My wife and I had an
earlier appointment nearby. We allowed 45
minutes for a 25 minute drive (according
to mapquest.com); my orthopedic appointment
was at 2:15.
At 2:45 we arrived at Orthopedic
Medical Group in Riverside. The previous
75 minutes were spent in 91 degree sun and
traffic on a motorcycle.
Upon check-in, the front
office informed me that my appointment needed
to be rescheduled because I was a half hour
late.
Explaining that I had no
control over traffic; that my appointment
should only take 3-5 minutes (how long does
it take to schedule an appointment and write
up a bill?); and that I had no additional
vacation time available to make a future
appointment, I urged the front office to
ask the doctor if he would be able to see
me.
According to the front
office, they checked with the doctor, and
he instructed them to re-schedule with the
justification that he was over booked with
patients and had no time.
I re-emphasized my initial
points, I inquired as to the difference
it made to the doctor’s schedule and
workload whether he saw me now or at 2:15
(on the outside chance he actually was able
to see me at my scheduled time). I then
rather strongly told the secretary to remind
the doctor my wait time had been no less
than an hour and a half for each of my previous
appointments, and the same courtesy from
him was expected today.
A second time the
doctor refused to see me.
Everything that was communicated
at the front desk was restated to the office
manager. Her stance was the doctor had already
been asked twice, and they would not bother
him again.
She was pressed as to if
the doctor was told how he had kept me waiting
in the past, and that I would appreciate
the same courtesy, she stated they had not
said anything to him about that nor would
they.
Things escalated further
from there.
Finally, a person who identified
himself as the Chief Operating Officer of
the company came out into the parking lot
as I was attempting to leave.
He apologized for what
had transpired, and during the conversation
said indirectly he could understand my strong
feelings, it was unprofessional for the
doctor not to see me, and the doctor is
the one who instructs the office how heavy
to overbook his schedule.
I asked the C.O.O.
to relay the following message to Dr. John
Gonzalez.
“My time is as valuable
as Dr. Gonzalez’s, and I am every
bit as intelligent as he is, but my skills
lie in a different field, the internet.
Please tell him I will use the web to inform
everyone possible how poorly he treats his
patients."
My hope is that an informed
potential patient will choose a different
doctor and different group rather than be
treated like cattle.
If these things were not
completely true, I am sure Orthopedic Medical
Group would have their lawyers do everything
they could to obliterate this site. But
they can’t. Truth is an absolute defense
against slander & libel, and I was a
party involved, this is not third person
or hearsay.
Can you afford
to waste 1 ½ - 2 hours waiting to
be seen?
Can you wait 6 to 8 weeks for a disability
check because your doctor doesn’t
send the paperwork timely?
Do you like being treated condescendingly?
If so, call (951) 683-0650 and schedule
your appointment with Dr. Gonzalez today. |
