1 /5 Carley Whitlow: I called and left a message for a specific specialist in regard to making an appointment. Four business days later I received a call back from a front desk associate. She confirmed that my insurance was accepted, however, additional questions regarding my insurance were not answered. I asked how far out scheduling was for an evaluation, and instead was told I could be put on a wait list if a time slot opened up. I asked how long I should expect the evaluation to take in case I was called in last minute, and was told ‘ an hour or two maybe longer I don’t know.’ I asked further questions regarding scheduling an initial 1 hour appointment before the evaluation, and was cut off mid sentence with ‘I don’t have any information about that.’
I asked if I could make an appointment to speak with the Dr. directly but instead was only given an email address in order to contact him. I then explained I would like to just go ahead and schedule the one hour initial consultation and asked how far out they were on scheduling and her response (again) was that she did not know. I then kindly admitted that I felt like I wasn’t getting any of my questions answered, and I would like to set up a phone appointment directly with the Dr. I was abruptly told, ‘you can email him.’
The call ended without being able to schedule an appointment, or the ability to leave a message to speak with the doctor directly in order to get questions answered (questions that should be basic requirements for a front desk associate).
As a licensed doctor in the state of Georgia myself, I found this treatment of a potential patient by the staff unacceptable, especially in a field where patients may be suffering with mental health disorders, or have children with certain disorders or disabilities, already making this initial phone call a stressful and vulnerable one. Mental health can be a time sensitive issue, and not receiving a call back in 4 business days (6 days total) is insensitive and unprofessional. I would be hesitant to receive care here when the initial interaction was so negative.
