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My son had severe diarhea and was complaining of pains in his side. It turns out that he had a staph infection of his intestines that the hospital staff said could have killed him if left un-treated. We had to take him to the ER because the person at the front desk of the doctor's office where I'd been bringing my son for nine years told me that they couldn't see him unless I paid the $10 copay first. I told her that I didn't have it and she said "We can't bill insurance until you pay the $10 copay, so we can't see your son today without the copay"
Does anyone else out there see how very sick this is? Am I the only one who thinks that sending a 10-year-old child away to die without giving it a second thought is something satanic, to say the least? And I have never carried a bill with this doctor for nine years! A nine year relationship with both of my kids, and they send my son away to die.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Dr. Condrey was my mother. And simply, I don't think you should've complained against her just because the office worker asked you for a 10 dollar copay. If you thought your child was dying, why didn't you first go to the ER?
Sounds like the office is writting the comments
Dr. Condrey was my doctor for 20 years and my boss for 3 years. She is the most caring individual God has ever placed on this earth. Your situation compells me to bring up a few points.
A) Did you call in advance and explain that you weren't able to pay your copay? We helped patients out all the time if they provided us with adequate information and let us know in advance. Your story leads me to believe you sprung this on the receptionist with no warning.
B) Dr. Condrey is one of 2 pediatricians in an 8 county radius. She has an amazing patient load. This woman wakes up at the crack of dawn every morning to do her hospital rounds and then sees about 30 patients or more and then stays till 6 or 7 charting on said patients and then tries to spend time with her own two precious children and husband. She made time for your appointment out of the goodness of her heart, even though her schedule would barely allow it. Even though it would be 45 extra minutes she wouldn't be able to spend with her own family, and you couldn't give her notice or pay her $10 for her time?
C) Emergencies should always go to the EMERGENCY ROOM. That is why it has that name. Don't come to a dr's office and spread your nasty staph germs to other toddlers and infants with almost no immune system. You were inconsiderate, especially since all you had to do was explain that you couldn't pay when you made the appointment!
Good heavens, what parent would fool around with a "deathly sick child" by taking them to a doctor's office? What better place to have the child pick up more germs or spread his condition (especially with the severe diahrrea) to a lot of other folks?
And why did you wait for him to become so "deathly ill"? How were you planning on paying for his medications if you didn't even have $10 bucks? It is so easy for us to blame someone else for our own deficiencies. And if your doctor should some how see your complaint, you'd better start looking for a new one ASAP. That certified letter releasing you as a patient will be on its way!
It really sounds like your first stop should have been the ER anyway. Please be a responsible parent and pay for your doctor's time and care. Don't complain because you didn't get something for free.
I've known Dr. Condrey for over 4 years now -- and she is a very soft-hearted, generous, caring individual who would never send anybody away. She's a top-notch pediatrician -- a very educated and experienced doctor, and I confidently entrust her with the medical care of my children.
The person at the desk was just doing their job (it IS a business). It's unfortunate that your feelings were hurt, but sounds like everything turned out okay with your child -- and that's what is important. Bottom line: Chalk it up to a lesson learned... carry cash or plastic in case of an emergency.
If you can't come up with the ten dollars...who is negligent..you or the doctor? The doctor is required by his insurance contract to collect the co-pay. It cost between 11.00 and 25.00 to mail a statement out to collect that small co-pay that you knew about before you arrived. It's the way the system works. If he did not collect co-pays he would not be able to stay in business and all the patients would be seeking care somewhere else. I know you and your son are the most important people in the whole world and it should revolve around you. Here is a clue...next time, carry cash or bring a check book and be a good parent and pay the dam co-pay. It's not the doctor its you and the insurance carriers who cause the issues.