If This Were YELP About AZ Pain Clinic

Another week, another screw-up by AZ Pain Clinic. Yep, I'm naming them now. I'm also advising anyone at all contemplating using them - perhaps because your insurance think's it's a good idea - think twice and go elsewhere.

When it started out as performing a procedure that not only wasn't helpful but created new levels of constant pain, it was possible to shrug it off as one of cases where one particular body didn't react exactly the same as others do. It happens. Unfortunate squared, but c'est la vie.

But add in extremely rude staff when you inquire when results not coming in a few hours as touted, first telling you you needed more patience, try back in three days, repeated after those 3 to be another week, and then outright yell at you for being so impatient with them. Oh, and would you like another treatment yet? Only another set of three $175 co-pays, after several others "needed" before the procedure.

Then they cancel an appointment without informing you, nevermind the bumpy ride to their not-so-close office also aggravates your back pain, and claim after you arrive that they "lost" your phone number.  Uh huh, sure. Of course they did. Cynical? Me? Actually, considering stuff that came later, they might have been that incompetent.

Steve heard about another procedure which worked for a cousin. Yep, they do that at AZ Pain. First he needed an appointment with a shrink. (Say what?) As that appointment rolled around, suddenly the news came through of another cancelled appointment, since that Doc didn't work there anymore, but we could reschedule for later at a location about as far away across the extended metro area as it's possible to go. Another pair of painful rides. Lonnnnng ones. So, done. Passed. Go back for the procedure.

You think it's that simple? First they gave him an appointment which we thought was for the preliminary work by the surgeon, but turned out to be a "medication evaluation" to see if he needed more narcotics. Not what we asked for. Another co-pay, of course. The one good thing we thought came out of this visit was her informing us he was fully approved for the procedure. Just go home and wait for the scheduler to call.

And wait. And wait. Finally impatience won. After a long round of voicemail maze, he was finally connected. He'd never heard of Steve. He was waiting for approval to come through.

Wait, what? Callback to the person Steve saw who told him it was a done deal. Oh shucks, she's no longer working here. So, OK, who in the office would have access to those records so we could see just where in the process we were stuck. Apparently the three monkeys work there. Nobody knew anything, nobody had a clue who might know the answer, nobody was willing to check, and we were referred back to the scheduler for the information he said he didn't have.

Holiday mess. Weekend mess. Monday morning Steve makes two calls. Scheduler still hasn't heard anything. Insurance company searches Steve's records and find absolutely no indication anybody has called, emailed, faxed, sent smoke signals or drummed any kind of request for their approval.

Steve, Rich and I had been working to make plans based on whatever contingencies came out of the morning's calls. Part of this process was my questioning whether this change would put us further behind than sticking to the original mess. I decided to check out YELP, for the first time in my life. Yep, they did medical reviews. Yep, AZ Pain was in there.  Lots of entries. Let's see, out of 5 possible stars, their rating was ... Whoa! ... Just over 1??? Time to read some of those reviews.  Several comments wished there were a lower level to rate them. Time to read on. Yep, I recognized that problem... and that one ... and that... and that.... Oh, and look at this: they named Steve's Doc doing the procedures specifically. I was now convinced the change was the way to go.

Armed with the current information, Steve first called the the insurance company for other approved clinics, contacted them for information, picked one, called his Primary for the proper referral, had me drive him to the old clinic for the paperwork - signed on-spot - for voluntary cessation of their services, and put in his request for his medical records.

Steve had found out the new clinic could fit him in as quickly as 3 days later, provided everything was ready in time. Naturally, as we expected by now, AZ Pain put a stall on his records. I reminded them (I was getting into the middle of this now) that all the records are electronic, all that's needed is call up his file, insert a disc, and press a button. They agreed, but claimed that would still take 5 days. Not good enough. OK, maybe put a STAT on it and it might, just possibly, be ready in three. Could they mail his records out to us?

HELL NO! Not another  few days of delay, not acceptable. I'll come pick them up as soon as they're ready.

I'm holding my breath, doncha know?