I stayed with this group for a decade, because I like my doctor, but some members of the office…read morestaff simply do not have the patients' best interests as their primary concern.
During my time with this office, I've had my blood work done many times, and every time, they say they'll call me with the results. Honestly, 75% of the time they do not call. A week or more will go by, and I'll have to call to get the results, and a week thereafter, I may get a form in the mail (one that looks like it was photocopied a million times, so the text is blurred & faded), on which are my blood-work numbers, scribbled inside the text boxes. Sometimes, I'll get the form & no call, sometimes a call & no form, but most of the time, it's neither.
When I need a prescription called in to my pharmacy, they tell me they'll do it within 24 to 48 hours. After going to the pharmacy a couple times and having them tell me no one called them for my prescription, I now call the office first, to remind them to do what they said they'd do.
On multiple occasions, I've needed a prescription mailed to me (which my doctor kindly recommended, to save me from having to drive there), and the staff always say they'll mail it within 24-48 hours. Roughly 75% of the time, I've gotten it in the mail within 4-5 business days, but of the other 25% of the time, they either forget to put it in the outgoing mail, or they forget they're supposed to mail it & it sits there for a week, and they forget to call me to tell me it's ready to be picked up.
Last year, I needed a referral, so my doctor said he'd have his staff set up an appointment, and they'll get in touch with me. A week went by, and I heard nothing. I called, they had no idea what I was talking about & said they'd ask my doctor. Another week went by... I called, they said they'll get back to me ASAP. Nearly another week went by, and I got an envelope from them in the mail. It had a referral form in it, with an appointment scheduled for a month later. Because they forgot to do it, it cost me nearly 3 weeks, and then instead of calling me with the details, they mailed it to me, delaying the information by another 3-4 days.
During the ten years or so that I've been a patient, there was just one time that I actually forgot about something; I had an appointment last year, and it completely slipped my mind. I only remembered it when I got a letter in the mail, only a few days after my scheduled appointment; it was a bill for $25, because I forgot to call them... I'm penalized for my one-time forgetfulness, and I'm also penalized for their habitual forgetfulness.
The obvious thing to do is to talk to my doctor about the problems with the office staff. I have. He told me to speak with the office manager any time I have any problems. I have. Basically, it goes like this: a staff member neglects to do something, so I call & ask about it. They tell me they forgot/misplaced/didn't get the message, etc., but she'll take care of it right now. I ask to speak with the manager. I'm put on hold, the office manager eventually picks up, I tell her the problem, she puts me on hold, eventually comes back on, says they'll take care of it right now, puts me on hold, and then the same staff person eventually picks up & says she'll take care of it right now. After going through that routine a few times, I realized I'm not accomplishing anything - I'm just wasting even more of my time.
I like my doctor, and there are few really good members of the office staff, but there's a systemic problem with this medical group, and although the symptoms have been identified & discussed with more than one authority, on more than one occasion, those symptoms still have yet to be satisfactorily treated.
I've been a patient patient, but it's time to walk away & find a more reliable, trustworthy, and professional organization (and I suggest my future-former doctor do the same).
