Houston Memorial Hermann Memorial City Review Drama Update 10-1-09

Houston Memorial Hermann Memorial City Review Drama Update 10-1-09. Follow up from prior thread.

Monday
After completing the required aforementioned seminar on Saturday morning I called the center to make my appointment on Monday morning.  I got a voice mail.  No big deal I left a message.  Afternoon rolls around and I call again,  voice mail mail again.  Now this is the main advertised number for the Bariatric program for the hospital.   No big deal it's Monday right...

Tuesday
Morning and afternoon comes and goes no call back. So I call again late afternoon, voice mail. Now I am not too pleased.  I call the main hospital number  and ask for someone that is over the bariatric program.  I get an admin in the "Administration Office" of the hospital.  I tell her the story and she shoots me over to the head of nursing.  They answer the phone! I tell them the story. She calls down to the centers office herself and....voice mail. Now she is really not to happy. She tells me that she is having them paged and someone WILL call me back before the end of the day. No problem I say looking forward to it.  4:50pm comes around no one calls.  I call the head of nursing back to tell her no one has called, voice mail, they are gone for the day at 4:50!  I call the administration admin back as this is getting comical. She answers! She remembers me from earlier and I tell her the story again with updates. Now she is really not a happy camper and vows to get it handled in the morning and takes all my information. She tells me if no one calls by late morning Wednesday to call her directly and gives me her direct number.  

Wednesday/Yesterday
Morning comes and goes no call. I call the administration admin back and she is seriously ticked.  She told me someone would call within the hour as she was paging them.  11:30am the director of the bariatric center calls me. Same person I had spoken to last week.  She gives me a song and dance about being busy blah blah blah.  I told her we are all busy, but I return calls.  I tell her I was at the Saturday meeting as she required me to and I need to make an appointment with the Davis' . She asked me why since Dr. Ferrari is great and why wasn't I using him.  She gets a short answer. She then tells me about Davis' seminar that night and I should go to that one. She also gives me the Davis' appointment number.  I call that line and try to make an appointment. No dice.  I have to go to THEIR meeting.  Of course I told them that I had been to theirs before AND Dr. Ferrari's on Saturday. Did not matter to them I had to go again!!!  They shoot me over to a booking person to make me another reservation for that night's seminar.  6:30pm I am sitting in ANOTHER seminar hosted by Dr. Garth Davis.  Even though by now there is nothing about this surgery I do not know Dr. Davis' presentation was MUCH better and his insurance specialist who also spoke was stellar.  It does appear that the Davis' do put you through more hoops but it is nothing at least in my case that my insurance does not already require.            

The only thing I can think of is that the hospital it actively trying to steer patients away from the Davis' and give the other doctors a shot. When you book online for the seminar it just gives you dates and times, not who the doctor is. That should be useful information to someone thinking about starting this process to make sure you get to the seminar of the doctor you want to use or to go to several and compare.

I think most doctors' office staff all went to a "Run-Around 101" class as I've experienced that in many different offices.  I think since the Davis' just started in over there at MHMC, it is quite possible whoever is booking those appts. for the seminars has no clue the Davis' are even part of their group.  That "trickle down" memo hasn't gotten to them just yet.  No excuses on their part, but I do know their office is just swamped.  SO many people want to use them that I think they are just pulled in every direction.  Definitely overwhelmed.  Heck, I got a call from their office the other day saying "when would you like to reschedule your missed appointment"?  I said, "what appointment, I never made any appointment"!  Somehow they made me an appointment for my annual labs and never told me.  Uh, that doesn't work too well!!!  Kinda need to know of the appointment if they want me to keep it!  Oh well, not much else we can do but be patient!!!

I haven't had to deal with MHMC as my process had started before Dr.s Davis moved there. But I can attest to how busy they are. Everytime time I've been there I've met people in the waiting room not only from out of town but from out of state! And I've had the frustration of phone calls not being returned from the non-medical staff. But all-in-all I'm happy with his staff. As for Dr. Garth...he's the best! ! I'm two and a half weeks out and have had no problems at all.

If this is the same Memorial Hermann that I had surgery in, (not with Dr. Davis) yes, it is busy, BUT worth it! I had a great experience with the entire staff there. I hope you have as wonderful experience as I did!

I had a horrible time with people not returning my calls in the beginning, too.  Almost gave up, but didn't, thank goodness.  Hang in there!!

Laura