Dr. Burns and his dogs are perfectly lovely; however, the staff at his office is shockingly rude, unprofessional, and neglectful. On 1/24/19, I called to speak to Dr. Burns about my 87 year-old mother with stage 5 dementia/Alzheimer's and was told by his staff that he was "out in the community" and would not be in the office until the following week. That said, the following day on 1/25/19, my brother dropped off a letter to Dr. Burns at the office regarding a medication we were interested in for my mom.
By 2/6/19, there had been no follow up so I called the office again to speak to Dr. Burns. I was told to leave a message, and someone would get back to me, which didn't happen. Today, 2/7/19, I called again only to be told that Dr. Burns was "out in the community" for the rest of the week and would not get back to me until next week. I mentioned that was what I was told last week, and the receptionist started being argumentative with me and said that wasn't true.
I told her I didn't want to wait yet another week for a response. The staff on the phone again brushed me off and said someone would get back to me. I said, "Do you even know what this is about?" so she could share my concern with one of the doctors or the nurse. She admitted that she did not. When I became upset about getting the short shrift, she then told me that the nurse was sitting next to her and had the letter, which my brother had dropped off on 1/25/19.
Since the nurse was sitting next to the receptionist, I asked to speak to the nurse, but the staff would not let me speak with her. When I asked why not, she said, "Because she has nothing to say to you." At this point, I was very angry and completely taken aback. Never in my 50 years on this Earth have I been treated so rudely by someone in the medical profession. This kind of behavior is totally inexcusable and unacceptable.
There are two receptionists at Dr. Burns office, and I want to make clear this is not the African American lady. This is the white lady whose name, unfortunately, I did not get. You, ma'am, are a disgrace and serve as an a barrier to seniors and families in need getting the care they deserve. I, myself, work in the medical field, and would NEVER treat people like you do. The fact that you even have a job, for which you do clearly don't have the appropriate temperament, amazes me.
After getting off the phone, I called my brother and shared my concerns with him about the staff at Dr. Burns' office. He indicated that from day one, this particular receptionist has been nothing but unhelpful and unfriendly. After I got off the phone with my brother, I called another geriatric specialist in town and made an appointment with her. The staff who answered the phone was very nice and professional, which was a welcome change. We will NOT be going back to Dr. Burns' office. read more
