Here we go again

I am so annoyed, I really am. I have had problems dealing with Dr. Giovanni's office in the past and now that I am trying to call them again, here we go again.......

I called the office about 2 days ago to explain to them that my surgery was postponed in May because of my thryoid #'s. I explained that the level was down now and I wanted to find out if Dr. G will allow me to move forward with surgery. The woman on the phone told me she would talk to her and call me back before the end of the day. She never did of course....Then I called again yesterday and she said "well I gave HIM the message but I didn't hear anything back" so I said "well.........how do I follow up then?" and she's like "ok, remind me what you were calling HIM about"? *sigh* So I said, "well first of all I was calling Dr. Giovanni who is a HER" and she's like "oh well, we have so many doctors we deal with here I can't keep track" ?????????? And then I repeated my story about why I was calling and she said "ok, I will ask her and get back to you". And course, I never heard back...............

Honestly, when I found out that my thyroid #'s were down, I was temporarily excited, but then I was like "oh no, now this means I have to deal with her office to try and get this scheduled" (which I knew was going to be a nightmare). And yes, already it is. I'm just so annoyed that this has to be such a painful experience, you know? I seriously considered whether or not I wanted to move forward with this or not just because I knew how much of a pain in the a$$ it was going to be to deal with the office staff...............I am really considering the possibility of trying to do this with another doctor.........
 
Any advice???????? And how about you guys who have used other docs - do you recommend them if I was looking to make the change?

Thanks!!!

Liza

I get really frustrated when I hear the tales about this office staff.  Have you considered going in to the office to look someone in the eye to ask your question(s)?  I'm certain it would get some attention.

That being said, I have nothing but RAVES for Dr. Ryder.  It took me a bit to win over her secretary, but I think I have.  I got my surgery date the day I was in the office for my pre-op appt -- none of this waiting for a return call.  PM me if you'd like to chat further.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with Dr G's office staff.   I agree with the last response that says go down there and talk to someone face to face.  That will definitely draw some attention.  As far as switching docs, I have not had my surgery yet (scheduled for October 6) but I would certainly recommend Dr Roye.  You wouldnt meet him o your first visit, that would be with his NP, but he is very nice and understanding.  I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide on.

Brian

Liza, get a new doctor, simple

Hi Liza,
  I agree with Chris, get a new doctor and tell the old one why your changing, you may save someone else aggrivation down the road.

Keep smiling
 Rome

Liza,

I totally understand your frustration!  I posted the same thing here several months ago and Dr. G and Dr. P's office staff. 
What I did was:
1) called and asked who I was speaking to.  Then I stated my question as succently as possible and asked if she could help me.  If she said yes, I went into greater detail.  If not, I asked for the person who could help me, of course getting name and title, if possible. 
2) if they had to call me back, I made sure I had a time...not just tomorrow afternoon.  I made them specifically give me a time (or timeframe) such as between 1-2p tomorrow, June 24. I also repeated everything back to them.  (Yes, it gets annoying but I wanted to make sure I had the correct information down when I called back in to complain--which I did!)
3) If no call by by the time, I called again, asked for the person who said they were going to call and stated that it is now 1 minute after 2pm and I haven't heard about my question, request, etc.  What is the status?  Why couldn't you get an answer from the doctor?  Do I need to schedule an appointment to see the doctor to discuss the long wait and get my questions answered this way?  etc. 

The big thing is write everything down. Times, dates, person's spoke to and answers.  When I finally saw Dr. Giovanni for my 2nd appointment, I had everything written down and explained that if I wasn't so far along in all the testing, I'd find someone else...not because of her but because of her office staff.  She understands and tried to explain that they are really busy with other surgeries as well as WLS but I would let her use that excuse.  My time is important to me, as well, and my money-either out of my pocket or insurance- pays for the service that they are supposed to provide.    She stated she would talk to them...whether that's happened, I don't know.

I understand your wanting to change doctors.  Will you have to do all repeats of the testing?  If you do, you might try a different doctor.  If not, maybe trying to work through the phone calls for a bit would be worth the hassle of new testing.

Sending you strength and courage! 

~kelly jo

Liza:
I dont know how many times I've stated the same issue with this horrible Office STaff, they have been the worst I've ever dealt with, so at my follow up appoint 3 months ago I told Dr. G about it.  I would suggest you do the same, make an appointment with her face to face and please mention to her how unprofessional her office staff has been. 

Good Luck...

I did mention to her that if I had any issues after my surgery I was thinking of calling my primary care Dr. instead of her office due to the horrible office staff that she has.

I'm sorry to hear about what you are going through. I was in a similar situation with Dr. Sax's office. I won't mention any  names but his secretary who thinks she is much more than she is was rude, lazy and obnoxious with a total god complex to top it all off sooooo I switched surgeons after Dr. Sax left. I definitely would NOT recommend them.  I have to go out of state to have my surgery but I have found a great office and it was a blessing in disguise. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if you do have to change. Good Luck!!

Tiffany

Hi Liza - I can completely understand the frustration. I've been dealing with the same issues regarding my 2 year appointment... they definitely are busy, but again, it's no excuse.

Like everyone else said, go there in person and refuse to leave until you get your answers.

I do have to say though that at 1 year post op I had a complication that required emergency surgery, when I called the office and explained the situation they took excellent care of me and got me right in. I understand that it's frustrating now but they are reliable when it's an emergency.

Good luck!