Tuckahoe Surgical Center
8919 Three Chopt Road
Richmond VA 23229
From: Sabrina XXXXXXX
XXXXXXXX
Richmond VA 23223
(804) XXX-XXXX
RE: Services received in regards to hand surgery (Dr. Glowaki) performed on 4-8-08.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to let you know just how disorganized your facility appears from the eyes a first time patient having their very first surgical procedure. This constant disorganization has not only caused me to have serious misgivings about having my surgery performed there but it has also caused me much inconvenience, stress, and needless worry.
Upon my initial visit, I presented the receptionist with my insurance information, (at the time, Medicare only) and was then (after sitting in a stiflingly hot waiting room for over 30 minutes) given an EKG, as seemed indicated by my responses to a patient questionnaire. During this short procedure, I had a few questions about the facility, one of which was ‘what sort of resuscitative machinery and expertise would be available in the event of emergency?’
The EKG tech (Annette, perhaps?) answered my question dismissively and frighteningly, informing me that ‘her little fingers can dial 911 as fast as anyone else’s.’ In fact, she babbled nonsense during the entire procedure, told me my EKG looked normal, and then informed me that a potassium test had to be done on my blood, a test I’d have to go elsewhere to get done. On my way out I was able to see many undressed (in gowns) patients laying almost shoulder to shoulder in a single room, and I remember thinking…’damn, they don’t believe in privacy around here, do they?’
I left there annoyed and scared and totally unimpressed, but went and had my bloodwork done as instructed. I received a phone call almost immediately, informing me that despite my normal EKG I would be required to have a stress test prior to surgery. If that was the case (and it was) why was I compelled to come in there for an EKG in the first place? To make matters even less convenient, no one from Tuckahoe could give me a referral for such testing, so it took me several days and phone calls to get it set up.
I called Tuckahoe back to let you folks know when this test was scheduled (4-2-08) and with whom, and at that time I expressed my aggravation because I’d felt you’d wasted my time with the EKG since you were obviously going to require more than that. I also informed whoever it was I spoke with that the remarks made about calling 911 if I were to develop a problem during surgery had made me wonder if I wanted to have my procedure done there at all, and that I was also shocked by the fact that a surgical center was unable (or unwilling) to draw blood for a simple lab test. At NO TIME did I state I would not be willing to have surgery there, I simply said that my experiences so far made me wonder if I might not be better off asking Dr Glowaki to schedule me at a local hospital instead.
Later that day I spoke with Dr Glowaki’s office and told them that despite my misgivings, if HE was comfortable with your facilities that I’d defer to his judgment and was willing to go ahead with things. I had my stress test done on the second, and informed them that your facility needed the results ASAP as I was scheduled for surgery the following week.
On Friday, 4-4, near the close of business, I found a message on my voice mail from your facility, demanding that I call and let them know if I was scheduled for surgery on the 8th. The person leaving this message stated that there was a note on my file stating NOT TO CALL ME as I had refused services there (not true at all-why was this on my file?) and wanted the surgery done elsewhere, but that she was calling me anyway because I was ‘still on the schedule.’ Of course, when I called back, the office was closed and I was forced to leave a message. My mother was flying in that weekend in order to help out for a few days after my surgery, so for the entire weekend I was worried that this costly airfare was going to be in vain, but it was too late to cancel her flight by then.
On Monday, April 7th, after running errands I returned home to discover that Tuckahoe had called my husband, informing him that my surgery had been cancelled because I’d never had my stress test done. By the time I got home it was almost 4:00 PM, and I was frantic. I called Tuckahoe immediately to give them the name and contact info for my cardiologist (for the second time) and was blithely informed that all was well, that they had ‘finally found it’ and everything was set to go the following morning. My question is this, why didn’t YOU initiate that call? The last we’d heard from you was that the surgery was cancelled. If I had gotten home 30 minutes later, I would not have known to show up the following day.
On the morning of the surgery, I gave my intake person a copy of my new Medicaid card, prior to that I had only had Medicare, a copy of which had been taken on my initial visit. All seemed to be going well from that point on, with the exception of one nurse insisting on trying to start my IV in the back of my hand. I asked her to please find a spot in my arm instead, as I’d just had IV sedation in both hands the previous week when receiving lumbar facet injections from Dr Hau, and they were not only sore but difficult to ‘hit.’
She insisted anyway, and after enduring several minutes of her painful digging around, I finally grabbed her arm and made her take it out and start over elsewhere. The vein I showed her on the top of my arm worked out wonderfully, as I knew it would, and she hit paydirt on the very first stick. Listen to your patients. Sometimes they really do know a thing or two about their own bodies.
When I awoke, I noticed my arm was packed with ice on the bottom, and I asked Annette why the ice wasn’t on top, isn’t that where my incisions were? She had NO idea and started digging through my chart trying to figure it out. Good grief, my aftercare worker doesn’t even know where I’ve been cut? She then proceeded to remove my IV barehanded and without any gauze nearby, causing me to squirt a good sized geyser of blood all over myself, the bed, the floor, and her before another staff member came running with some gauze to stem the flow. Bet she won’t do that again! (And I do hope she had no open wounds on her hands, I’ve been treated for HepC and now test virus-free, but one never knows…)
I then asked her to go get my mom out of the waiting room because I had to urinate and would need help. She claimed my mother wasn’t out there (she was, btw, she never left) so she took me to the bathroom herself and left me there, telling me I could get dressed when I was finished.
Uhmm, I had one dead arm, which I had to hold up with my good arm, and there I was left, sitting on the john alone with no way to summon my mother or anyone else for that matter. How the hell was I supposed to get dressed, with my toes? I finally managed to get myself wiped off and staggered out into the hallway, in search of assistance. Finally someone went out and got my mom, I got dressed, and we prepared to leave.
Sitting there in a wheelchair, I told Annette I thought I was to be given a sling or something, and she got rather uppity about it, referring to me as ‘bossy.’ In the meantime my mom had taken my purse and other belongings out to the car, and when she returned, there was some sort of panic about my Medicare card, which all of a sudden, no one could find a copy of. (sheesh, here we go again.) My mom had to go back out to the car, get my purse, bring it to me, and I once again presented it to one of your employees.
I asked to be removed to the parking lot while we waited (for you to do the paperwork that should have already been done weeks prior) so I could smoke, at which point I was treated to a lecture from Annette about how I would certainly NOT light up in HER presence, inside OR out, and in fact, I’d better not until I was in the car and had the door CLOSED because the ‘smell of it makes her sick.’ A more professional response would have been “We’ll be done here in a few minutes, and then I’ll take you out.” I was in no mood for a lecture or her attitude about it.
She also told me I was to keep ice on the arm 24/7 for the next three days. 24/7? Wouldn’t that damage the skin? Skin I couldn’t even feel? A call to Tuckahoe after we got home resulted in the correct information, 30 minutes of icing every 2 hours, not continual icing for three days.
And now, almost two weeks after surgery, I get a breathless communiqué (which I have included here) stating that you all ‘forgot’ some of THE most important paperwork needed to make sure you get paid in a timely manner. D’uH. Here it is, all filled out nice and neat, and I hope to God it’s the last time I have to deal with you people.
Dr. Glowaki and staff have been wonderful, but Tuckahoe Surgical Center? You’re the most disorganized group of medical ‘professionals’ I’ve ever had the displeasure of dealing with. Communication between Doctors and Staff seems non existent, as does communication between Staff and Patient. You almost cancelled my surgery TWICE at the last minute, even though I had followed through with every instruction and informed your staff each time I had. You have no idea how stressful that was, the panic it induced, (with mom coming in from out of town for a surgery that ‘may or may not’ be taking place) and the utter fear it caused me. I kept thinking….’If they can’t even handle these routine administrative tasks, do I really want to put my life in their hands?’
The answer to that is no. I did it once, I won’t be back. Here’s your crucial paperwork. Next time, have your patients fill it out PRIOR to surgery, don’t you think that would be so much more professional?
Good Luck.
Sabrina XXXXXXXX