I have been sick for a while now.  I have put off going to the doctor and hit obstacles when I finally decided to go.  Obstacles I would honestly laugh at if it was someone else, including losing my debit card, getting dates wrong, etc.

Last Friday I started calling regular MD offices and they were all saying 5-14 days wait to be seen.  I finally decided on one who get get me in on Wednesday April 15 but after a really rough weekend where I almost took myself to the ER, I decided to go to an urgent care office Monday and not wait until Wednesday.

I looked at reviews online and did not seem too impressed with some of the reviews. I finally found one; Concentra, who seemed to have good reviews and appeared to put patient care first. They also had a coupon for $10 off for cash customers which I printed to bring with me.  I also printed the patient forms so I would have them filled out when I arrived.

I looked at the various locations in the KC area and decided to go to the Grandview Location.

Upon arrival, I saw people standing so I was a little concerned.  I went to the desk and was told, almost apologetically, it would probably be a 45 minute wait.  For a walk in clinic, I had expected at least a 20-30 min wait, so 45 min was no problem. I knew I had to be seen.  I handed off my paperwork and went to sit down. There were plenty of seats, the waiting area was plain, but clean.  There is a pole right in the middle so if you wanted to watch the television that was in the waiting area, you had to choose a seat around the pole.

The staff at the front desk seemed cordial. They seemed aware of what was happening and didn’t seem to just blow patients off.

After about 30 minutes, I was called back to the front desk where I was told today’s visit would be $150.  That would cover the visit, all lab work, etc.  I paid and was told it would just be a few more minutes.

I noticed some cute interaction between one associate and a child playing in the waiting room. She did not know the child but was giving him a pleasant experience in a doctor office.

About ten minutes later, I was called back up to the front desk. She had not realized I had the $10 coupon and asked if I would rewrite my check for $140.  I appreciated her acknowledging the mistake and not just blowing it off since I had forgotten to mention it to her even though I turned it in with my original paperwork.

I was taken back about 50 minutes after arrival, so they stayed true to their 45 min wait.  The nurse was pleasant. Seemed to listen to me. Asked me basic questions.  I was then told she wasn’t sure which doctor I would see, the male or the female, but she liked them both.  She also gave me a little info about both and then left.

The room was very plain. Plain gray walls.

The doctor came in and seemed friendly but honestly seemed a little unobservant. I did not feel like a priority at all. He would ask me questions, which I answered honestly, then would say something that did not make sense.  For example,  I explained I had my gallbladder removed and then he makes a comment like I might need to have some tests ran to look at my gallbladder.  Ummm ok…I don’t think the surgeon kept it.  He told me I probably just had a virus that needed to run it’s course, which I would appreciate if it had only been a few days, but again, I pointed out it had been almost a month!  It appeared like this information was just hitting him and then he stopped to think for a few minutes.  He sat down and just stared at nothing for what seemed like eternity.  It set a really uncomfortable feeling.  He didn’t say anything, didn’t look at me, didn’t look at my chart, just sat there staring, but it didn’t seem like he was staring at anything in particular.  It wasn’t even like he was staring off into space like one would do when they were thinking.

When he did comment, he almost made me feel silly for coming into an urgent care.  He kept saying I would probably need to go and see a gastroenterologist, urgent care couldn’t really help me, etc.  I had asked him to run a particular blood test.  It was the SAME test I had asked the front desk if they would be able to run, which they said they would be able to.  Even though I had mentioned it to the front desk, the nurse, and the doctor when we first started talking, he didn’t seem to want to run it.  He just wanted to write me a prescription for nausea and told me to take Prilosec because maybe I had an ulcer or something.  I was so frustrated at this point!

Upon my insistence one more time, he finally agreed to run the blood test I had originally asked for, but still seemed resistant.  When the technician arrived to draw my blood, she was wonderful.  She talked to me and seemed to be more interested in what was going on with me than the doctor was. She understood my concerns and said she understood why I wanted this particular test done before I did anything else.  Then she said I would have to pay more for the test. I didn’t understand this since I had been told at the beginning my $140 would cover all lab work.  The website boasted about how they didn’t have hidden fees, etc.  I was told it only covered lab work that could be done in house, but not the tests that had to be sent out.  Yet another frustration.  None of this was explained.  I had clearly stated I wanted this test done AT THE BEGINNING and was not told there would be an additional fee.  I agreed to pay it because I wanted it done.

I went to check out, paid the additional amount, and left extremely disappointed.  What a waste of $140.  I overpaid for a doctor who didn’t listen, didn’t pay attention, and, in my opinion, didn’t want to do his job.

I NEVER filled the prescriptions, the test results came back negative (which is fine, at least I knew) and, within a couple of days, I started feeling better again.  Perhaps if you have a sprained ankle or broken bone, which doesn’t really require any thought and it very obvious, this would be a good place to go, but I will never go back.  It was a waste of my time and my money.