Is your Doctorate in Douchebaggery?
My youngest son has been complaining of stomach pain on and off for a little bit. He has a tender tummy and picks up stomach bugs easily. I figured he had a virus. Almost everyday for the past two weeks he has pleaded with me to stay home from school. Now I am starting to think there is something going on at school. I sat him down and asked him if there was anything going on and gave him the “You can tell us anything and we’ll love you no matter what” speech. He insisted that nothing was wrong.
Wednesday, I decided if he was going to ask to stay home that we were going to the doctor to make sure everything was okay. I called our regular doctor and they could not get him in until late afternoon. That wouldn’t work because I need to be home for my other children afterschool. So I decide that I would give Methodist Medpointe a try. That is where I was horribly wrong.
The office staff and the nurse were extremely friendly. Then the doctor came in. She was obviously dismayed by the fact that East Bluff riff raff had slipped through the invisible fence that keeps us all South of War Memorial Drive. She sizes me up and asks me why my child isn’t in school in the most condescending tone I have ever heard. Well, maybe it is the fact that he is having stomach pain or that when your nurse took his temperature he had a fever! Then she starts in about his weight. According to her he should weigh 75 pounds because of his height. All my boys are skinny and tall. That is how they are built. They all eat quite well, I can assure you. So she pushes on his stomach and refers him to a pediatric GI specialist.
I have never been treated like I was a complete piece of trash the way I was by this doctor. Even my son said, “Mom, she was a snot to you.” By the time she was done with me I was ready to call DCFS on myself! I’m sure she thinks that my son isn’t in school because he is running a pickpocketing ring to finance my gambling/strip club that I run out of my basement! He’s skinny because of all the cocaine he does and because he has to fight all our pitbulls for food!
I will never set foot in Methodist Medpointe again. I will pay the extra money (double my already high copay) to go to Proctor First Care. I am also going to complain to Methodist. We don’t pay ridiculous health insurance premiums and copays for this. Just imagine if I was on medicaid?! I don’t care how long you went to school or who the hell you think you are, you don’t treat people like that.
UPDATE: I have spoke with someone on Methodist’s pride line. She couldn’t believe how poorly I was treated. She had an adminstrator call me for more details and now I am expecting a call from the guy who oversees all the Medpointes. I was told that he will perform an investigation and interview the staff of the Medpointe and the doctor from hell. He’ll get back to me when that is completed.
customer service, kids, pissed off | eastbluffbarbie | 
January 23, 2009 5:36 pm
Billy Dennis, January 23, 2009 @ 6:48 pm
Why not tell us this doctor’s name?
Sarah, January 23, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
PLease tell the doctors name!! That is outrageous! I would complain to your regular family doctor as well!!
East Bluff Barbie, January 23, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
Dr. Waugh
East Bluff Barbie, January 23, 2009 @ 7:22 pm
My mother in law works with in the Methodist Network and she is also talking to the appropriate people about what happened. She is the one who told me which channels to go through to get results. She was pretty pissed too. If any of my children were undernourished I can assure you she’d let me know.
Rix, January 23, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
I’m sorry you had to go through such bullshit. I’ve seen those boys eat and I’d be happy to confirm their hollow legs. Then there’s the fact that boys that age don’t stand still. Hope he feels better…
Laura, January 23, 2009 @ 8:36 pm
I have had very good experiences at the OSF Prompt Care by the Metro Center and at the one on Route 91 by the new mall. There is usually no waiting at the one on Route 91.
idonotknowme, January 23, 2009 @ 10:09 pm
To whom do you pay the ridiculous premiums and copays? To the actual medical service provider (Methodist Medpointe in this case)? No. Ergo, Methodist Medpointe has no reason to give crap how much your premiums are. You are not their customer, your insurance company is their customer because the insurance company is paying the bulk of the bill, not you. Our whole mentality about health care is screwed up. We call patients “recipients” instead of customers and doctors and hospitals are called “providers” instead of suppliers. Medical care will not improve, nor will its cost ever go down unless we establish a customer/supplier relationship and that will remain difficult with insurance companies and employers getting in between doctors and patients. It will be impossible with the government controlling the whole situation.
Vanilla Bean Counter, January 23, 2009 @ 10:56 pm
Methodist does give a crap about patient satisfaction, most health care providers do. Methodist wants to be on every insurance plan possible. Poor patient satisfaction and poor outcomes will not let them remain competitive with the other providers in town. Methodist wants as many people to be on plans that include Methodist, receive outstanding healthcare, and tell as many people about it as possible.
S2010, January 24, 2009 @ 11:06 am
Well ain’t that the happy crappy! Sorry you had to go through that.
I do think some of the replies are onto something when they talk about Methodist wanting to have “happy customers,” but that doesn’t change the fact that an individual Dr. can be an ass! It is also true that the environment may dictate behavior and we don’t know what this Dr. has been told by her bean-counting superiors. Hopefully informing this person’s superiors of her detrimental use of a presumptuous and condescending attitude will receive her a swift kick in the ass!
Once I went to Proctor First Care and once i had to send my mom, 2 diff. locals; we were both happy with our limited experiences with them.
What were the “appropriate” channels?
larry fordham, January 24, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Jesus Loves You and so do i. You claim your blog is “purely sarcastic”.
So does your walk match your talk?
Jaded, January 25, 2009 @ 7:32 pm
Geez…EBB, I am sorry that the doctor was such an asshat.
But, I have been to the Medpointe in Pekin and in Morton, and was treated very kindly. I actually like going there better than I do my own Gen Prac. I was always an OSF girl until my insurance said that I HAD to use Methodist, or I would still be at the OSF clinic.
Keep us informed if anything productive happens to this beotch…I’d like to see the outcome.
I hope the boy is feeling better.
)
Jennifer, January 26, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
EBB,
I hope your son is feeling better! And I’ve seen your kids, they are slender, thin, but not unhealthily so at all!
Good luck with your complaint. I hope the Dr. takes it seriously and thinks more about how she treats her patients. No one likes to be talked down to.
Jennifer
East Bluff Barbie, January 26, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
I don’t know me,
Methodist does have reason to care because they are due to negotiate with our insurance for preferred provider status. We are “self insured”, our company has an account with a third party that pays all the claims. I definately agree that there needs to be more competition for our health services. One example is Lasik. Lasik is not covered by most insurance yet the technology has gotten better and the price has gone down. If only that was true of the rest of the medical industry.
Larry,
I am stating facts about how I was treated at the doctor’s office. I’m being totally sarcastic about my 8 year old being a pickpocket, running a gambling/strip club out of the basement, my 8 year old doing cocaine and having to fight dogs for food. I was completely professional in the doctor’s office even though I really wanted to tear the doctor a new one.
diane, February 8, 2009 @ 1:31 pm
Any news on how this turned out, Barbie?
East Bluff Barbie, February 17, 2009 @ 8:08 pm
I am still waiting to hear from the guy who runs the MedPointes. I was going to do a follow up call but we all got extremely sick with the stomach flu. I plan on calling this week to find out the status of my complaint.