Premier Health Management

I am 72 years old and had my first surgery of any kind (cataract extraction with intraocular lens implantation) so I was a bit apprehensive. But I could not be more pleased with the process and the remarkable results. Dr. Alinda McGowin performed my surgery and with the staff and doctors and nurses at USA Providence Outpatient facility, the entire process, from check-in to discharge, from prep to recovery, was absolutely flawless and pain free. Everyone made every effort to make sure I was fully informed about what to expect and that I was comfortable throughout the whole process. And the result is beyond anything I had imagined! I want to thank Dr. McGowin, not only for her excellent skill and professionalism, but her warm and thoughtful care through the whole procedure. When I arrived home after the surgery and first removed my sunglasses (still the old prescription which blurred my vision) I was truly gob smacked with the new clarity and the unexpected saturation of color I had not even realized I had lost. Dr. McGowin had told me what to expect, but you just have to experience it to really understand. Thank you to everyone at USA Providence Outpatient facility, to everyone at Premier Medical Group Providence Eye Center, and a special and heartfelt thank you to Dr. Alinda McGowin, she is truly being used of God to minister healing and I love her for using her God-given talents to give me new eyes to better see the beauty of this world.

I had one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had in a medical office here. I waited in the lobby for over an hour with no updates before finally approaching the side desk to ask if anyone could give me an estimate of the wait time. I was immediately told, “I don’t know.” I then asked if they could at least tell me how many patients were ahead of me so I could gauge how much longer I’d be waiting, as I had children to pick up. At that point, an older staff member (later identified as Cindy, the office manager) approached in an aggressive and combative manner, stating they “couldn’t tell me that” and claiming it was a HIPAA violation—which is simply not accurate, as I was not asking for any patient-specific information. When I calmly asked for her name to file a complaint, she refused and became increasingly argumentative, even following me to the front desk and repeatedly interrupting my conversation with another staff member. Both front desk employees also refused to provide her name. Only after the situation escalated and a doctor was brought out was I finally given her name. What’s especially frustrating is that their own No Show/Cancellation Policy states: “Premier Medical is committed to providing our patients with exceptional care therefore your appointment time is valuable and has been reserved specifically for you.” However, my experience showed the complete opposite. My appointment time clearly was not respected, as I sat waiting for over an hour with no communication or accountability. I had to take unpaid time off work to attend this appointment and also pay for after-school transportation for my children. Now, due to this experience, I will have to take even more unpaid time off to find another provider. To make matters worse, while I was in the process of rescheduling due to the excessive wait, another staff member approached me asking for payment for glasses—despite the fact that I had not even been seen by the doctor yet. This entire experience was disorganized, unprofessional, and unnecessarily confrontational. I will not be returning to this clinic, and I strongly encourage management to address both customer service and staff training—especially at the leadership level.

Had a follow up visit with Dr Swain for my ears and hearing after getting my hearing aids several months ago. The staff are good and attentive up front and in the hearing department. I ask a lot of questions and they took time to answer. When you get my age in life you need answers and the staff took the time to provide answers. I as well as others review doctors and their practice reviews to learn more about them. Dr Swain is highly qualified and is a good doctor. If there is a negative he's a little too consumed with his work load that he has lost some of his bedside manner. I'm not asking for a sit down and let's have coffee kind of meeting when I go to the doctor but I do ask for slowing down a little so I can understand what all is going on and have time to ask questions. Sometimes I can't think of all the questions I need to ask during those visits when the time feels pressured with the doctor and think of them later after I've gotten home which is too late unless I schedule another visit. So my request is that not only Dr Swain but all doctors take a little more time with patients and even explain more and ask patients if we have questions or concerns.

Happy with the Optometrist not so much contact lens department. Tonya in contact lenses monkeyed around so much with my prescription that after 10 months of going back and forth, I gave up. My prescription is still wrong and I have to wear my readers for almost everything. I absolutely hate the contact lens brand I'm using. It's a pain to have to find the little line on one of my lenses because I have astigmatism. I have an appointment to go somewhere else. Won't go back to Premier West

Overall, a good experience. The only negative thing I have to say is that the wait time is crazy! I have waited in the lobby for 45 minutes both times.