fluffyarmpit

called and she was extremely rude, asking all these personal questions and i told her its not her busines, then she said well maybe you should go find yourself a different doctor, i waned to walk over and punch her, but i took my meds and felt a lot better.

ccgirl2

I'd write and personal and confidential letter to the doctor and let him know.

Impurrfect

I, too, would tell the doctor.

I was a nurse for years, and unfortunately, not all people who work in the doctor's offices and hospitals need to be there. It doesn't always do any good, but I always tell whoever is in charge that I was treated rudely...it makes me feel better, that at least I stood up for myself.

Of course, I'm a smarta$$. I probably would have responded "maybe the doctor needs a new SECRETARY!"

Hugs and prayers!

Amy

Toomutch

I would report her as well. It sounds like she may be better suited for a job that dosn't involve working with the public; like a palentologist. Then she could be alone with her fossils and be rude all she wants. :rof

Aysha

Had that happen lots of times too.
I just tell them..I would rather talk to the Dr about it. They dont like it..Then too bad.
There is a thing called Dr patient confidentiality.
The old me would have cussed a B**** out... But now I just blow them off and get my point across another way.
Dont let people like that get to you.
Definately bring it to someones attention though.

TiredMama

She should have NOT treated you that way. Hands down. I would definitely report this behavior to the doctor. That is unacceptable.

Jane63

I agree! You should tell your DR at the next apt. how you were treated so that he is aware of how unprofessional his secretary is treating his patients!

There is a very judgemental nurse at my GP's office that I often have problems with and anymore I just tell her [as politely as I can] that I would rather discuss such things with my DR at our apt.

There are just some people that shouldn't be working with the public and unfortunately we are going to run into those sort of people now and then.
Take care!
Jane

fluffyarmpit

thanks for your input, I was wondering who I should contact, the psychiatrist himself? It would've been my first apt with that psychiatrist, that place isn't where my normal doctor works or anything, he's totally seperate from the psychiatrist. She was asking me what meds I was on, and I said um, paxil and oxycodone(which i don't know why she would be asking that) and she said oh we don't do that here, how are you getting it if you don't have a job? I said my insurance is paid for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! my cousin pays for it, and why is it any of your business? and then i said whats your name? and she paused and then said uh kathy, I said you can expect a phone call from me to your supervisor and thats when she said maybe you should find a different doctor and hung up! I was so livid, i walked over towards where its at because its about a mile away, and I had to take a valium to calm down. thanks guys

Toomutch

You might as well report it to the psychiatrist and your primary doctor. I don't think your psychiatrist will be too pleased with the receptionist. She was very unproffessional with you, which means it has probably happened before. (even if it hasn't, once is too much). The psychiatrist could lose patients as a result of this, and I'm sure would rather have a receptionist that made the potential patients feel welcome.

fluffyarmpit

oh i definatley am reporting it, I just don't know who to report to. oh and also after she hung up, I called back 4 times and no one would answer

Chino

She was probably doing an intake file and that's why she asked the questions about meds. But I agree she went too far when she asked how you were getting it.

When my daughter was looking for a doctor that was certified to dispense suboxone, the first one was horrible. The strangest part is that he's an addiction specialist and had been highly recommended. His staff couldn't keep track of her intake file (it was done over the phone) and it was two weeks before they admitted they lost it. She had been waiting for an appt and was obtaining subs illegally during that time.

When the doctor finally called her to schedule an appt (after I talked to the office manager) it was still another three weeks before she could get in. Five weeks altogether, for crying out loud! He apologized for the three week wait and she graciously accepted that, but when she expressed her frustration over having to wait two weeks to schedule an appt and the staff's ineptitude, he got really defensive.

I could hear him on the phone (it was her cell) and he said he didn't understand what she was complaining about. She very calmly told him she would have found someone else if she knew it would be a total of five weeks. He still didn't understand, or at least pretended not to. She hung up on him, and continued to hang up when he kept calling her back.

I cross referenced the suboxone list with my insurance and found her another doctor. She got in to see him in three days. I told my daughter to consider that first doctor's staff as divine intervention... she did not need to be there, with people like that. The sub doctor she has now is kind and compassionate.

Sorry to be so long winded! Guess I'm trying to say if you find that office and doctor to be indifferent towards you, take the hint and find another.

Toomutch

Chino,
Glad to hear that your daughter found a compassionate doctor.

ksos

Fluffy....

You can write a carefully written letter, marked "Personal and Confidential" which FULLY details this incident.

Do not put your name on the envelope, for this person may open the letter and throw it out.

Make a clean copy and ask the psychiatrist if he/she received your letter.

She will be terminated.

fluffyarmpit

I hate to have someone get fired, but it's ridiculous how bad she was. It's a mental health clinic, people who have severe depression and other things call there. I was just blown away by the whole thing, I called right back about 4 times and no one would answer. ridiculous. Thanks, so i should just write a letter to the psychiatrist himself? will it get to him or do other people open his mail first?

ksos

Fluff,

It is her who is getting herself fired. Suppose another person calls the clinic and is severely depressed, received that f*&king response, and then, jumped off the roof of his or her apartment? This person is not appropriate to work in a mental health clinic, or a barnyard supply store, for that matter!~

I kind of see it as an ethical responsibility to the others who may not be as strong as you were, and are victimized by this jerk. If you overlook what she had done to you, the behavior will continue and effect others. The psychiatrist or the Clinic Director must be made aware of this.

Write the letter to the psychiatrist as I suggested in my last post, and with the words "Personal and Confidential". Any other person who opens it will also get a disiplinary action against them, for violating confidentiality law. I doubt that anyone would open a letter to a "higher-up" when the correspondance is marked "Personal and Confidential."

I also said in my last post to make yourself a copy, too. I forgot to say why, so accept my apolohublest. Bring the copy to your psychiatrist at your next appointment, just in case someone wants to be stupid...

I have worked in clinics like your before and if I opened up someone's mail...I would have been tarred and feathered by the staff.

:ghug

fluffyarmpit

thanks ksos, I tried to call the next day and another lady answered the phone, and I said can I speak to the supervisor, because I called here yesterday and had someone very rude speak to me, the lady asked who and I said she told me her name was kathy, and the lady said sir she is the supervisor. And that was that. cool, I didn't know if it would get into the hands of the psychiatrist or not, I'm in the middle of finding one, I went to one already, and argued with him for a good 20 minutes, because he asked me about 8 generic questions, you know like background stuff, like does your family have a history of this and blah blah, then turned to me and said, ok what do you want me to do? I said I don't know your the professional, I want advice on if I'm doing the right thing, If i knew what I needed you think I'd be here? and went off on him, I called my insurance and told them about it, and they said they are going to go after him and also get a refund and also refund my co pay. oh!!!!!!! and get this, he wanted to put me on saraquil or however you spell it, but its brand name only and my deductable is $500 for name brand. So i called my insurance and they said well we can fax over 6 medications that are similar to saraquil that have generics. the psychiatrists office called me back and said well the doctor recomended lithium! lithium! after speaking to me for about 35 minutes and half of it was me telling him how horrible this was and me wanting to leave... I couldn't believe it! It's like they wanna hand out this stuff like its candy.

Carrie

My sub doc wanted to put me on seroquel for SLEEP problems. I couldn't believe it. I respectfully declined. I DO use Xanax for sleep/anxiety issues. I cold turkey'ed off of it in November because he told me he would not prescribe the sub if I used benzos. Well I had to go back on them. I am always honest with him and tell him I DO take one on particularly bad nights. He always reminds me benzos are contradicted with Sub and I always tell him I've done my research and yes, people have died from taking both but in ALL cases it was people who injected the drugs. I do not abuse Xanax. I take it as prescribed and only when necessary. Many sub docs will prescribe both together. He won't. While I like my sub doc, I've tried to find another one who will prescribe the sub and not give me a hard time about the benzos, but they seem to be impossible to find in my area. I'll be off sub altogether hopefully within a month anyway and I won't have to worry about it anymore. I am not going to take a heavy duty drug like Seroquel to help me sleep, no thanks.

As far as the rude receptionists, etc...I have run into so many of them while looking for sub doctors. As soon as I ask about sub I get that judgemental tone from most of them. I wish there was another psychiatrist who specialized in addiction near me. However most of the sub certified docs in my area are just normal internists or psychiatrists, not addiction specialists. Unfortunately there is a huge stigma of being an addict. Alcoholics get better treatment than opiate addicts. At least that's what I have found anyway.

bval

What area of CA are you in Fluffy, if you don't mind my asking?

Also, unless this was a publicly funded facility, i frankly would just move on. Screw those people. You can be pretty certain that this Kathy was doing *EXACTLY* what she's been told to do, writing a letter to the doc is likely to be a waste of time. She'll probably get a friggin RAISE.

If it's a public practice that WE all pay for, that's TOTALLY different. I'd write a letter to the appropriate government oversight agency if it were me in that case.

In any case, don't let it get you down. Anger my friend serves NO GOOD PURPOSE in life, unless perhaps in the case where something is truly life or death. This doesn't qualify. If you really want to recover, you're going to have to learn to put the process of getting angry behind you my friend. It's a very destructive emotion, and it will lead you straight back to using if you let it. Just my $.02. Keep looking for the right doc, you'll eventually find him/her. Don't get mad, just have faith that things are working out EXACTLY like they are supposed to ... even if you don't see that yet, have faith...