Dr. John Pennings - I am not impressed

[Dreamingof139 3]

I called the office before my surgery to arrange my post op care as I was having surgery out of the country. I had inquired about having surgery with the doctor but was told that I 'was not even close to qualifying'. I learned from the doctor post op that he would have accepted me and done my surgery here. Dr. Pennings is wonderful, unfortunately the staff that surrounds him is not.

From every interaction, most especially with their scheduler, there has been a problem either with the information that I was given, or not given. I was told that I could have a half day of appointments to get setup in their aftercare and I took a day off of work and stayed overnight in a hotel to be there first thing. I then learned that I had been misinformed and I actually was only meeting with the doctor that day. In trying to arrange the pieces of my aftercare, I was treated horridly by the counselor - she was just mean and very unprofessional - she told me that the doctor 'does not treat patients who have had surgery in Mexico' and stated that she was going to 'call a meeting to see exactly what it was that I had been told'. There was no need for her to be so hostile to me, I was nothing but kind and trying to get my appointments set up from a distance. At that time, I had already met with the doctor and he had agreed to treat me.

I wish that the letter that I sent to the office manager would have worked to make things better, but it has not. I had one fill, which went fine, except for more foul ups and mis communications from the scheduler. The bottom line seems to be to get me to pay for aftercare elements that I cannot use because I live three hours away from their office. It is unfortunate that what the doctor tells me in person is not what is playing out in his practice.

[LapBandBobbi 8]

Sounds to me like you need to have this discussion with the doctor and let him know how the staff has been treating you. No healthcare professional should be rude and hostile to their patients!

[Dreamingof139 3]

Sounds to me like you need to have this discussion with the doctor and let him know how the staff has been treating you. No healthcare professional should be rude and hostile to their patients!

I agree completely and have tried to do that, but am being blocked by the office manager and other staff. I want to find a way to contact him outside of the office, perhaps through the hospital. I do not believe that he would want things to be handled this way and it is my style to let the person that I am upset with know directly.

[Dreamingof139 3]

Follow up - I emailed the office manager on Monday to follow up on my insurance billing that I have requested many times. I was told that my insurance was billed on 11/16/10 but that it has to go through Idaho BCBS and then will be sent to my home state BCBS. I was told this process generally takes three weeks.

When my email on Monday went unanswered, I sent a fax to the office on Wednesday - no response. I just emailed the office manager again and requested that she give me whatever she submitted to BCBS and I will get it pushed through myself.

Things should just not be this hard. I should not have to ask five or six times for my insurance to be billed.

I can get reimbursed for most of this $$ through work, but I have to have the EOB and time is running out.

This entire situation has been VERY frustrating to me and I just want to get this info from them and move on.

[Dreamingof139 3]

My final post on this subject. I received a copy of the insurance billing in the mail, but my insurance company still has no record of it, so I will have to fax or mail them the form to see if I can get this processed this year.

There was a form letter from the doctor telling me that he is no longer my doctor. No explanation, he just dumped me. He was the closest to my home at just under three hours away. Here it to hoping that I do not have any complications come up, because I am literally without a doctor to care for me at this point.

Sad to think that requesting that your insurance be billed will end up having the doctor refuse to treat you.

Shameful.

[KristinaAshley 5]

Thats awful.

[kenb79 95]

Meet with Dr. Pennings yesterday and thought he and his staff were awesome.