My 16 year old daughter was scheduled for a Coposcopy, a procedure to see if you may have cervical cancer, on September 10, 2007 at 1130am with Lew-Ann Lenfest, Nurse Practitioner at Douglas Womens Center. My husband was all set to bring her to the appointment because I was completely swamped at work and unable to bring her myself; however, I received a call from him at 10:00am stating that his supervisor was bringing him to the ER for stitches in his hand from an accident at work and he is not able to bring her any longer. I made arrangements to run out of the office and get my daughter to the appointment; I work on the South of Atlanta and would have enough time to get there if I left right away. I would have considered rescheduling the appointment, however we had already had to reschedule once because of a scheduling conflict at work (Lew-Ann's nurse said the only time slots available were late morning, that does not work well for working parents) and the next appointment we scheduled she had her period, I called her nurse and she said we would have to reschedule because of that... so this was our third time around and I did not want to miss it again, my daughter is really worried about it and each time she gets upset at the thought of a procedure being done and an abnormal pap smear, so I could not do that to her again.
I took off for the appointment and called Douglas Womens Center at 11:23am stating that I was on my way but would likely be a few minutes late and explained my circumstance; the women on the phone stated that she would have to ask the nurse if she would be able to see us if we are late and put me on hold... when she returned she said we would have to be there by 11:35am... I told her I would do the best that I can and drove like a maniac to the appointment... arriving at 11:38am... I dropped my daughter at the door and told her to RUN! She ran so fast her flip flop flew off and she ran through your door with flip flop in hand desperate to be taken in for the appointment... by the time I got up there, a minute later after parking, I found my daughter with tears in her eyes stating we could not/would not be seen b/c Lew-Ann's nurse had come up a few minutes earlier stating it was too late. I explained again how sorry I was and my circumstances of being tardy and pleaded with them to let us be seen... I received ZERO compassion from ANY of the front office staff. I asked to see the nurse that had made the decision so I could explain the circumstances to her... she came out front and also had ZERO compassion for me and my daughter... regardless of our circumstances. I was finally offered a 1:00pm time slot... I am unsure as to why I was never told about that time slot before, the only time I was ever told I could make an appointment was 1130am... but at this point I had lost my entire morning and driven 90+ mph to get to my appointment and the cold hearted staff was standing there looking at me like they did not understand why I was so upset... they did not care about my morning, my daughters watery eyes and obvious disappointment... they cared about nothing at all. I went off... I lost it... and that is NOT who I am. I cussed at them as I left and asked God for forgiveness later... but even at my lowest low as I told the staff to go to Hell Lew-Ann's own personal nurse had the nerve to holler out to me from the front desk that she will see me there... referring to seeing me in hell. So not only did I not receive an ounce of compassion or understanding from any of the staff but I also received ridicule from her nurse when I was obviously at my wits end, desperate and crying as I left with my daughter. I've never been so upset and frustrated as I was yesterday when this occurred... I was eight minutes late for my appointment and had circumstances take place that made me late; I should have received some understanding from the staff but instead we were treated like we were dirt.
Douglas Womens Center
880 Crestmark Drive
Douglasville, GA 30134 US
www.douglaswomenscenter.com
I was considering using this practice for my pregnancy and got a bad vibe right from the beginning. Before they would even schedule and appointment, a nurse called (when was convenient for THEM, my convenience was not taken into account) and took my "medical history" which turned out to be a series of the most invasive questions I have ever been asked by a medical professional. I was being SCREENED. They told me they would "review" my information and call the next day to let me know if I could schedule and appointment. They did not call the next day, but two afternoons later to inform me that they had reviewed my information and decided they could accept me into their practice. Granted, I am not from this area, I had NEVER heard of this before. What happened to the days of the DOCTOR being the PATIENT'S client. Anyway, she asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment at that time, but I told her I'd have to call back.
I really wanted more time to think it over given that I was getting a really weird vibe.
Tonight I decided to search for reviews on the practice and have found one disturbing negative after another.
I am sorry for your experience, but thank you so much for saving me the misery.
I have actually been a patient with this practice for years since 1997 .. I have had three miscarriages and two successsful pregnancies with them . I have never ever ever recieved any kind of bad treatment or nasty attitudes or any kind of miss treatment from any of the staff there. Even when I miscarried and took alot of time in the ultrasound room crying out of control even she wass compassionate about it knowing she had other patients waiting for their turn in that room. I relly hate that you ahd such a bad experience with them case I have and would still refer anyone to them ! I am sooo sorry cause they rally are a good practice maybe everyone was having one of those days that particular day. Dr. Tracy Bland-Dubose was my doctor and she is no longer there but I have seen them all at one time or another so now I see Dr. Soundararajan and she is great ! Sorry once again ! :-(
I have been a patient with DWC since 1998. They have always been helpful and compassionate for me, my daughters, and my mother. My hysterectomy was performed by Dr. Kuncl and Dr. Ortenzi. The procedure went very well and I did not experience complications afterwards. Doctors and support staff are really caring ladies who have treated me and my family with respect and dignity. everyone has always been so pleasant to us. Five years ago, Dr. Kuncl discovered a very small, but dangerous pre-cancerous spot on my mammogram. It was taken care of promptly and my mammograms have been clear ever since. Reading a negative blog was a shock. I hope all went well with your daughter's procedure and that she is healthy again. Having lived in 12 different states during my husband's military career, I have visited a lot of practices for healthcare. Douglas Women's Center has been the best by far!
I have been a patient of Dr Kunci"s for over 10 years now. I have never had a
bad experience. I have had some medical problems in the last year that
have been handled very professionally and compassionately by the
entire staff there. I would and do highly recommend them to my friends and
family members. As a mother, I am very sorry for the experience you had and pray that you daughter was taken care of and is now enjoying a happy and healthy life.
I went to them for my pregnancy and some of the staff was very rude, I had one nurse ask me if I was going to get drugs when I delivered and I told her no and she mumbled under her breath yea right in a rude way...but anyways when it came time for me to deliver I went to the hospital with contractions 3mins apart 4cm dialetd and completely effaced and I was bleeding more than normal and they sent me home because they said the dr that was on call from DWC said that I was not 40wks yet and they werent going to do nothing about it to go home and take tylenol for the pain...i went home in pain n slept for a little and woke up in so much pain I delt like I was going to have the baby right there so I rushed to the hospital not the same one though I got there and they barely had time to put me in the delivery room they didnt put an iv or nothing she just came right out! The Drs there didnt understand why they had sent me home at the other hospital they said my placenta had already started to tear apart but thank god everything came out alright and my baby waa healthy, for my next prwgnancy when ever that will be im going to make sure I dont go back to dwc.
I had weird vibes about this office when I went for my first visit. I was seven weeks pregnant and had some spotting, so I called Douglas Women's Center to schedule an appointment with a physician to see what was going on. However, I was scheduled an appointment with a RN. She did a urine pregnancy test and drew blood to test for my progesterone levels. I asked about seeing a physician because usually that is what happens at a doctors visit. She said no that I would have to have my hormone levels checked first, and we would have to wait and see if I a miscarriage was possible or if I was carrying the baby in my tubes. So I responded that the only way that we could find this out is if I had an ultrasound and still the RN tried to justify that an ultrasound was not needed. She told me to go home put my feet up and call her the next day for blood work results. I called her all day, left messages and everything. She finally called me at 6pm. Told me progesterone levels were a little low and she call in prometrium but maybe not. I was very uncomfortable at this point. So I ended up going to the ER. They performed ultrasound (which showed nothing alarming-Thank God), and discovered that I had a UTI, and gave me a pelvic exam. The doctor at the ER told me to follow up with an OB on Monday. So I called DWC, I was then told that they needed to repeat my bloodwork. So I told the nurse ok, but I need to follow up with an OB and told her about my ER visit. She still insisted that bloodwork needed to be repeated first. Then she said that I would not get an ultrasound until I was 12 weeks along. I just really felt neglected. I mean who tries to keep you from seeing a doctor?
I understand that some people have had nothing but good experiences at DWC and good for you. My advice for those who haven't, is to move on, because it is not going to get any better. I don't want to feel like everytime I go to an appointment I have to be on defense about something. Thankfully I moved on and found a wonderful group of doctors whose office staff is very curteous and professional.
I have had three bad experiences with this office. I went to them throughout my pregnancy. The first experience was when I was rushing to make my appointment while pregnant, after leaving work early, and it was raining, and there was an accident. I called to tell them I would be a few minutes late, and they informed me that under no circumstances would I be able to be seen if I was more than 15 minutes late. However, at my very next appointment, the doctor was running late, and they had me sitting in the waiting room for 1 1/2 hours without updating me, or trying to find anyone else to fit me in. Today was the last straw. I had a problem that I had been in to see Dr. Ortenzi about two weeks ago. My 16 month old son was with me at the appointment. They told me to schedule a mammogram, and I did while I was there. When I went in to the appointment, I had my son with me, as I am a stay at home Mom, and don't have anyone to watch him. They gave me the paperwork, while I was holding my son. I sat and waited. When they called me for the mammogram, the lady looked at me like I was a complete ### for bringing my son. She said "did you have him with you when you signed in?" Well, yeahhhhh...I did. The worst part was they simply refused to find any way to accommodate me, and the b_____ manager at the front desk said that her patients usually ask if it's ok for them to bring their children. I walked out and said I would not be back. WASTE OF TIME, and can we say ATTITUDES!
Some of the staff there could look and appear more professional. I was there for routine blood work---never again will I allow either of the two rude ladies who TRY to draw blood stick me again. I have to have blood drawn at my other dr office every 6 months, never once have I left his office with a bruised arm full of needle marks, those two ladies need to go back to school for a refresher course.
So because of there lack of experience I have to go some where else and have my blood drawn. the older one was all sloched down in a chair and was very rude, she acted pissed she had to get up. I have been going there a long time, but that may change. it USED to be a first class office, but no longer, a few of the older staff are fine. they need to get some staff in that department that care about what they do and their patience
After years as an insured patient, I became uninsured through Divorce and was still battling issues with fibroids, polyps, pain and anemia that goes along with all of this. My records indicate over 5 years of D&C, birthcontrol shots and still recurring fibroids that returned with a vengeance. AFTER I lost my insurance and had asked for a more permanent solution, I was finally told I would need a partial hysterectomy by the NP and to call to sched a consult with the Dr. I called and was asked "why do you assume you need a hysterectomy?". Excuse me? Anyway, after MORE expensive tests and attempts at Depo Provera shots, causing more blood loss and hemoglobin levels to fall to 6.2, I told Dr that the shot was not helping and she mocked me saying I was the one in a million person that it didn't help. She also suggested I have robotic surgery, lathroscopic. Fast forward...I retrieved my records, and went elsewhere for another opinion and found out my Uterus was so enlarged and my ovaries covered with cysts that a full hysterectomy(not lathroscopic) was the only option. I was also asked'" Why in this world have they put this off?". My new insurance company required a waiting period, so I had surgery in Jan this year. I required 2 transfusions prior to surgery, my Uterus was, according to my dr, the size of a volleyball, weighing 582 grams (average is 72 grams) Thankfully, all pathology was benign and I am fully recovered and feel better and more healthy than I have in years. I strongly urge anyone seeing this group to get a second opinion prior to any invasive procedure just to be safe. I always had the feeling my dr at DWC was not "all there" at my appointments and was not at all interested in my overall health, could never remember our previous conversations, even with notes in front of her, and did not take my questions or concerns seriously. I did my research on Depo-Provera and found out that my situation was not all that uncommon after all, and that many women with my issues found themselves worse off than before. The office staff there, from my experience are great and were never rude to me, always tried to relay my concerns to the dr, but I could tell their hands were tied. The staff is not the problem, the doctor is. I also researched her board complaints and actions and found some incomplete information that left more questions and concerns for me. I now have a great Dr, who knows my concerns, listens to me and has taken great care of me, educated me and does not hesitate to tell it like it is. She is familiar with my old Dr and group and, as I understand, called them and spoken to them about the handling of my case and the danger I was placed in. I am thankful I had enough gumption to take my records and go elsewhere. I hope this post makes other ladies stop and take action for second opinions, even if you stay with this practice. We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones to be pro active in regards to our health and well being.