Dr. Marzolf is a good dentist with a frank manner that gets to the heart of the issue. His office is run somewhat casually, but when I had a difficult problem I appreciated his no nonsense assessment of my situation and his expert treatment. His hygienist was competent and thorough. I have no reservations about the care I received from him and his medical assistants.
I stopped going to see him because of the office staff. My dental insurance had lapsed, so I had put off dealing with recurring pain that could have been related to the problem Dr. Marzolf had treated. When the head of the office staff contacted me to remind me I was overdue for a cleaning, I said I knew that, but currently I had a more urgent issue, re: pain which could be related to the former problem. I told her I needed to see the doctor. I would have to pay retail, so could she please tell me what an examination will cost?
She insisted she could not give me even a ball park until I was seen by Dr. Marzolf. But I can't see the doctor, I tried to impress on her, unless I know whether I can afford it. I can't get myself into a situation where I come in blind and find myself faced with an unmanageable bill. Surely he has a stated rate for an initial exam, I queried? She reiterated she could not give me a price of any sort, I would have to see the doctor, and when did I want to schedule my cleaning? I was baffled. We were getting nowhere fast with this dog chasing its tail, see-the-doctor-to-find-out-if-you-can-afford-to-see-the-doctor elliptical conversation.
My dissatisfaction was not that Dr. Marzolf's office assistant would not give me any hint of basic cost, exasperating as that was. It was that she essentially ignored my need to be seen for treatment, never even offered to speak to the doctor on my behalf, and focused solely on when I wanted to make my appointment for a cleaning. Running into a stone wall when I needed help was not my idea of patient care. I went back to my former dentist, whose office assistants responded to my situation with a precise idea of costs and options before scheduling treatment. read more