I have been a patient's of Dr. Suzanne Matunis since I was in my teens. For the most part, it has been smooth sailing; however, since Mercy Health Physicians, her practice, switched to a new business model, it has been chaotic. In 2020, I showed up for my annual physical only to be told that they don't have me in the system. You might say that it's a hiccup due to the pandemic except for the fact that I made the appointment the year before, which would have been pre-COVID shutdown. They claimed they could not fit me in that day, but gave me an appointment two days later. They sent a follow-up survey afterwards, which I completed advising them of the hiccup, hoping they would iron out the glitches. Everything went well in 2021, so I thought the scheduling problems were a thing of the past. I made my appointment for my annual check-up that year as I always did. In May 2022, I received an email from Mercy Health saying that I need to make an appointment for my annual check-up. I called the main office, and was told that my appointment was confirmed for December 2022. Two days later, I again received another email stating that I needed to make an appointment for an annual check-up. I ignored it because I thought it was another glitch in the system. Fast-forward to December 2022. The day before my appointment, I receive a call stating that they were canceling my appointment due to inclement weather. Now, inclement weather is nothing new to Cincinnati; it's located on the Ohio River, which means extremely cold winters with snow and extremely hot summers with humidity. My appointment was December 23, so I think the lazy staff just wanted a three-day weekend. I asked to reschedule, and was transferred to Donita. Before even getting my request out, Donita interrupted me shouting, "We're closed tomorrow due to the weather forecast!" like I was hard of hearing. I asked to speak to someone else. I was put on a perpetual hold for 20 minutes until I used my landline to call back to speak to someone about rescheduling. When I finally got a human on the line, I was told that there were no appointments until mid-January. I explained that I lived out of state, and had flown in for my appointments during my son's holiday break. They were dismissive of my situation and my time, and bluntly repeated the available dates as if I hadn't said anything at all. I then asked them where I would pick up my records, as I would no longer have Dr. Matunis as my primary care doctor. I was given a phone number, but she refused to transfer me. On December 23, 2022, I received a tone-deaf email (photograph below) stating that I needed to schedule my annual check-up, like my appointment not going forward was somehow my fault.
In mid-January, I received a letter from Mercy Health advising that Dr. Matunis and Dr. Mary Mosko were transitioning their practice to a concierge primary care model, which "guaranteed" same or next day business appointments and the ability to contact the doctor directly for an "annual fee" on top of any deductibles or copays you have through your insurance. Given that they claimed they had no availability to reschedule my annual check-up appointment until 3.5 weeks later, I somehow doubt these claims. Making false promises is just another way to gouge more money out of patients.
Bonus: when I called Mercy Health to inquire about the "annual cost" for the new "concierge model," the receptionist feigned ignorance, but directed me to Elise Stewart, the patient liaison. I called and left a message. No surprise, she never called me back. Probably not a good omen when the person in charge of the concierge service that promises same day or next day appointments can't even find the time to return phone calls. Mercy Health has proven time and again to be a maelstrom of disorganization and shows no signs of improving, with or without a concierge service. read more