Salem Resident Shares Healthcare Horror Story

With primary care physicians changing like a revolving door, local Salemite wonders what the future holds...

telegraph.co.uk

(SALEM) - The following article is personal testimony from a Salem resident who has had an extremely difficult time maintaining health care services at a local facility. The individual's name is not being used.

It is a story of questionable medical ethics that raises concerns of a much discussed decline in treatment and failure to follow policy that is happening in spite of President Obama's push for national healthcare.

I have seen a total of (5) five primary doctors at this clinic in less than a year's time through no fault of my own. In March, 2013, my primary care physician (PCP) left the clinic to be independent of facility...so as of February, 2013, I was placed into another colleague's caseload.

However, this PCP left to return to CA in July, 2013...so my last visit with her was on 6/28/13... when she told me she personally not only interviewed but also hired a new doctor to begin at the end of 8/13-beginning of 9/13.

My next PCP visit was in 8/13, prior to the arrival of "permanent" PCP, with a temp/interim doctor. So far, to my knowledge, none of these three PCP's had any particular "problem" with me or vice versa.

Then, on September 6, 2013, I met with the new "permanent" PCP. He was quite different, though, in that he told me (verbatim) "if the specialists could not help you, I can not help you either".

Also, he said that I spend too much time learning about my infirmities and medications. Then he suggested / recommended that I seek a different primary doctor... adding he would not change my meds nor their respective dosages. I then asked him (verbatim) "well, what am I supposed to do ..some of my problems are chronic and some have worsened".

His answer was (verbatim) "I don't know what to tell you".

After this very disconcerting and discouraging visit, I decided to discuss the experience and the doctor's comments with the interim clinic supervisor. She informed me that none of their locales have MD's that are currently accepting new patients. Then she tried to dissuade me from returning by suggesting that perhaps I should seek medical care from my former PCP that had relocated.

She also implied that patients come and go, but PCP's are a commodity. I asked her if any of their clinics are getting any new PCP's any time soon... she replied that a husband and wife (MD's) have been hired, but would not start seeing patients until the 1st or 2nd week of October, 2013.

Just about that time, my medical transport arrived.

I called and spoke with their "patient advocate" who was more of a doctor's advocate... stating that I may have misunderstood the doctor &/or misinterpreted him. This advocate was quickly unnerving me, so I requested the name & phone # of the clinic manager.

Repeatedly, I unsuccessfully attempted to reach him. He did make one solitary attempt to reach me, but I missed his call...

I continued leaving messages for him, but he never again called me back... instead he delegated the interim clinic supervisor to speak with me... but she already knew most of the "issues" & would say things like (verbatim) "I would like to help, but my hands are tied".

Unsatisfied and somewhat uncertain, I called administration, but only spoke to a "bureaucrat" or two. So, by the 1st week of 10/13, after not hearing from clinic mgr, I decided to call the clinic to make an appointment with the "newest" PCP (newly arrived).

Much to my surprise, the receptionist/scheduler told me that she would have to receive approval from either the clinic supervisor or manager... but they were both currently in a meeting.

I mentioned to this receptionist that the PCP I last met with (9/13) was the one who suggested/recommended that I seek a new PCP & that I would not have even known of the "new" doctor's arrival had it not been for the clinic supervisor... but the receptionist said that it's "just office policy" & asked me if it would be OK for supervisor or manager to call me after their meeting.

Of course, I answered that would be fine... adding that the manager hadn't been returning my calls anyhow. Well, neither ever returned my call/request for a new PCP. Several days later, I called again to schedule to see new PCP, but this time a medical assistant answered & made an appointment for me for 10/21/13, and I told him that I was still waiting for a reply from clinic manager... he didn't mention any problem with scheduling at all.

However, a few days prior to my appointment on 10/21/13, I received a phone call from a clinic supervisor telling me that the manager will not allow me & that her "hands are tied".

She then said (verbatim) "the new doctors lack experience"... and that my PCP would remain unchanged.

So I clarified... "you mean if I come in on 10/21/13 to see new PCP, I will not be allowed to do so?"

She replied (verbatim) "that's correct" & added (verbatim) "we know that you need someone with experience".

Soon thereafter, I contacted someone else at administration level... I told her the issues & my concerns.

This administrative person said (verbatim) "well that's a blatant lie...we would not have hired them if they lacked experience". Once she forwarded it to her boss, however, it was the beginning of my "end" at the clinic. Her boss did confirm to me that pcp (9/13) does NOT want me as a patient...

Any attorneys who are interested in this can write to our newsroom, newsroom@salem-news.com, or to me personally at tim@salem-news.com and I will forward information to the person who wrote the following