Our encounter with the front desk staff and Dr. Allen this morning was courteous and professional. However, our encounter with Kathy, an assistant, was far from that which is why I’m rating it a 1/5 stars. From the beginning of the appointment, her tone was not only dismissive, but it was condescending. During the appointment, one of the many questions she asked was what medications my dad was taking. I had already written down all of his medications on the paperwork at the front desk, but didn’t mind providing the list again. I started reading them off, but she interrupted me asking me spell each medication. Agreeing, I began spelling each one, but kept getting interrupted by her telling me to “hold on.” Assuming I was going a bit fast, I decided to start spelling slower. When I mentioned “Metformin” and started spelling it, she interrupted me saying she knew how to spell it. The same thing happened when I mentioned “glimepiride.” The next interaction that felt condescending was when she asked about substance abuse, to which I answered “yes” and explained that my dad had abused alcohol in the past. She responded with “I’m not asking that, I’m talking about substances—cocaine, marijuana, etc.” Since I thought it was important and thought alcohol was considered a substance, that is why I had mentioned it during the medical history part of the appointment. The next question that felt extremely condescending was when she asked for the name of the provider who had made the referral to Eyecare of San Diego. Given that my dad has multiple referrals to many other medical offices, occasionally the name of the provider listed is sometimes his PCP, or the founder of Perlman Clinic, Monica Perlman. I mentioned both names just to be on the safe side. She then asked which of the both providers had made the referral, and when mentioning Monica Perlman again to be on the safe side, she stated “how do you even know she’s alive?” When I then tried unlocking my phone to see which provider’s name was on the referral in MyChart, she mentioned that it was not necessary. Her response was belittling, and in my opinion, unnecessary considering the fact that she didn’t need the confirmation. Another part exchange during the appointment that felt scornful was during the use of the phoropter. My dad was not able to see the reflection of the letters that were behind him because the mirror was in a weird angle. Seeing that she was struggling with the remote of the screen and holding the mirror in place, I offered to help, which she agreed. Trying to work with my dad to see where the angle worked best for him, she then placed her hands firmly over mine and told me to not move when we were able to get a good angle for him. Also during this time, she kept asking my dad “this is better, right?” And before my dad could even finish his answer, she would change the lens again and ask the same question. The final exchange that left a sour taste in our mouths was towards the end of our encounter with her, while my dad’s eyes were dilated and she was attempting to take a picture of his eyes. She asked if I could help press his forehead to the machine. She then told my dad “don’t move, don’t talk.” She then proceeded to repeat this at least 7-8 times, despite my dad not moving or speaking. I understand that there are many other patients that are also needing to be seen, so the fast paced environment is understandable. However, the way in which staff speak to patients (and vice versa) should always be courteous. Especially if the patient has a cognitive impairment. I hope that this feedback can be used as a tool to ensure that other patients that go to this establishment do not have a similar experience as we did this morning. I appreciate the staff who provided service recovery and provided the best care that they could.
