Switching Surgeons

[KarenLR75 518]

1 hour ago, LessFee said:

How small is this practice? I only ask because usually, the doctor/doctors have no idea what’s going on with the front of house. They count on the practice manager to run the office and fulfill records requests. The manager has probably heard that you’ve been calling and is holding up your records. Before I took over, our old manager used to do that, too. It looks like you’re in good shape to get duplicates of what you submitted. That’s great! Just have those items sent over to a new doc, and they can write a new letter of medical necessity to get you reapproved with them if you want.

Very, very small. He broke off with his partner in Arlington (who has good reviews - Dr. Lyons) and according to 1 review about 'old practice in Arlington) - basically docs were both good but the office staff was decidedly NOT. He responded to that review that this was, in part, why he decided to go into private practice & is opening up his own office in North TX - closer to my end of town. Ironically, I feel he took at least 1 of the problem ppl with him! Right now he is sharing office space with an OB/GYN until his office gets built out.

So he only has an "office manager" (a very young woman who lacks experience to be office mgr from everything I've seen) & the med tech who has given me so much heartache & stress. So he has to be well aware of fact that I have left. His office mgr finally called me...guess that is only reason I got to talk to her on phone..the med tech couldn't block me, but as I said she is young and she just sounded confused about my reasons. She also tried to defend their 'blocking me on calling Cigna' as she said she had called Cigna too & they told her same thing as med tech told me. I've already looked into their old policy (CIGNA) - the 1 effective before the 1 I have & their interpretation of that, assuming CIGNA is somehow kept quoting a policy no longer in effect - still does not = what they were telling me. She is WAY out of her element. The med tech is...the...well, if I were talking about a pack hierarchy, she is the alpha dominant..not the office mgr. After I told Office Mgr how awful the med tech had been to me, she never apologized...never said that should not happen..basically nothing.

Who know what they told the Dr....oh she did say the dr always writes notes like that for patients on sticky notes that is "just what he does". She did ADMIT on phone that they had received the request for my records..

Really wish this staff wasn't the way they are as I still like the Dr in most ways and would like to see him take in some constructive input so that other patients don't undergo the same thing and maybe he revisits sticky idea. I don't wish failure/lack of success on anyone. I fear whatever they told him was likely filtered to not reflect everything I said..

Absolutely agree on your recommendation about medical paperwork. Even if you have best dr and best office staff in the world - always best to keep/get a copy of everything!

[hmwilcox578 33]

I agree the best surgeon forget the office that's minor you want to have the best surgeon at the end of the day that's the person that's putting his hands into your body is not the person that answer the phone it's not the person that takes care of the paperwork it's the surgent your life depends on the surgeon so I was very fortunate I had one of the best surgeons I could have especially for my own personal edification her and I spoke very clinically and she treated me like a real person and not like an idiot and I really appreciate her for that but just find the right surgeon don't worry about the extra stuff around it that's secondary that's my two cents

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[KarenLR75 518]

6 minutes ago, hmwilcox578 said:

I agree the best surgeon forget the office that's minor you want to have the best surgeon at the end of the day that's the person that's putting his hands into your body is not the person that answer the phone it's not the person that takes care of the paperwork it's the surgery your life depends on the surgeon so I was very fortunate I had one of the best surgeons I could have especially for my own personal edification her and I spoke very clinically and she treated me like a real person and not like an idiot and I really appreciate her for that but just find the right surgeon don't worry about the extra stuff around it that's secondary that's my two cents

I agree and that is why I stayed with him so long..up until 7 days prior to surgery...but him giving me my coumadin to lovenox bridging instructions on a sticky note was the final straw on that part. No doctor, no matter how great, should never give a patient such critical (possibly life in the balance critical) instructions on a sticky note. My whole family was in an uproar as they have watched me in the hospital fighting for my life on multiple occasions due to clots. I also found out he did NOT consult with my cardiologist on what the bridging plan should be. I found this out after I changed..and was horrified. My cardiologist knows my clotting history, my health history, and ultimately manages my coumadin.

In addition - I found out the anesthesia team that he contracts with has really bad reviews. i think the anesthesiologist can be as important if not sometimes more important the the doctor..does that make sense?

Another thing is that as someone else said, at the end of the day when the office strikes out on so many areas, there is also the consideration that a doctor who the 'little stuff does represent'...if the small details cannot be managed, do you keep extending your trust to the big things..like surgery.

Trust me, it was not an easy decision and the fact that he is ultimately responsible for his own office..and they are not turning my records over, shows me that there are many more issues than just his staff (he is the boss, he is responsible).