Bad doctor story.

[lexw]

My Kaiser doctor was out for months (actually it went up to a year), I was having health issues with the hot weather, and tired of waiting for his return, I made an appointment with a sit-in doctor that Kaiser provided during his absence.

I paid my fee, and went to the appointment.

The sit-in doctor showed up late. By that I mean, she didn't seem to have any other appointments before me, but waltzed in over 1/2 hour late while I sat in the room waiting. I heard her walking in the back door and saying good morning to the nurses.

After she walked in, smiling and full of vim, she asked why I'd come; I told her I was experiencing issues with heat intolerance.

Doctor (annoyed): "Ah, well...ENT doctors can only look you over and recommend you to a specialist for this?"
I was silent.

Doctor: "Sigh...I wonder when doctor So-and-So is supposed to return? Why's he out? Did he have a baby?"
Me: "I'm not sure, but it says he's gone indefinitely."
Doctor (snapped back): "I know that!"

It all went down hill from there with her attitude.

I'm guessing she had to find some diagnosis for my heat intolerance, and didn't feel it was anything physical, so she set me up with a psychiatrist. Then after 20 minutes this belittling, she told me she needed to check my heart etc. and left saying she's rarely there, but we'll get to the bottom of this.

When I left the 20 minute appointment, I felt as low as the dirt on my shoes.
And I paid for this. Goodbye Kaiser.

If I had that moment to relive, I would have walked out with her sitting at the computer screen, with a few choice words. But hindsight is everything.

Sorry if DU doesn't like company names mentioned, I'll remove it if needed.

[DesertFlower]

1. sorry you had to go through that.

many years ago i had a doc who always took me late. i'd make the first appointment after lunch and i'd still have to wait 15-20 minutes. one time i asked why i had to wait and the nurse said "the doctor had to run an errand". WTF? she just came back from lunch.

[lexw]

4. Wow! That's disgusting.

[Hekate]

2. Kaiser is a very big institution with many branches

I'm sorry you had such a bad experience -- that doctor's behavior was inexcusable. Demand to see another doctor.

And if your primary doc has been gone this long, why have you not gotten another within the same clinic -- someone to whom you will not be a stranger?

Also, they do have a feedback mechanism, don't they? Some way you can report an unsatisfactory experience?

It's been many years since I was a Kaiser patient, mostly because the nearest clinic is about 60 miles away from where I live now. But in the past I had vastly different experiences with 2 different clinics, one in California and one in Hawaii, so I know that YMMV.

As for docs who show up late, my worst experience was the one in private practice who let me sit in the exam room for a solid hour. I finally put my clothes back on, went out to the front desk and calmly asked if there was some emergency, and if so, why had they not come back and told me so I could reschedule. Further, I told the receptionist that I was going to check with my insurer to make sure the doc did not charge them for his time. And I never went back.

I hope you can sort this out, because on the whole Kaiser has a good reputation for both care and cost. And I hope you can get someone to actually diagnose why you are having heat sensitivity.

[lexw]

3. Yeah. All in all, I guess Kaiser's good. I probably should have reported her.

Youch! An hour in the waiting room???

[Hekate]

5. An hour in the EXAM room. In one of those little paper gowns. LOL, truly.

Fortunately I always carry a book with me.

[Epiphany4z]

6. I had a bad Dr. at Kiazer

during a very complicated pregnancy. I wrote them and the ass kissing began. They helped get a new Dr. with them. Had the other Dr. apologize. After that I was never left waiting more than 5 min in the waiting room or the Dr. Office. You should write them it really made a difference for me and other patients she worked with.

[JDPriestly]

7. I have Kaiser insurance and am very happy with it.

They are really good at reminding me about things I need to do.

I like the fact that all my records are on the computer. No matter what doctor or specialist I see, they know what is going on with me, what medications I may be taking, etc.

What really impressed me was a specialist I visited when I had a fall and some injuries. He noticed that I had a different condition, something genetic, and told me I needed to have it operated. Then he told me that I needed to use some simple home remedies in order to prepare for the operation. Now mind you, I knew that the operation was very risky. I was utterly relieved when the home remedies he suggested to me took care of this serious problem without the operation. I was impressed that he knew the home remedy and I liked the tactful way that he told me about it. He did not raise my hopes by assuring me that I would not need the operation. But I suspect that he knew this other, simple cure would work.

I don't mind waiting all that much. I've waited longer for doctors and dentists in other offices. I like the care and my doctors at Kaiser.

I'm not paid to blog or post for Kaiser and I don't have any family member working there. Just in case you are wondering.

[Hoyt]

8. I have Kaiser too, and like it because their system is much more

coordinated than traditional, independent providers. I'll probably continue with them when I'm eligible for Medicare.

[Epiphany4z]

9. I did like Kiazer

for the most part. It was one bad doc. I was not the only one to complain about her. I spent some time in the hospital before the baby was born and my roomy had issues with the same doc. It can happen with any insurance. Just a bad apple.

Kaizer took my letter to heart and fixed my complaints. They acted fast and made the doc apologize.

[JDPriestly]

11. Doctors are only human. Having to wait and being patient while waiting are

part of life.

Considering this:

I'm guessing she had to find some diagnosis for my heat intolerance, and didn't feel it was anything physical, so she set me up with a psychiatrist. Then after 20 minutes this belittling, she told me she needed to check my heart etc. and left saying she's rarely there, but we'll get to the bottom of this.

When I left the 20 minute appointment, I felt as low as the dirt on my shoes.
And I paid for this. Goodbye Kaiser.

Seems to me the doctor was doing her job. The psychiatrist might have been able to help. Heat intolerance, what does that mean?

[Epiphany4z]

12. ooh my problem with this doc

was not about having to wait. She was a rude nasty person . I had complicated pregnancy all 4 of them I was very used to waiting. I was just pointing out after my complaint they did not even make me wait, not once. That was just a nice side effect to having been motivated enough not to take being treated rudely as acceptable.

[JDPriestly]

16. Kaiser is inexpensive.

If you don't like to wait, maybe you should have a different health insurance plan. Although I have waited longer with other insurers than I have at Kaiser.

Depends on where you live.

[lexw]

14. I usually ignore rude folks on DU...

But in your case I'll reply—seeing that you seem incapable of 'Googling' "heat intolerance" before posting a knuckle headed reply on DU:

Heat intolerance is a symptom that is associated with several diseases: one of which is hyperthyroidism which my father had.

This is your response #11? I'm sure your here for the gun arguments, mole.

[JDPriestly]

15. Sorry. I'm not young but had never heard of heat intolerance.

Check out my journal if you want to know what I am here for. I have been here a long time and am not a mole. I don't own a gun. Don't want to own a gun. So I'm not here for the gun arguments.

[Luminous Animal]

18. Interesting post.

[no_hypocrisy]

10. My father is a retired cardiologist and I know how a patient is supposed to be treated.

You were violated on a number of levels.

What are you going to do about it?

[Blue Diadem]

13. Register a complaint with Kaiser.

I had no idea that could be done until I went through a similar experience. Different insurance company but they encouraged me to file a complaint and they suggested a different Dr. who practiced not far from where we lived. This happened years ago, so things might be different now but it can't hurt to discuss it with your insurance provider.

[cynatnite]

17. Can you get a different physician or a second opinion? n/t

[LeftInTX]

19. Sending you to a psych for heat intolerance doesn't seem right to me

I would be upset.

[Sgent]

20. I couldn't make sense

of much of your message, but the most common reasons for "heat intolerance" are a thyroid and vascular disorders followed by psychiatric reasons.

I'm sorry you were treated this way and not in a caring manner.

Regardless of popular belief, psychiatrists are the doctors best equipped to separate mental health issues from other causes. Its not infrequent for a psychiatrist to refer a patient back to their primary care doc for a neurological or endocrinology work-up. I know of more than one case of rare metabolic and endocrine disorders that psychiatrists have diagnosed after getting a referral from endocrinology for non-specific complaints.

Assuming there was no history of heart issues or thyroid problems, I would think a psychiatrist would be the next logical person to see.

[olddots]

22. thru my " year of the doctors "

I had one that should be working at Fox news fluffing Hannity and ORielly ......

you had a bad experience welcome to medical care in America -----there are some rotten eggs and docs with the bed side manor of Cheney ----file a complaint ------it used to be doctors worked for us instead of MedCo and parasitic insurance companies .

You will hopefully laugh at this someday .

[renate]

21. hyperthyroidism was my first thought too

I don't know your age but I assume you aren't perimenopausal since the doctor would have figured that one out if that were a likely possibility (although there is certainly such a thing as premature menopause, which is also worth looking into as a possibility, IMHO). Even if she's an ENT, it's weird that she didn't even look into either one. Good luck getting a diagnosis.