I was referred to this office for a second opinion following a foot surgery that was performed by…read moreanother doctor to cut the bone and implant pins to stabilize the joint. I have a shifted sesamoid bone that is under the ball of my foot post-surgery, and it is causing discomfort when walking and swelling. I had also fallen down the stairs at some point after the initial surgery which increased the pain that I had in that foot. I had a follow up surgery scheduled for the beginning of May, with the initial surgeon, to remove the pins that were implanted as well as the sesamoid, but after my first visit in this office a CT scan was recommended since they X-Rays were not conclusive.
My appointment was on April 24th. I scheduled the CT scan for the very next day and made another appointment to have it read in this office on May 1st. I went in for the disc to be reviewed, but after sitting in an exam room for about 30 minutes, they came back in to tell me that I could not be seen that day. They did not have Java on any of their computers and could not review the images but told me that my co pay would be refunded and someone would reach out once they had it downloaded. I never received a call. I had to reach out to them multiple times about the status of my images, and in the time in between, I cancelled my surgery due to time constraints and waiting for a response or appointment to review the images.
I was finally given a time to come back in on May 14th and was told that they were able to download the program and open the files, but only after I called them. No one ever contacted me. Once I got there, I was asked for a co-pay even though the first one hadn't ever been refunded. Not a big deal. They just applied it to the new visit. I go back into the exam room and the nurse has me take off my shoe and sock. Normal procedure, except, they then put a scrub type sock on my foot and had me walk barefoot on my injured foot to another room to look at the images. My foot had a fracture that occurred after the first surgery, and it is assumed that it happened when I fell down the stairs. They knew in advance, since they looked at the images before I arrived, that my foot was fractured, and I had told them at the prior visit that it was painful to walk on that foot without a shoe on. Maybe not the best practice to have someone walking around on their injured foot. I am taken back to the exam room, and they go over a plan which includes letting it heal for 6 weeks with another follow-up before surgery can be considered. A magnetic box is also recommended to promote new bone growth and expedite the healing time. I am told that someone will call me with the information for that device, and I am also instructed to not take any oral pain relievers since they will further slow the healing process. No topical medications were named or prescribed, but I was told to use a topical if needed. Some felt inserts were given to me to put in my shoe to relieve some of the pressure on the ball of my foot, and that was the end of the visit.
On the 21st, I still had not received a call about the bone growth device and called the office. The calls go directly to a call center instead of the office locations. After giving her all of my information she asks which pharmacy I use and advises that there are no medications on file for me. I explain that it isn't for medication, and she puts me on hold to contact the office directly. She comes back on the line and says that no one could speak to her, but she is sending them a message high priority, and someone will call me back. On the 24th, I still have not received a phone call. I call back in to the call center and am told that the message has been read, and what else would I like for her to do about it. All she can do is send another message, but their office closed early and there is no one there. I am out of patience at this point and her attitude was not helping matters, so my 6-week follow-up appointment was cancelled right then and there.
The doctor was pleasant and seemed knowledgeable, but the office staff and call center are abhorrent at best. Patients do not really seem like a priority, and if you are told that "someone will call you" for any reason, prepare to be clinically ghosted.
