I have been using All Health for over 4 years. When I first started, it was out of convenience…read morebecause I didn't drive, and the Hackensack location was close to me. Other locations were also close to where I worked.
One day, I went for my scheduled appointment and was in the room, undressed and waiting for the doctor for about 40 minutes. I eventually fell asleep. When I woke up, I had already been there for about an hour. I called the number I had, only to find out it was for another location. They then contacted the Hackensack office so someone could come in to see me.
I went to the doctor about three weeks ago because I was experiencing heart palpitations. She referred me to the Maywood office, where they told me I also had something else that needed to be looked into.
They gave me a heart monitor, which I wore for one week, from Friday to Friday, and then dropped it off as instructed. I didn't receive a call about the results, so I eventually called. I was told that the doctor I had seen would not be back until the following Friday. I explained that I didn't mind going to another location to get my results, because I just wanted to know what was going on.
They scheduled me for the following Friday at the Paterson location. Then, the day before that appointment, they called and scheduled me to go to Maywood for an echocardiogram. At that point, I had two appointments, and I kept both of them.
When I arrived in Paterson, there was actually nothing available for the doctor to review. He tried to help, but there was no heart-monitor information there for him to read. We then scheduled a phone call for Tuesday, which is today.
I missed the call today, so I tried calling the office several times. When I couldn't get through to anyone, I decided to come into the office myself. Now I'm being told that I have to wait again until Thursday.
Meanwhile, I have been experiencing heart palpitations throughout the day and even during the night. This entire experience has been extremely frustrating. I have been a patient with All Health for over four years, and I don't think it is unreasonable to expect better communication and coordination when it comes to something as important as my heart and my health.
I understand that doctors are busy and that things can happen, but having multiple appointments at different locations, traveling to an appointment only to find that the information isn't available, not being able to reach anyone by phone, and then being told to wait yet again is unacceptable from a patient's perspective.
At this point, my biggest concern is not even the inconvenience--it is the lack of communication and urgency. When a patient is actively experiencing ongoing heart palpitations and has already completed a week of monitoring, they should not have to keep chasing the office to find out what is happening with their results.
After being with All Health for more than four years, I honestly expected better coordination and communication.