So, originally, I only made the appointment with Dr. John Leno, M.D. FACOG of Moline, IL because he was recommended by an old friend, and even though that friendship ended I kept the appointment.
Leading up to, and during, the first appointment I grew more and more uncomfortable with the office. They kept harassing me about giving them my insurance information over the phone, which should be done AT the first appointment. You’re not billing my insurance company for phone calls! Then, the room they put me in for my appointment, the nurse had left someone else’s stool sample in. How disgusting! Though, despite that, I went ahead and had a second appointment and scheduled a third.
I went to the second appointment with hubby after our first ultrasound. I was going to start making payments at that time, but my work hadn’t been taking the money out of my paycheck for my HSA card yet, so they said I could start at my next appointment. Well, she told me that after ignoring me for 5 minutes because she was too busy training someone else, on something completely irrelevant to my appointment, that could have waited until she was done with me. It’s not MY fault my work wasn’t putting the funds into my HSA card, and they are going to start on my next paycheck. Since the HSA card is taking up 2/3 of my annual out of pocket maximum, and the other 1/3 has already been billed by other sources, I am NOT going to pay them out of my bank account! What sense would that make??
So, last Friday I had to go to the convenient care clinic for a bladder infection. Due to the pregnancy, they take it more seriously. I got a phone call the other day from the nurse, and she informed me there were three different kinds of bacteria in the sample and I need to see my OB this week to have another test to make sure it’s clearing up properly with the antibiotic.
Well, I called the OB, and made an appointment for this afternoon. Then, I get a call from them not much later telling me about the balance due, which was more than the previously arranged amount. I explained to them (again) that my work hasn’t been taking the money for my HSA card yet, and they refused to work with me. ANY OTHER doctor’s office I’ve EVER worked with has enough professionalism to work with people, especially given this type of situation, to keep their patients. Instead, this girl said that I would have to pay before the doctor would see me again. I asked her why they couldn’t work with me, got some mumbo jumbo about office policy, and then she hung up on me instead of being helpful. WTF??? How rude! Then I called back, told them to cancel my appointment if they weren’t going to work with me, and tried to get some sort of reasoning out of her, crying already because of these stupid pregnancy hormones and my increased anxiety. She told me the doctor will not see me anymore. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me! After that, I said something in which I called her an ignorant little twat, which is what she is, and hung up on her.
Not to mention, I also have a signed payment agreement (also known as a contract, legally binding) that shows the amount I am to pay each month, and has no mention of making the payments by a certain date if I still want to see the doctor. So, you’re going to break the contract by telling me I suddenly owe more for no reason whatsoever, and tell me that if I don’t pay it I can’t see the doctor anymore? How pathetic! Everyone else at least has the decency to work with people for payment arrangements, especially in a situation like mine where it is not the PATIENT’s fault! But, even though it was my EMPLOYER’s mistake, and I told them in the first phone call it will soon be remedied (which means they’d get their damn money), they’re going to not see me? That is the WORST service I have ever received by anyone (even including fast food joints!) and I will NOT tolerate it! I have half a mind to march up there and give them my two cents worth, but I think I will go the route of telling the world how horrible they are instead.
So, if you wouldn’t tolerate a doctor’s office treating you like this, then “share” on Facebook or Retweet on twitter, where this is being cross-posted. Because I am a patient, I have rights! And you have the same patient rights for any time you ever see any kind of medical professional! Stand up for your rights, stand up for patient rights!
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