My Dr. kicked us out of the practice!! (Long tale ahead!)

[Dax]

...and I am not sure why!

Settle in for a tad of a backstory. My Dr, who I have been going to almost 10yrs now, is a great Dr. He is not one of those "turn and burn" drs, where he tries to get you in and out ASAP. If you have questions, you can talk to him without him trying to blow you off. This reason, sometimes his office wait times can get very behind. All patients in the practice know this, and we deal accordingly.

My DH was scheduled for an office visit on 4/3, at 3:30p. We arrived at the office at 3:15, and saw a FULL office. Uh-Oh.not good. When I FINALLY get checked in at 3:45, I ask how far behind they are....I get the answer of 2hrs, maybe more! Just cant do it, because of a prior commitment we have at 6:30p. Now here is where the dilemma comes in. DH is in DIRE need of this appointment, because he needs to get his Rx's renewed. I begin to expain the situation to the staff, asking if I can just get the one Rx for a 1 month supply, and I will make another appt right then and there to come back. I assumed I was HELPING by leaving, one less patient to see right.

Well the office manager of the practice is his wife, and she is NOT a nice woman. I have had issues with her in the past. I try to explain to her, and she basically argues with me over the Rx(which is my DH's Zoloft, not a narcotic or anything like that) and tells me I know how the Dr is, and I should have been prepared...I was pretty upset, and I dont remember how the whole conversation went, but I know she offered me discharge papers at one point. I told her I did not want to leave the practice, I just wanted to try and help them out. She finally relents, giving me a 2 week Rx, telling me she would NEVER do it again, and she schedules me for 4/17 at 8:45a. I thank her and leave.

...ok still with me? Hope so..

Fast Forward to 4/17. DH and I arrived at the office at 8a. When we get there, the office is closed...Hmm...we decided to wait in the lobby for a while. I go upstairs to check to see if it is open numerous times, and also call the office. No answering service, no messages, nothing. Finally the office opens at 9a! When I get checked in at 9:20a, I ask them what time they open. They tell me 9a. I ask then why would I get scheduled by the Office Manager for an appt at 8:45a. They look at me with confusion. Then they drop the bombshell...

The dr will NOT see DH, as we were discharged from the practice on 4/3!!! WHAT!!! I am immediately very ticked off, and confused. They tell me a letter was sent to me 2 weeks ago. I ask what adddress, and it was an address from 4yrs ago! I know I had updated, and I would have updated on my 4/3 appt, but we ended up not staying. They tell me that not only was DH kicked, but I WAS TOO!! Then I throw it back at them, and say where is my letter, as I know my address was just updated with them. They are not able to produce a copy of the letter sent to me. The office manager is no where to be found, and I had NO SAY in the whole thing. They write my DH a RX, and basically send us on our way. Other patients in the office are dumbfounded.

So here I sit, a day later, and the more research I have done, the more I think they cannot do what they did. I am still in complete shock about it, and worried about getting a new dr.

Does anyone have any advice as to what I can do. Honestly I don't think I could ever go back to the practice, but I dont think I should just let it go. The office manager I think has planned on kicking us when she made an appt for a time that did not even exist. Thats just wrong on SO many levels. Does anyone have any advice. Sorry this was so long...

 

[golfgal]

Boy, that is a tough one but I would call the DOCTOR personally and see if he realized what happened. Also, why is the office staff person handing out prescriptions??? It is possible that the dr was told a completely different story. I would call from a work number or some other number other then your home, leave a message for the dr to call you, I would even give a false name so your message gets trough. If the Dr is on board with kicking you out of the practice, not much you can do. If he has no idea what went on, I would make sure he does know what happened then find another dr.

We have left medical practices because of the office staff before-and made sure the dr knew WHY.

 

[JohnsPrincess]

Oooh boy!! WOW!! I really have no advice to offer other than - are you able to speak with the Dr. himself?? Maybe he has no idea that his wife dropped you? And maybe speak to someone who knows medical law just to see if she was allowed to do that. I'm really sorry - it's sounds Completely rediculous on her part!!!

 

[Pigeon]

I know your husband likes the doctor, but his wife, the office manager, is a psycho. I've left many practices because of the office staff. I would try to get a letter to the doctor, if that's possible, explaining what happened and how disappointed you are in the way the office is run.

Then I would thank my lucky stars and find another doc.

 

[Sleepy]

First of all, I am shocked that a Dr. would write a prescription for a person who is technically not his/her patient!
Secondly, You mention previous head bumps. I would not want to be the patient of medical staff that has a personal problem with me. I would be afraid that personal feelings would keep he/she from giving me proper treatment. I say ask family, co-workers, friends if they can recommend a good doc.

 

[clarabelle]

Dr.s can dismiss patients from their practice.

I would go to your insurance CO and complain and also to your state medical board. I would not try to get reinstated -they sound like they are very disorganized and poorly ran.

 

[Dax]

Thanks for some of the quick replies..some more info..

On speaking DIRECTLY with the Dr...I dont think its possible. He NEVER is seen at the front area, he is usually so busy with patients. I honestly dont think he is even AWARE of what happened. So I think she made the decision to get rid of me, instead of dealing with me personally. She took the easy way out.

ON speaking with others in the office(patients), NOT one of them likes the staff, but LOVE the dr. SO its not just us.

His wife is a psycho. Like I said, this is not the first time I have had issues with her.

 

[merekc]

I would make sure that you get a new doctor and get your medical records transfered prior to filing any complaints.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Oh yea...get your medical records. And in addition to that, I wonder what she wrote in your records to justify the dismissal.
And if the doctor had to sign off on it.

 

[AlleyKat]

This may be a blessing in disguise!

 

[Dax]

Oh yea...get your medical records. And in addition to that, I wonder what she wrote in your records to justify the dismissal.
And if the doctor had to sign off on it.

I am planning on getting a copy of the letter that was sent to me...

Here is a small bit of info I found on the internet..

How can a doctor fire me?
There are certain steps that a doctor should undertake to terminate a doctor/patient relationship. According to the AMA white paper entitled "Ending the Patient-Physician Relationship," these typically include:

Giving the patient written notice, preferably by certified mail, return receipt requested;
Providing the patient with a brief explanation for terminating the relationship (this should be a valid reason, for instance: non-compliance, failure to keep appointments);

Agreeing to continue to provide treatment and access to services for a reasonable period of time, such as 30 days, to allow a patient to secure care from another physician (a physician may want to extend the period for emergency services);

Providing resources and/or recommendations to help a patient locate another physician of like specialty; and

Offering to transfer records to a newly-designated physician upon signed patient authorization to do so.

Here is the site..
http://www.oncolink.com/resources/article.cfm?c=3&s=38&ss=201&id=869

 

[KSchwagg86]

very odd --my dad is a dentist...if he ever had to discharge someone, he would TALK TO THEM PERSONALLY ABOUT WHY--i recall this occurring when i was younger

 

[TimeforMe]

On speaking DIRECTLY with the Dr...I dont think its possible. He NEVER is seen at the front area, he is usually so busy with patients. I honestly dont think he is even AWARE of what happened. So I think she made the decision to get rid of me, instead of dealing with me personally. She took the easy way out.

First off, you are probably right that the Dr. knows nothing about what happened. He does, however, deserve to know and you should tell him personally before psycho wife gets her version in. Call his office and leave a message for him that you need to speak to him personally and he SHOULD call you back. Leave your cell phone number so you don't miss his call. If that doesn't work send him a letter marked PERSONAL and CONFIDENTIAL.

I would not go back to his practice personally, however, he does deserve to know what happened and you deserve to be able to get it off your chest.

 

[lsyorke]

I would go personally back to the office, ask for all my medical records(yes, make it clear that you will pay for copying charges) and a copy of the supposed letter that was sent to you.
Request to see the doctor to make sure that YOUR medical provider knows what happened(loud enough for those in the waiting room to hear your reason for wanting to talk to him) and make it clear that you will be contacting the State Medical Board to report his abandonment of a patient.
Be polite, be professional, but be firm.

I went through this with DH when his endocrinologist. He retired with no notice and the "new partner" couldn't make an appt for DH for 2 weeks(after not honoring the appt that DH had with the original doc). He refused to refill his prescription until DH was seen. Well, going two weeks with no insulin wasn't an option!
Luckily I'm a nurse and called a doc that I know who saw him. I then called back the office and told them they had 1 hour to FAX ALL of DH's medical records or the next call was to an attorney.
The new docs fax ran for 4 hours....30 years of records faxed!

 

[Keli]

I don't think there will be anything you can do about this at this point. Because to fix anything you would have to speak to the doctor personally and that doesn't seem likely.
I would call some other doctors, see who is accepting new clients, and then chose one who seems like a great doctor and has a good office staff (offices like that do exist although I've seen plenty with only one or the other!)

 

[Rebelmom67]

I would go personally back to the office, ask for all my medical records(yes, make it clear that you will pay for copying charges) and a copy of the supposed letter that was sent to you.
Request to see the doctor to make sure that YOUR medical provider knows what happened(loud enough for those in the waiting room to hear your reason for wanting to talk to him) and make it clear that you will be contacting the State Medical Board to report his abandonment of a patient.
Be polite, be professional, but be firm.

Hate to disagree, but that is going to make the OP just look silly. Her husband broke an appointment just an hour or so before he was to be seen. That was just cause to be discharged from the practice right there.

If I were the OP, I would just let it go and find a new doctor. Oh, and don't break appointments the day of the appointment, give the new doctor at least a 24 hour notice.

 

[OurDogCisco]

Hate to disagree, but that is going to make the OP just look silly. Her husband broke an appointment just an hour or so before he was to be seen. That was just cause to be discharged from the practice right there.

If I were the OP, I would just let it go and find a new doctor. Oh, and don't break appointments the day of the appointment, give the new doctor at least a 24 hour notice.

Did you even read the message? The front office told them they had a 2 hour wait. That's ridicious. The front office should have called them if they were 2 hours behind and had them rescheduled. There is definitely something wrong with this office. You don't become 2 hours behind every appointment unless someone is overscheduling. Personally, I wouldn't go with doctor like that. I think 1/2 hour is okay but not 2 hours.

For the OP, I would demand a copy of my medical records right away. This office seem way too fishy. I'd be afraid of what they would do with them. And, I'd definitely report them.

 

[Dax]

Hate to disagree, but that is going to make the OP just look silly. Her husband broke an appointment just an hour or so before he was to be seen. That was just cause to be discharged from the practice right there.

If I were the OP, I would just let it go and find a new doctor. Oh, and don't break appointments the day of the appointment, give the new doctor at least a 24 hour notice.

OK, I was trying to HELP the dr by trying to re-schedule. He was BEHIND by 2hrs at this point, and we were the LAST appt of the day. Also I did not mention that someone who had already PAID his copay, got his money back, and left because he could no longer wait..he had an 11:30 appt, and at 3:20, he was STILL waiting. I did show up for the appt though..its not like I did not show.

 

[swald91]

OK, not exactly the same situation, but similar. My husband isn't a regular dr appt kind of guy but I did convince him to go for a physical. He called the office that we both attend & they told him that because he hadn't been in awhile they shredded his records. He decided to just find another doctor. When he made his new appt. they told him it was illegal to do what they did. I guess it would be best to just find another doctor-I know it's tough when you like the one you have.

 

[Just Jan]

Where I work, if a decision is made to discharge a patient (for whatever reason) a certified letter is sent to the patient and the letter is scanned into their medical record. I would think if they sent a letter a copy would have to to be placed into your chart as that is part of your medical record.

The patient is covered by the practice for 30 days after receiving the discharge letter so they can find another physician.

I certainly would like to know the reason I was being 'fired' from the practice.

A two or more hour wait happens I suppose when an emergency arises and throws the whole day off, BUT we always give the patient the option to reschedule the appt. We would also speak with the md to refill rx until the next visit.
It just seemed like the office manager/wife had a HUGE attitude and thought you should just wait. Geesh you just asked to reschedule and for a refill until the new appt time. Sometimes people just can't wait that length of time and just have to reschedule no matter how much you like thr dr.