Bad Experience with Rockwood in Spokane WA

[Dewdrop]

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[Shirl]

This process was very intimidating as it is... so being super sensitive is understandable.

I would have asked to speak to someone else or her manager as it seemed she had a problem communicating requirements for self pay as that information was not provided at the seminar.

And had she said that to me "what does it matter or that the process takes six months" I would have joked and said "well I need to come yesterday to get started!"

I would write a note to the office manager and report the lack of customer service skills.

I had a few issues with the staff at my surgeon's office after they hooked me in to do surgery with them. I almost started the process somewhere else and when the surgeon find out they where back to being nice. And while I loved my surgeon, his practice was a sleeve and leave them in the end. Not a lot of post op support.

[Tamera2]

Good Morning, I'm sorry you had such a bad experience, I was self paid and couldn't afford to have this surgery at my local Bariatric center so I did a lot of research and flew to San Diego from Portland Or were I was picked up and brought to Mexico. I had a surgeon who was great and he specializes in high risk patients like myself. He has a great record too. The hospital was a regular hospital with an ICU. It was very clean and the OR's are state of the art. They order their supplies from an American company called Baxter medical along with water,ice and more. I spent one night in the hospital then 4 days in a very nice Hotel with nursing staff 24hrs a day and a medical doctor examines you everyday. The care I received was Top Notch and would go again in a heartbeat. The whole process took 6 weeks. I scheduled through an American Copany called Weightloss Agents. They were great to work with. It cost 3,600 plus 200.00$ deposit and covered everything except airfare and it was 36.00$ a night for my husband. It even covered my meds I brought home. It would have been 20,000 here plus cost of Anesthesia and meds. Something to think about and if you have any questions I'm happy to answer

[Luann]

I second the advice to speak to the supervisor. There's no reason for an adversarial approach & she does sound like she has an attitude problem. She may not have any health care training or background, license - etc. There's a certain type of person who relishes the little bit of power & authority they have, & it's a perk for them to lord over others & try to make them feel small. Don't let her get away with it. Her supervisor & the surgeon probably have no clue that this is how she interacts with potential patients, and it's likely you are not the first nor the last who will get this sort of treatment. I bet they'd be very interested to learn that when she could have been supportive & welcoming, she was demeaning & argumentative with you.

[Donald G]

Maybe he person was just having a bad day it does happen. I would speak with the persons supervisor to make them aware of the way you felt you were treated but at the same time I would hope if it was a isolated situation that the supervisor wouldn't over react in their discipline of the employee. I personally do not think it should matter if you are self pay or on insurance if that surgeon has a specific program they use then everyone should be required to go through it as it may be what they found works best for long term success. My surgeon is that way, doesn't matter how you are paying you have to be cleared by a psychiatrist, have monthly consults with a dietician to go over food logs, attend at least 4 hours of support group meetings have a EKG and have your blood tested for nicotine ( my surgeon refuses to operate on someone who smokes) he does all of these things as he finds for best long term results all those steps were best to take.

[jamma]

I would give them another chance, like Donald said, maybe it was an isolated bad day for this receptionist. This is all so routine to them, that they don't always remember that it's LIFE CHANGING for us. My doctor's office was also a little cool and matter of fact and sometimes they made me feel like I wasn't all that important to them, but all in all, they were completely professional and I got what I needed. Keep a positive outlook and don't let one bad person change your outcome.

[Ann2]

First, you're right -- self-pay patients often do have a much shorter runway for the surgery.

And believe me, I remember very well the same sense of great urgency you are feeling now about having WLS as soon as possible!

However, if this doctor is your only option and, after doing research, you find that she/he is an excellent surgeon and has a good track record, I'd be pretty politic in how I approached this situation. You are NOT going to fix this surgeon's staff / team. You are only going to be a patient there. If you turn into a patient-on-a-mission-to-be-right, you can alienate people there in ways that will make your future services less pleasant than you would like. And yes, some people who work in those roles can be assholes. In your shoes, I would swallow my anxiety and become the world's most diplomatic patient and do all (or most of) your ranting here.

That's not to say I don't feel your pain! Once I decided to have the surgery from the surgeon I used (his lecture really was awesome -- and his reputation is equally awesome) I became the BIGGEST PAIN IN THE ASS for everyone at his office. I wanted it done NOW. I simply could not wait to get the show on the road. Truth is that the surgeon's office was overwhelmed by hundreds of prospective patients. This'll freak you out, but I went to the intro lecture in June 2013, finally decided that fall I wanted to do the surgery, but was not able to have VSG surgery until August 2014. He was literally booked up that far in advance. (BTW, I was not self-pay, but had Medicare/Medicare supplemental insurance -- so I didn't have the self-pay scheduling advantage.)

During all my incredibly long wait time I joined this board and sucked up everything I could learn from the vets who were around here at the time. I pretty much drove everybody here nuts, too.

And today, nearly 3 years post-op, I'm a speaker at my surgeon's pre-op educational seminars as one of his "successful patients" who tries to give prospective patients an idea of what life post-op will be like and which behavior changes are essential to lose weight and create a healthy lifestyle to maintain long-term.

Bottom line -- you will make it through to the loser's bench. You might go nuts before it happens, but it'll happen. And if you DO have other surgery options, go ahead and explore them. Just don't alienate the only good option you have, if indeed he is that.

Best wishes!

P.S. Also -- feel free to use the return key much more often so you don't type big walls of text. Those are hard to read!

[Kindle]

I was self pay, too. The helpfulness of the facility staff definitely played a role in choosing my surgeon. I figured if they weren't helpful or they were rude before surgery, postop care would probably suck. I called 4 different places within 200 miles of my home and I was turned off by every one of them. They were either too stupid (or untrained) to answer my questions, too rigidly structured to answer my questions over the phone (they wanted me to drive 2 hours for an office visit) or the answers they provided crossed them off my criteria list. I ended up going to Obesity Control Center in Tijuana. The staff was helpful, knowledgable and readily available via email or phone. This included both surgeons, the cardiologist, the office manager, the anesthesiologist and the dietician. I spoke with all of them prior to and after surgery. Try doing that with any medical office in the US!! I had my gallbladder taken out a year after VSG and not only did my US surgeon leave me with a big incisional hernia, he and his nursing staff were nearly impossible to get a hold of.

Dr. Ariel Ortiz is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a Bariatric Surgeon of Excellence, has proctored dozens of surgeons in Canada and the US. He is world renown and did many of the original test cases to get the Obera balloon approved in the US and worked with the original inventor of the LapBand. He's done over 16,000 bariatric surgeries with a complication rate less than the US average. OCC is an International Center of Excellence and uses only FDA approved equipment and supplies. The staff is specialty trained in bariatrics and they do no more than 5 surgeries/day, usually with both Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Martinez present. I had a pain free recovery with no complications and was back to work after just 7 days. Lost all my excess weight and am maintaining 3 1/2 years out.

No, I'm not a paid endorser for OCC, just thought I'd let you know that if you are self pay there is a safe alternative to dealing with the rudeness and red tape found in so many US WLS programs. I know what you mean about being scared of some surgeons in Mexico (and you should be!!) but not all of them run bargain basement assembly line operations. I researched for 6 months and Dr. Ariel Ortiz was only one of two surgeons I would have gone to. Dr. Corvala was the other one. Good luck.

[Sandra3]

I agree with your husband. Go to the appointment.
That poor receptionist has not work ethic, no doubts. May be that day she just cracked her fingers in a door or her feet were killing her, who knows. But it doesn't matter. It's not a way to treat a patient!
But wait to see the surgeon before you make your opinion about the practice. He is the one doing the surgery, not the receptionist. And you can tell him what you think about what happened. It is still a business at the end...and she is the face/voice of that business? something is wrong in the picture..
You have no reason to be scared, you did nothing wrong. Don't over think it, let it slide and wait until you meet the actual doctor. If that's not working, there's plenty of fish in the sea! Good luck!

[Tamera2]

I'm sorry you feel that way. No this forum isn't run by him. You can't believe everything you read. Dr Almanza has an excellent record and I was referred by him by my Oncology nurse who took 2 relatives to Dr Almanza and she felt he was also a top notch doctor. Its to bad you feel that way because there are thousands of patients that had him and continued to have him that are very happy with the results and care they received and extremely glad they choose him however you have to do what makes you comfortable. Another good choice is Dr Alvarez. He has the show called Ask Dr Alvarez, you can find it on here and youtube. I also recommend checking out the show especially if you have this surgery. I've found it helpful. Another good resource is www.obesity.com. All doctors have a screening process but when you haven't done in the USA. It a 6 mos process no matter if your self pay or not. You have to go through a phych visit. Go through nutritional classes, with weekly weigh in's( this takes the most time), meet with the surgeon. All this takes time to go through. So if you had insurance by the time you complete things they will have your insurance taken care of. This is a rough idea. If you go to Mexico you still have to go through a process it's just a lot less. If your not comfortable with my doctor or is partner Dr Hernandez check out Dr Alvarez. I wish you the best in what ever you decide. Take Care and please let us know what you decide.

[Doodle_mom]

Well like I said, I never even asked how long it would take. But as far as self pay i was told it's quicker because you don't have to deal with the insurance company prolonging it. I was still expecting to do all those things you listed though. Im aware that places have requirements, but it would be nice if they told me what they all were. In the seminar they never mentioned it, or how long anything would take. It's frustrating.

Thank you for your post, and I'll keep your advice in mind. It will help. : )

What is helping the most is learning that other people are treated this way too, so it's not just something wrong with me and I can take it less personally. Thank you!❤️

I'm sorry for your bad experience. I know with my doctor, even if you are self pay, it is at least a 3 month process with weight management classes and counseling.

[AmandaNavigator]

I'd listen to Ann. If you're on a mission to be "right" you might create more of an issue long-term. Meet the surgeon. S/he is much more important and essential to your success.

That's not to say she should have treated you that way. Everyone is allowed a bad day now and then. I'm sure she's completely forgotten about it so hopefully you can let it go too. I doubt any of what she said was meant personally. Maybe you can use her to practice assertiveness? I don't know if that is anything you struggle with but in my research I've read that it is pretty common for people who are now normal weight to be much more assertive about getting what they need. Before you go to anyone in the office, be clear on what "remedy" you're looking for from her.

From what I've seen there is such a demand for the procedure that the surgeons and their offices are overwhelmed. I hope you can make peace with it and stay focused on your agenda -- getting healthy again.

Best of luck!

Amanda

[Christie13]

I'm so sorry to hear that. She sounds awful and definitely it would be worth mentioning to the doctor that you considered finding someone else due to her horrible customer service. You're paying a lot of money and her being bitchy is unacceptable. Hell even if insurance was paying it's not right. If that office has the best surgeon's then I'd still want to use them. And some people are naturally assholes. Hugs.

[Alynn]

Hi, as some one who works with a number of docs. If the appointment time is not acceptable, then I would call back and see if there is another date or as to be wait listed for an earlier date. I would also ask to speak to the doctors admin if you can not be accommodated. But in any case let the doctor know about your experience, if he/she makes excuses for his staff and does not show concern, I would look for another practice. I would also ask your Primary care doc for a recommendation.

Blessings!

[Binalew]

Dewdrop, don't be discouraged by her nasty behavior. I live in Spokane and have friends who work in that office and I know for a fact that the rest of the staff will treat you with respect and care. You should DEFINITELY write to the office manager and let them know how you felt and how you were treated, that's not acceptable. When I spoke with that office to inquire about the self pay cost and timeline I was told that process would only take a short while and I could pretty much choose my date since I was paying myself; you don't need to jump through all the hoops, just a few weeks of the pre-op diet. Keep your appointment and forget that terrible woman.