Wish Center Renton - The Staff Speaks!

The following is a response from Jennene an RN with the Wish Center Renton WA office. She granted permission for this to be released. I am so sorry you feel like a Wish center orphan. I assure you this closure was not the decision of the surgeon's or the staff at the Renton office. This was a mandate from the corporate level. The staff and surgeon's have been completely frustrated with the whole process. I am checking emails from home without pay because I care so much for our patients. Unfortunately this "closure" was handled very poorly and the surgeon's had no idea how many different ways we communicate with patients daily. With that said, many patient calls/pages were missed. Again, I am so sorry this is affecting patients so negatively. As an employee, I am dumbfounded by the lack of compassion in this process. To answer your question about medical records.... I spoke with someone at our corporate office Friday about this issue. I may be the one going into the office and getting those records for patients. As of now there is no solid plan. As for a refund, that is completely an issue to take up with our corporate office. I know nothing about the financial piece. All of the staff thought this would be a temporary closure with us returning to work way before now. I wish I could give you some solid answers. I just don't know anymore than you know. I would ask that you keep an open mind and realize that the staff and surgeon's in the Renton office are little fish in a big pond. We are just as upset and angry as you are. I have no issues with you posting my reply on obesity help. I wish I could let all the patients know just how frustrating this is for us. One day we were working, ready to re-open the next day and we get a call from corporate telling us to cancel patients until further notice and we will not be paying staff during this closure. I have worked for the wish center since it opened and have been through a lot with the company. Dr. Alperovich and Strain are great surgeons. If I need surgery for any reason I would still choose one of them. They are very dedicated to thier patients. They have little to no control in this issue. Dr. Alperovich is working diligently to re-open even if it is not connected to wish. I was just on OH and I was crushed by the comments. We, as a group love what we do and love our patients. All of our names are being destroyed over something we can't control. I don't expect patients to feel sorry for us...but it would be nice if they remember the compassion and caring they got before this and consider that we are just as upset. I love seeing the transformation of your lives. Please feel free to share any information I give. Again, I am so very sorry for the strain this is on you and all the other patients. Just know we really want to return to work and return to caring for our patients. Jennene

I do feel sorry for the employees of the Wish Center . I have fely all along that this was bigger than the local Wish Center . I hope if Jennene reads this that she will see that patients of the Wish center have said many complimentary things about the staff . The patients are understandably devastated & feel cast aside & vulnerable . Kathy

Jennene emailed me today and is doing everything she can to help me get my money...what a wonderful gal!! I do think the staff is doing all they can...but are not being helped by their corporate (who seems to be the real problem) Thank you for sharing this!

She called me too. She has copies of my records and is going to call me tomorrow for a time to meet her at the office to pick them up. I hope that is true. I kind of have a crappy, "I will believe it when I see it" attitude. Not that I doubt, Jennene. She has been great. Just kind of beaten up by the whole thing. Know what I mean? I did not hear from Dr. Hunter's office though. So, that makes me a little discouraged.

Thanks for sending this out. I am certain this was a decision made with input from more than one individual. I certainly do NOT blame the office staff and nurses. I do, however, think the surgeons have more involvement in all this than finding out just like everyone else. They knew. I really don't know what to make of all this right now, I really don't. I had life threatening complications due to my surgery on 7/14/06 and you mean to tell me no one had the time to call me and tell me. I am still, or was as of this past Thursday (which is the last time I talked to Dr. Alperovich) under the care of the WISH center. At this point, I am certain I am out of the "woods" as far as my hematoma is concerned, I will hopefully find out for sure next month when I have my 5th CT scan. I am pissed because I was still in there care as of Labor Day when they closed down and I had to repeatedly page the drs to ensure continuation of my care. I knew something was going on. I really did. I got this wierd feeling from my dr. I believe he at least knew it was a possibility and could have told me and his other patients. Then we could have had the conversation about how to contact him. Instead I had to call Valley, go in person and track people down myself in order to make sure I was taken care of. I shouldn't have to do that. I just thank my lucky stars it didn't happen until I was feeling a little better. Had it happened when I was having frequent fevers and was sick due to infection, I really would have been pissed. I sit here just shaking my head in disbelief. What happened to medical practitioners providing the best most compationate patient care possible. We were nothing but dollar signs to them. If they cared, they would have said something. I am very disappointed.

I agree. In reading the newspaper articles regarding the situation the owner of the practice is Dr Alperovich and the other Dr. Corporate would not have been able to close them down with no notice. Granted the staff may not have known but I'm quite certain the surgeons did and it's very crappy that they haven't kept their patients AND staff informed. CQ

I have a consultation next week with Dr. Lauter and I was told I needed my records faxed to them from the wish center. Does anyone have any numbers or email or anything as to how I can get ahold of my medical records? Please thank you Kira

contact the corporate office. The lady there is Beth. She called me today and said that they have someone pulling records. I got a call today and am supposed to pick mine up at noon tomorrow. But, I am guarding my excitement in case it is just another ploy. I really don't believe it is, but I don't think I can handle another let down.

I left a message for Beth today and no response to me...but I think my message may have been a little "short" as I was sort of demanding that they figure my money and get it back to me asap. We will see if she calls me tomorrow. I had also asked about my records...

I'm new to this site and am relieved to see I am not the only Wish Center orphan. I can see from the various stories that I'm actually luckier than most. I didn't get to the pre-op appt. (it was cancelled the middle of August) so I'm not out any cash and I was financing entirely through insurance. I didn't even know my surgery was cancelled though until one day before and that was only because I called the Wish Center 5 different times until I got a call back from Dr. A since I thought it odd I hadn't had my pre-op appt. and no phone calls. Anyways, I really need to get my records too. I have an appt. with Puget Sound Surgical clinic tomorrow and I dread having to start all over again with all my tests and requirements. Please let me know if you actually get your records. I worked with Jennene when I had my Wish Center consult. I'm happy to hear she is emphatic towards us. I don't know the number to corporate. I do have Jennene's email though, where do you suggest I start? I'm tempted to go down to Wish Center and just sit at the door until someone lets me come in and get my records. They probably wouldn't let me in though. :-( Dee