This was the worst and most frustrating experience I have had with a doctor. DO NOT GO HERE unless you don't care about how your treated as a patient.
I was a new patient - in fact I had just moved to the area, so I had not established with a PCP yet. I was having severe leg pain as a result of a slipped disc. I called to make an appointment so I could get a physical therapy recommendation/script and an anti-inflammatory (as I don't like to take any narcotic medication). The front desk woman - Ashley - was pleasant and accommodating. She was able to get me in the next day, which was a surprise.
I arrive for my appointment about ten minutes early. I am handed the biggest packet of paperwork. It consisted of some HIPAA documents, demographics, etc. The only problem was you had to fill out an entire packet FIVE TIMES. The same packet...five times. The reason for filling it out five times is so your information and authorization for treatment would be on file for all five physicians in the practice. Seriously guys, there has to be a better way to have your patients give consent for all five doctors to treat you. This was ridiculous. It took me about 30 minutes to fill out the paperwork. The waiting room felt unclean and old. The patients in the waiting room (except for one or two) were also unpleasant. The second we set foot in the door (my husband came with me, thank goodness), I knew we should just walk right back out, but I needed to get something rolling for my leg pain, and we were leaving town for a wedding the next day, and I wanted to be able to walk down the isle (as I was in the wedding).
So we wait in the waiting room for about 45 minutes past my appointment time. I am finally called back. A nurse (Emily) who was very nice and professional took my vitals, history, etc.
We then got placed in a room where we waited for the doctor's assistant to come in. We waited about 30 minutes for him to come in. I am not sure if he was a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or what his qualifications were, but he would not listen to a word coming out of my mouth, nor would he take the time to comprehend the symptoms I was describing. He did not understand the anatomy of my problem at all (or he was not listening to anything I was saying), and it was SUPER frustrating. I kept trying to explain to him I was not having back pain, but I was having shooting radiculopathy pain down one of my legs extending from the hip to the toes...every time I would explain that, he would tell me "Oh, so you're having back pain then?"...NO - I am having hip, thigh and leg pain. I just explained this more than once. It was so frustrating. He also did a joke of a physical exam on me to check my reflexes.
After he leaves, we wait about an hour for the actual doctor to come in and evaluate me. I saw Dr. Saquer.. He was pretty much a jerk. He talked to me and my husband like we were children. I have had back and radiculopathy issues in the past, so I am pretty sure I know my way around my spine and nerves (did I also mention I have a neuroscience degree??).
Dr. Saquer prescribed me all name-brand medication, and then informed me he has a pharmacy he owns that is attached to his practice, and I could get my scripts filled there. He also called in his physical therapist (who was very sweet) to get me set up for a consultation. The physical therapy area is also attached to his office - and in the PT area there is the recovery area for in-office back/spine injections. I have had back injections done as an outpatient/surgery center procedure, but Texas Pain Solutions does them as an in-office procedure with no twilight sedation. I did not ask if they have fluoroscopic guidance for the procedure, but it wouldn't surprise me if they did not. The recovery area did not seem like it had any equipment to properly monitor you, and the person who was supposed to be caring for the post-injection patients was not in close proximity. If someone is going to stick a large needle full of steroid into my facet/epidural space/nerve root, then I am going to pay the extra money to ensure it's done right.
The only good thing about seeing the doctor is that he knew his anatomy and where my symptoms were most likely arising from. He took the time to explain in great detail about the two things that could be causing my issue, and game me a detailed treatment plan to start. That being said, he was still very rude during all of this explanation.
Pros - Dr. Saquer was knowledgeable about neuro-anatomy and front desk staff was great
Cons - EVERYTHING ELSE - the cleanliness and timeliness were horrible (we were there four hours for my appointment), the physician was SO rude, the assistant did not know anything about my issue and kept interrupting me/not listening to my problem, there is a shady thing going on with the on-site injections, physical therapy and pharmacy that he owns. read more
