If I could give zero stars, I would.
I'm having a vision problem. My eye doctor can't find anything physically wrong. An MRI found nothing, either. I got a referral from a UCSF neurology practice to UCSF neuro-ophthalmologist Jonathan Horton. My insurance will cover this. So far so good.
I get a call from Horton's office. It is his scheduler, who will not identify herself by name. She tells me that Horton wants to review my visual field exam results from my optometrist and that after they've received them she can schedule me. I tell her I'm driving and need to pull over before I can make a note of the fax number to which the test results need to be sent. I also tell her that I know that the test results showed nothing. She says Horton still wants to review them. I say fine - just wanted to let his practice know. She's now annoyed that I haven't yet been able to pull over, so she asks for my optometrist's number. Same problem. She says "well maybe you can just give me their name and I'll find them." I giver her the name. She hangs up.
I find a place to pull over and call my optometrist's office to tell them to expect the call and to give my consent to send my test results over.
The next day I call Horton's office. Nothing received. I give it a few more days and call back. The same nameless woman tells me she hasn't received anything yet. I contact my optometrist's office. The next day my optometrist emails me confirmation that the results were sent over. It is the weekend, so I wait until the following week to call. Once again, the woman-who-doesn't-give-her-name tells me she hasn't received anything yet. I tell her I have written confirmation that the results were faxed over the week before. She says she'll look into it and call me back.
The next day I still haven't heard back from Horton's office, so I call yet again. This time the woman-who-doesn't-give-her-name tells me she did receive the results, and that she'll call me the following week, after the doctor has reviewed the results. I point out that she previously told me that she could schedule me once they received the test results. She denies it, and insists that Dr. Horton has to review the results first, then she can schedule me if he tells her to.
If he tells her to??? What if he doesn't? Then she won't. Now she tells me, for the first time, that Horton will decide whether or not he even wants to take my case!!! I tell her I'm frustrated, that after 3 weeks of trying to get an appointment this is the first time she has mentioned this. She claims she is "sure" she must have told me this before. I tell her no, that if she had I would have looked into seeing someone else rather than wait 3 weeks to be told that I was now eligible for consideration for an appointment. Then I ask her when, assuming the doctor deigns to see me, is the earliest I could get an appointment. "December." (It is now mid-October.) I tell her I want to see a doctor because I'm having vision problems NOW, that two months from now doesn't help me with the problem I'm having now. She says "if Dr. Horton determines that you are at risk of permanent damage to your vision, he might have me come in sooner."
The woman-who-doesn't-give-her-name suggests that there are other doctors I could see sooner. I ask her to schedule me with one of them. She says she can't that they work out of a different office at UCSF and she doesn't handle their schedules. I ask her if she knows for a fact that I could see them sooner; no, she tells me, she doesn't know this. I point out that at this point all she is trying to do is get rid of me.
After this, she just keeps repeating that she only does what she is told. I'm furious. I question the competency of someone who lies about what they have said, withholds important information from prospective patients, and effectively denies them access to health care. She wants to know why I'm insulting her! I tell her I'm not, I'm simply reflecting back everything that has transpired since I first started trying to get an appointment.
She asks if I'd like to speak with her supervisor. I would. So she transfers me to the VM of someone who is on vacation for weeks! I call back the woman-who-doesn't-give-her-name, who is now also woman-who-doesn't-answer-her-phone. I leave a VM pointing out that she offered to let me speak to her supervisor, when she a.) knew the supervisor was on vacation; or b.) didn't know that, in which case I really did question her competency/truthfulness. I asked her to have her supervisor call me back when she returns from vacation, as I'd like to know which of the two is the issue.
That was 10 days ago. No call to schedule an appointment. No call to tell me that Dr. Horton has declined to take my case. No call from the supervisor. In other words, no interest in actually providing health care to patients.
I'm looking elsewhere. I'd advise you to do the same. read more
