About eight years ago I was referred to PMS by my primary doctor for treatment of recurring neuropathic pain in my arm resulting from a herniated cervical disc. I was treated by Dr. Schmidt and was very pleased with the experience. He has good bedside manner, communicates well, and seems to know what he's doing, as the injections I received were very effective in relieving my pain. So I continued to visit PMS periodically as my pain would recur. As time went on, however, I began to notice that the office staff at PMS was becoming increasingly disorganized and surly. They had trouble keeping appointments; twice I arrived for a scheduled visit only to be told that an error had been made and that the doctor could not see me that day, so I would have to re-schedule. Well, we all make mistakes. But a little over a year ago it happened a third time, and in this instance I had specifically stressed to them the importance of the upcoming appointment and that it was vital for them to set a date and time that they would be able to honor. I arrived at 7:00 A.M. having fasted for 12 hours per their instructions, with no coffee that morning per their instructions, and was once again told that someone had erred and scheduled me on a day when Dr. Schmidt was not available. "We're sorry" is all I got for an apology, and it did not seem very sincere. It was then I decided to seek help elsewhere, and went to Dr. Swarm at Missouri Baptist Pain Management Center. But it was hard to get appointments with Dr. Swarm, because he only practices at MoBap one day month. So I recently decided to give PMS another try. I was absolutely flabbergasted at the rudeness I was met with when I called seeking an appointment. First I was told that they do not accept self-pay patients (i.e. no insurance), the exact opposite of what I was told last year. When I calmly asked why they had such a strange policy, I was put on hold. When the person returned to the line, she informed me that because I had been a patient in the past, I could send them my most current records and then Dr. Schmidt would "consider" taking me on as a patient - as though I had betrayed them by seeking the services of a clinic that understands professionalism and actually strives to keep appointments and to apologize and make amends when they screw up. I will not be going back to Pain Management Services. If you value professionalism and courtesy, I would advise you to avoid them as well. read more
