UGH! Doctors!!!!

[Taco101]

My PCP past away unexpectedly earlier this year. Sad, he was a great man. That being said, I needed a Doc for my meds. No one was taking patients so I wound up at the ENMMC Residency Center.

First vistit was OK. Very thorough Resident followed by Dr. Wulf. That was the last pleasant experience. Since then I have had appointments canceled when I got to the office....canceled the night before........only to be rescheduled 2 months down the road.......

The kicker was yesterday. I showed up 10 minutes early, signed in, and paid my co-pay. Two hours later, after waiting with some of the most cranky kids you can imagine, I was called to the window and told that my appointment was yet again CANCELLED!!!!!!:new_shocked:

I can not wait for a competent doc to get contracted with Lovelace......:mad:

[kralspaces]

I seen several ads in the paper from doctors taking new patiences. This should not be a problem. There was another ad in today's paper from Faimly Care Medical Group and yesterday from Aztec Medical Group.

[Daisy]

I was called to the window and told that my appointment was yet again CANCELLED!!!!!!

That's really bad - I hope you gave 'em hell for that!

I had a doctor's appt. yesterday for 10:00 a.m. At 11:30, I went to the front desk, told them I'd been waiting for an hour and a half and asked them (rather nastily) if they had any idea how much longer it would be. I was told they would check into it and was then called back within minutes. I would have rescheduled and left, but it would have been another month for another appointment and I would have had to go through the same thing again. Good thing I only go once a year!

I'm normally a very happy, very nice person, but that ticked me off and I let them all know it. I doubt if it helped anything, but, by golly, we have to speak up when the service we're paying for sucks!!

What makes them think this kind of thing is okay?? IT'S NOT OKAY! :mad:

[chief26]

After a car wreck my wife attempted to get an appointment with our Doctor and she was told yes and they set it two months out??? Maybe we are not as important to them as they say (We do have insurance)

[postmaster]

I had posted on an earlier thread we had going about Dr. Wulf's office. He is directly connected to the hospital. I went twice, that was enough for me. I went for a specific problem, he did not take care of the problem, instead he said he was setting me up for three tests, had not even reviewed my medical records from my previous physcian of 18 years.......I see this as the hospital telling him what tests they want done, period. I am beginning to think that all of these drs working for the ENMMC are being given goals to achieve, e.g. scheduling of expensive tests. So, I've been looking for a new dr ever since. I realize this sounds cynical but when a dr is not interested in the problem a patient presents and instead starts scheduling me for expensive tests that are not even remotely connected, I have to question that.

[oladcock]

I have a question.......We all carry car insurance.....I haven't had many opportunities to make claims but when I have, they have been handled quickly with little trouble. They would have even been less trouble had I gone to a body/repair shop and written a check. Why is health care so different?....O.L.

[Sabrina]

The last time I had a problem with a Dr.'s office here in town I wrote a letter to the Dr., the office mananger, and to the office manager's supervisor. I explained what had been going on (my husband and I have 2 girls under 2--LOTS of shots, follow-ups, etc.) for the past few months and I was tired of the same problem over and over again and wanted something done about it. The problems: Rude office people, rescheduling again and again (also sometimes the night before), a rescheduling and I was not notified, had already taken off of work, got my girls, went to the office, paid the co-pay, waited in waiting room, and THEN was notified appt. had been rescheduled, they lost paperwork, etc.

I was shocked when the office manager called me the day after she recieved the letter and explained they had many complaints, similar to mine and they would be looking into my complaint.

The next time I went to the Dr.'s office the Dr. himself apologized and asked if everything was being handled better. I was happy to tell him 'yes'.

We've had no further problems.

[kralspaces]

The Mayor has formed a committee to help define solutions to recruiting doctors to Roswell. Where is the Mayors committee to recruit policemen? The committee recommended creating a full time person to recruit for the entire medical community. Are they kidding? The medical community is very polarized and this will only create more animosity. Has the UN help the world?

The first thing I would do is interview the doctors who have stayed in Roswell first to find out what made them stay. Then I would improve on that. The second thing I would do is open an Indian Restaurant (or other ethnic restaurants) and that would help keep some of the international doctors and their families in town. In other words, this town needs some diversity. If that is not possible, then we should recruit doctors from Mexico.

[pdc]

The Mayor has formed a committee to help define solutions to recruiting doctors to Roswell. Where is the Mayors committee to recruit policemen? The committee recommended creating a full time person to recruit for the entire medical community. Are they kidding? The medical community is very polarized and this will only create more animosity. Has the UN help the world?

The first thing I would do is interview the doctors who have stayed in Roswell first to find out what made them stay. Then I would improve on that. The second thing I would do is open an Indian Restaurant (or other ethnic restaurants) and that would help keep some of the international doctors and their families in town. In other words, this town needs some diversity. If that is not possible, then we should recruit doctors from Mexico.

The best doctor I've ever had was Japanese, and he was in Roswell because he benefited from our "medically impacted area" designation - I forget what specific benefits he obtained. He was the most engaging, devoted, and well-informed MD I've ever encountered. Every visit with him involved a true connection and in depth assessment of my status - he was very informative, and nothing was ever "routine", or "automatic pilot"....

He liked it here, and initially, planned to stay. Around the time the new hospital opened, he ran into the medical community politics - and ultimately concluded that it was too problematic to remain. When I needed a surgery, he referred me to Albuquerque. He moved to Tucson....

I was recently referred to a doctor for the same testing as was my original referral to Dr. Tamura (Us old guys need the "Katie Couric Test" :new_shocked: every five years or so.) This new doctor recently moved here from Houston, is part of the Roswell Regional Hospital cabal - he spent all of 3 minutes with me, never asked one question about relevant history, or bothered to even attempt to engage me or my medical status. The very definition of "routine" and "automatic pilot". The "procedure" was scheduled before he even entered the room - he delivered the "appointment card". The experience left a feeling of revulsion for what the medical profession can become. I now cannot even get return calls from his office.

I am gradually realizing that I'll have to leave Roswell for my retirement, because, after dealing with a mother's waning years, and the long-term, serious medical involvement, I realize that the state of one's medical community is one of the most important quality-of-life factors for the elderly....

[Daisy]

Dr. Tamura was the best doctor I've ever met, also - he saw me through a really tough medical problem about 5 years ago. If I ever need a gastro doc for something that serious again, I will make an appointment with him in Tucson.

Too bad they aren't all as genuinely caring as Dr. Tamura. :ohwell:

[kralspaces]

The best doctor I've ever had was Japanese, and he was in Roswell because he benefited from our "medically impacted area" designation - I forget what specific benefits he obtained. ....

I would love to have a good Japanese restaurant in town.

pdc hit it on the head. The problem here in Roswell is Community Health Services (CHS) who owns Eastern New Mexico Medical Center (ENMMC). Dr. French and peers started Roswell Regional Hospital (RRH) because of the business practices of CHS. Most of the recent doctors have left town because of CHS. I would suggest to the Mayor that his committee should get the statistics on ‘why’ the last 45 doctors have left town before they try to figure out how to promote the city to attract new doctors.

Some of the perks that I have found out so far are:

tax credit (about $5,000) right off the top. Doctors are paid well here so most will realize that credit on their tax returns.
Signing bonus, this varies from what I have determine so far. Relocation cost is covered.
Rental units, not affected by FLETC inflation. There are 3 nice units just built on Sherrill. Two more units are to be built soon on Viale Bond (already several doctors there). These rentals are for doctors only and do rent for $2,000 plus per month (unfurnished).
Etc… as I find out more information on my own. No committee needed here.

Most long term doctors are invested in the community, other than their practice. The question then becomes how to get the newer doctors invested as soon as possible so they don’t decided to leave when the first disagreement comes up. I too know an Indian doctor who recently moved to Tucson. Her father told me she did it for the money ($15,000 per month increase). She never told me about the politics at ENMMC where she worked. I do miss her cooking. If I had not invested in Roswell over the last 5 years, I would probably consider moving back to CA because of the increased activity in home renovation and restoration (because of how bad new sales are). I have had two very attractive offers to do projects in CA (also one in Canada) and if I were not invested in this town, I would have probably taken them.

CHS Admin, schools, security and cultural diversity are my top reasons that doctors leave Roswell. If the Mayor doesn’t address these than everything else is a waste of time (and probably our tax dollars).

[pdc]

I would love to have a good Japanese restaurant in town.

pdc hit it on the head. The problem here in Roswell is Community Health Services (CHS) who owns Eastern New Mexico Medical Center (ENMMC). Dr. French and peers started Roswell Regional Hospital (RRH) because of the business practices of CHS. Most of the recent doctors have left town because of CHS. I would suggest to the Mayor that his committee should get the statistics on ‘why’ the last 45 doctors have left town before they try to figure out how to promote the city to attract new doctors.

That is a very friendly reading of the "reasons" behind RRH. It does not fully accord with what I have "heard".

I know of a couple of docs who left primarily because of the dysfunctional politics within the medical community here in Roswell - I was told that when the new hospital was being built, there was little or no tolerance of any doc who preferred to be "neutral" - "sides" had to be chosen, and failure to do so, or making of a particular "choice" could/would result is serious changes in referrals, etc.

RRH is largely a doctor-owned business, and issues of self-referral, undue profits, unnecessary procedures/referrals/charges can quickly become very murky in such arrangements. Medicare, in particular, has very strict rules (Laws - Stark I & Stark II) limiting how these things can, and can't work....

Some hare are endlessly upset about corruption in governmental operations. Any concern with corruption should extend to the medical profession, too. Billions of dollars are misappropriated every year in the health care system - and I fear that what is "caught" is only the tip of the iceberg.

The recent experience I had with a local physician and RRH was "assembly line" medicine at it's worst. My experience leaves me with a strong skepticism of the integrity of a significant part of our local situation....

BTW, I have, overall, had excellent experiences with a number of local medical providers - I don't mean to impugn the majority in town....

Also, I'm sure that this quickly becomes like the three blind men decribing the elephant, for those of us on the patient side of the system - so take what I say with the usual grain of salt....