) Besides checking for cancer, I had heard that it could be frozen off.
I had only a short wait in the waiting room, and I was overjoyed that I didn't have to provide insurance documents or update my information or health history. Since both Dr. Hoffman & my primary care physician are affiliated with Rush Medical Center, my electronic medical record is one and the same.
A nurse saw me first, took my blood pressure and asked me some basic questions (e.g., how long I'd had it). Then a resident came in & took a look for the primary assessment. He then got Dr. Hoffman to do confirm is diagnosis. I only waited about 5 minutes each time.
Dr. Hoffman was very clear in my options--to have it "frozen off" or to do nothing. The risks of removing it were that it might remain discolored, in a different way, it could take months to heal, and insurance wouldn't reimburse the $200 fee (and a potential second treatment). A lot of docs might see this as an income opportunity; Dr. Hoffman didn't try to sway me either way--only to give me all the options. He was not rushed at all (even though he works at Rush--sorry!).
I feel that I need to comment on the previous reviewer:
1. This is a busy practice with a lot of docs--I doubt they pay attention to what's on TV in the waiting room, nor would I want them to. The clerks likely put on what they think people will like. It's not fair to ding the doctor for this.
2. Unless the reviewer scheduled a full body scan in addition to his or her primary "most important single item" when he/she made the appointment, one can't expect the doc to take the time for it. With declining reimbursement, docs have to schedule their time very efficiently & get limited reimbursement from payors. If I'm at work and someone schedules a 15-minute meeting with me and tells me at the beginning of the meeting that they want me to spend a half hour, it's unlikely to happen (& I would find it to be rude, esp. if it would make me late for my next meeting). My day has already been scheduled. Tell me upfront if you need 30 minutes.
3. It's too bad that that the reviewer didn't know how university hospitals work--maybe the offices should be better about that. Always expect to see residents, and they're no longer "students"--they are already MDs. The trade-off of seeing them is that teaching hospitals tend to be the most-advanced places for care ("tertiary care"), and the physicians tend to be on the leading edge, doing research and teaching. Dr. Hoffman is an assistant professor at Rush.
4. Dr. Hoffman seemed so personable that it's hard for me to imagine that he was so evil that day. If the reviewer had the same in-going attitude presented here, I can see the physician wanting to get the hell out of there. Maybe the doc should have at least taken the time to diagnosis a hair up the reviewer's ass.
Needless to say, I highly-recommend Dr. Hoffman. read more