Rude

This was my struggle to find out what happened to my wrist.

I called the x-ray lab place and asked if I could just come in. They said no, I needed to see a doctor to get a request for an x-ray, then I'd need to have another visit to analyze the x-ray. I wasn't psyched about paynig 2 co-pays for the doctor plus whatever the x-ray costs, but it was still cheaper than my urgent care co-pay.

So I called my doctor and talked to the receptionist. Told her I hurt my wrist and I needed an x-ray, but that I needed a doctor's request for it. She said, "Just go to urgent care, they have an x-ray machine there."

I told her my co-pay was really high for that and that I wanted to save money. She said, "Well, does your insurance require referrals to see other doctors?" I didn't know what a referral was. I told her so. At which point she sighed and talked to me like I was 5 or just a big idiot. "Does your insurance require your primary care physician to authorize visits to specialists?" It doesn't, I told her.

"Then just go to urgent care," she said. I explained again that my co-pay was too high, and she said, "But if you come here then you'll need to go somewhere else to get an x-ray." Ok...but again, lower co-pay. X-ray a factor either way. She wasn't getting it, was treating me like an idiot, was being generally rude, and was telling me to go elsewhere. Well fine. I'm not going to beg you to let me be your customer. You want me to go elsewhere, I'll go elsewhere. And never go to YOU again, jerkwad!

So I went to urgent care. At that point I was too frustrated and too busy to try to find another primary care physician, set up appointments, and so on. This lady had me on the verge of tears and I couldn't shake the bad mood she put me in all day. And it didn't help when I was sitting in urgent care trying to fill out forms with an injured dominant hand. And when they kept telling me to sign stuff.

My friend who had recommended the doctor had also had a bad encounter with the receptionist lately. And she's also friends with one of the doctor's there, so she talked to the doctor today and told her of my encounter. She was told that they knew about the situation and are taking care of it. I didn't say anything to anyone at the doctor's office, so they must have heard her side of the phone conversation and realized she was basically telling me she didn't want to help me.

I hope she gets fired. There are too many good people out of work right now to have someone so rude and unhelpful answering phones. Especially at a doctor's office, where people call and come in already in pain or sick and needing a comforting person to help them.