Terrible Patient Care
I have been a patient at Riverside Medical Clinic (RMC) for more than 15 years and, for a long time, I was happy with the care they provided. However, in the past 5 years, that level of care has not only declined significantly, it has bottomed-out! It's expected that problems will occur from time to time but, in the past, customer service was very responsive. Those days are over. I have contacted customer service 3 times in the past few years but never get anything more than an acknowledgement. No follow-through. Also, depending on the issue you report, sometimes you get referred to Risk Management instead of Customer Service, which really just means they're trying to cover their asses. RMC has recently lost a lot of doctors because it's clear they are no happier with the clinic than their patients. I have visited one of the satellite offices in my neighborhood for many years, but my doctor left in early November and, more than 5 months later, there is still no doctor assigned to that office, forcing me to drive to the other side of town to be seen. Recently I tried making a same-day appointment but couldn't get in and had to go to Urgent Care. What a disaster. Though I was primarily there for a severe earache, I also had some symptoms that could be covid related and was told I had to wait in my car. I sat there for nearly 2 hours and had to call and complain to be seen. I was told that patients with more serious conditions move in front of me but this is Urgent Care, not the Emergency Room. If patients have emergency conditions, they should be in the Emergency Room, not Urgent Care. In Urgent Care, they should be seen in the order they arrived. Just stupid. Also, it was a hot day and I was sitting in my car in the sweltering heat. Furthermore, I needed to use the restroom and didn't know what I should do. I called the Urgent Care to explain my situation and the very rude and unprofessional receptionist told me I could come in and use the restroom and then return to my vehicle. If I was being isolated because I had symptoms that could be related to covid, why wasn't I given a covid test? Because I believe they're incompetent, that's why! After I complained to customer service, within a few minutes I was called by the doctor who asked why I was sitting in my car. When I explained why, he said "that's protocol" but still didn't offer to give me a covid test. My exam took less than 5 minutes, I was given a prescription for an ear infection and sent on my way. Now 5 days later, my ear feels better but the other symptoms I was experiencing have worsened because I believe I may have covid and they missed an opportunity to test me for confirmation. Beyond this recent situation, it is nearly impossible to get in to see a specialist in a reasonable time. Sometimes it takes months. They clearly don't have enough doctors to accommodate their patients because hiring more will dip into their profits and they're nothing less than a money making machine. The Riverside Medical Clinic epitomizes what's wrong with our healthcare system. They seemingly care more about profits than patients!
By Rich M.