Dr. Z is an excellent PCP that has been our family physician for years. We followed him from the DC office to INOVA VA office. And we continued our care with him as we feel he is knowledgeable, resourceful, and an excellent practitioner. He listens, follows-through, and interacts with his patients in a manner that gets to the bottom of the problem. Even if that includes the family.
The reviews I'm reading have nothing to do with him so much as INOVA ensuring that the appropriate support services are in place for a smooth running medical practice. Unfortunately, these reviews negatively impact on a good physician. I can say this as I have a great deal of work experience in healthcare (e.g. hospitals, university hospitals, and outpatient centers, and medical education) for my entire career. Clearly, there were some minor issues when it comes to a seamless-coordination of services, but none related to the physician.
For example, on my recent visit, I was informed that I would interact with several different levels of healthcare providers from - front desk staff, billing, students, nursing, lab personnel, medical resident, and finally the physician. Knowing this, I planned for a longer visit. I welcomed the students. From a student's perspective, this was a good opportunity in an unhurried learning environment. As a former teacher, it gave me an opportunity to look for "teachable moments" guiding the student in gathering relevant information from the patient, necessary in developing a plan of care.
What I wasn't prepared for was the excessive paperwork that seemed important to INOVA but not necessarily important for my visit. Some of the questions were presented in a manner that made the question difficult to answer correctly. For example, I wasn't sure if one question was asking for my birth country versus my ethnicity. The options provided were questionable, did not apply, or seemed poorly worded as to the reason it was being requested. Unfortunately, this paperwork took so much time that many of the questions were left blank.
When I finished my visit I asked the front desk personnel if other patients experienced difficulty with the questionnaires, for which they acknowledged "yes." It occurred to me that this would be difficult on several levels for elderly patients and individuals with disabilities, to complete. Many do not use or have computers to schedule appointments and fill out a plethora of forms. And, I suppose at some time in the future my ability to use technology may decline too. The system may be too complicated. read more
