Patient First - Stafford

Reviews 3

A

A Private-User 2

I went to Patient First on Sunday, July 16, 2017, at about 5:30 PM. I was quite ill with nausea for several days and it was fortunate that they were not busy and I did not have to wait. The nurse who took me in to weigh me and check my blood pressure and temperature was kind and competent. After getting into the exam room, the doctor came in quickly and I feel I received acceptable care from him. However, the check-in process was extremely troublesome. The female employee who was handling check-ins did not communicate well and seemed to lack empathy for the extreme discomfort I was in. This was my first time at this facility, and she did not adequately explain the $40 credit card deposit it requires. She took my ID and insurance info, typed it into the computer, and announced that after running my insurance I had a $40 copay. I didn’t think I had a copay, but I felt so miserable I didn’t really care at that point and knew it would get sorted out later after the EOB was issued by my insurance. Then it suddenly occurred to me that I needed to confirm that this Patient First facility is in-network on my insurance plan. I asked the woman if this facility is in-network with my insurance? She said she didn’t know – that there was no way to know without calling. She did not offer to call or check in any way. I stopped the registration process and called my insurance company. Since it was late Sunday afternoon, they were closed. I used my phone to go online and log in to my insurance to look up in-network providers in my area. Yes Patient First was in-network for me, so we resumed the registration process. I asked again about the $40 copay. I told her that I’m pretty sure I don’t have a $40 copay and if I did not owe it would that be reimbursed to me after the claim was processed? She pointed to a document she’d had me sign, to a sentence that was highlighted that I had indeed already read and initialed, and condescendingly said to me, “If you had read this then you would know that we will call you if we charge more than $25 to your credit card. We only reserve the $40 charge on your card, and only charge your card after insurance determines what you owe.” Oh boy that did not sit well with me! I looked straight at her and told her I did read it, that I am ill, and that’s not what my understanding of the sentence was. The highlighted statement only said they would call if they will be charging more than $25 on my card in the future – it did not mention the $40 required that day and said nothing about it being a deposit or a reserve on my card. Originally, she had specifically referred to the $40 charge as “your copay.” I thought the highlighted statement was pertaining to whatever my balance was after the claim had been processed through insurance and was referring to the 20% portion of the bill that I knew would be my responsibility after insurance pays its 80%. I did not appreciate this employee’s condescending manner and lack of full explanation of how the $40 reserve charge works. Patients are not at their best or their sharpest when coming in for urgent care, and I expect better treatment from a health care provider office staff employee.

CH

Christine Douglas

Beginning to wonder if these places hire actual doctors, or if theres a reason these doctors work here (this is my second time in a Patient First; surprise surprise, first time wasnt great either). Went in about a month ago just to get a birth control prescription refilled which I take mainly because of PCOS. The triage process wasnt so bad this time, except I still dont understand why it takes so long to get a doctor in the room (I was literally the second patient in that morning). Mind you Im on birth control when I go to this appointment, but they needed to test me to see if Im pregnant. Shocker, I wasnt. When the doctor FINALLY comes back in and we chat a little and I tell her that I skip the placebo week so as to avoid my extremely painful and heavy periods (something that two much more qualified doctors have told me to do). I then proceed to watch her, in full view, google PCOS on Wikipedia. Look... I get that doctors dont know everything, but not knowing one of the most common ailments among women?? And even if you dont, dont look it up in front of your patient! She then proceeded to LECTURE me on what I needed to watch out for based on what Wikipedia said. Are you joking? Yeah, I already know what I need to look out for thanks to much better doctors who have told me and seeing as Ive had this condition for awhile. Then, on top of all that, she orders a blood test to test my glucose levels...something that needs to be arranged ahead of time because you know, food tends to affect that. I even brought it up, saying "hey, does it matter that Ive eaten this morning?" She says no. Get a call back in a few days and surprise, surprise! I have elevated glucose levels (even though Ive had this test performed CORRECTLY by COMPETENT doctors two other times and they came back just fine). On top of all that, she, unlike every other doctor Ive had, doesnt give me a prescription that will last long enough because of the weeks I skip (because I skip a week they have to over-write the prescription and I usually explain this to the pharmacy because they think the doctor has made a mistake). Only reason Im giving it two stars instead of one is because I at least got my correct prescription in the end and the staff (minus the doctor) was friendly enough. Oh, and the man who drew my blood was great--he has a good sense of humor. Honestly, unless you have a very obvious cold or just need stitches, dont go here.

JA

Javin Bond

God awful. After having been diagnosed with Asthma by no fewer than 6 different doctors, the doctor I had to see here refused to believe I had it, and I had to fight with her to get my long time prescription refilled. It was weird. Never seen anything like that. She basically accused me of lying... To get Asthma medicine...? Additionally, a different doctor did not know the difference between Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Aleve (naproxen), telling me they "were the same thing." They very much are not. NSAIDs such as Aleve are well known by everyone (except apparently this doctor) to cause peptic ulcers when used for a long time. I was asking if I should switch to Tylenol due to my potential ulcer pain, and the FACT that Asthma may be induced or exacerbated by NSAIDs! Its disgusting when the patients literally know more than the "doctors". I should probably also mention how long the wait is for even the most miniscule problem. Youre looking at close to a 2 hour wait no matter what. Finally, my wife went there to get information on her current state of health, and paid to have a lot of labs run. The response from the doctor was "Take these pills. Pay on your way out." Absolutely no discussion of WHY she was supposed to take the pills, what could she do to change her lifestyle so the pills werent necessary, nothing. She has literally been in tears leaving the place on multiple occasions. I had to explain to her what the results meant because the "doctor" didnt do so. (I am prior veterinary). After some dietary changes, and a new doctor, all of her labs are perfectly fine. She never bothered to fill the four prescriptions she was given. Youre a number, and a sale here. Not a patient. Were never going back. And to "Fawn": Dont bother with the cookie-cutter "Im sorry to hear you were dissatisfied" response that youve given almost every other 1 star on here. Could you possibly be any less sincere? If I feel like giving you a call, Ill just get your number from one of the other cut and pasted responses.