Bleeding Eye Watcher
1/5
I’ve been a patient of Dr. Santiago for over two years and I’ve never had any real complaints about her or the staff who work here.
That all changed this year. For some inexplicable reason in the summer as I began facing severe back pain, the staff began getting belligerent with me over referral requests which are required by my insurance. I jumped through their hoops to get the doctor to help me with matters that could’ve been handled over the phone.
Cut to this month. A couple of weeks ago I had a visit with my orthopedist regarding a lower back injury and they sent me out for an MRI exam. That was the last visit my insurance allowed at that provider without another referral. I requested Dr. Santiago issue another referral as required of me, but she was adamant I had to see her in person to explain why despite my doing so over the phone.
I’ve had to reschedule the follow up with my orthopedist twice and earlier this week was told by Dr. Santiago in person that she will never issue another referral for this provider unless she can speak to them directly. The orthopedist’s office has since informed me they don’t correspond directly with doctors from different practices.
I’ve desperately tried to convey this information over the phone and in person and have even tried scheduling with another doctor at Lama Medical Center only for the staff to cancel the appointments I make via the call center. The receptionist I spoke with earlier today over the phone was especially condescending and borderline hostile.
None of my messages to Dr. Santiago have been delivered to her. None of the correspondence my orthopedist’s office has sent over has been read, either. The referral request, medical notes, the results of the MRI exam and details as to why I need a follow-up, etc. The staff at Lama Medical Center have flat out told me they are not going to convey any of this information to Dr. Santiago.
At this point this behavior from the doctor and her staff has crossed the line into malpractice as far as I’m concerned. Here I am in stabbing, constant pain in my middle and lower back and they are refusing to let me see the specialist who has images of my spine and who can help me. My insurance has no issue with it, as I’ve previously confirmed. This is entirely on Lama Medical Center.
I am now forced to seek an alternative primary care physician or I’ll have to pay out of pocket to be seen by my orthopedist, which I just cannot afford. I will also be looking into pursuing legal options against Lama Medical Center in the coming days if my situation isn’t remedied on Monday.
If you have a health problem that requires specialist visits, I sincerely recommend you don’t choose this place for your primary care. Learn from my mistakes and misplaced patience which has now officially run out.
