rev:text
| - I had a very, very bad and potentially catastrophic experience at Arrowhead Dermatology and would strongly advise against seeking treatment here of any kind, big or small.
To paraphrase the great comedian Groucho Marx, I'd never seen these people before in my life and I hope I can say the same again.
In my own case, I have had skin cancer, so I am required to go in twice yearly for dermatology checkups. We recently moved, and since this office is close to our new residence, decided to give it a try. That was a horrible mistake.
Not only was the treatment here deficient to the extent that I had to immediately go to another dermatologist to have my problems fully examined and solved (and pay fees all over again), but the atmosphere in this office is toxic, with rudeness the order of the day from receptionists to doctors.
It's clearly not an isolated incident.
When we first entered the office, another patient and the front desk receptionist were engaged in a shouting match. Apparently this happens often _ patients are obliged to sign pre-treatment paperwork that contains a right of refusal if they become upset.
In a nutshell, the doctor who treated me, an osteopath named Julie Jacobs, behaved strangely from the get-go, refusing to shake hands, refusing to check areas our previous dermatologist advised me to keep an eye on, and basically refusing to examine a really worrisome growth on my leg that was bad enough to require a biopsy elsewhere.
The entire session took between five and seven minutes. "Should I come again in six months?" I asked. "Sure" she shrugged, half turned away, as she hustled out the door. I am not making this up.
To end a perfect day, the woman at the checkout desk couldn't have been more insolent, angry at who-knows-what and completely uncommunicative.
This is a really weird place. An educated guess is that such behavior filters from the top. The head of the clinic, a Dr. Keith Haar, either is oblivious to what goes on, encourages it or simply doesn't care one way or the other.
But you should, for your own sake or for anyone you care about.
Do you, and your skin, a favor _ go someplace else for treatment. And if you can, check it out as throughly as possible beforehand.
|