What REAL patients of Heritage Family Medicine REALLY think about us.
Only quacks and charlatans do what I am about to do....
At least that is the traditional view of my generation of "real" physicians towards those that publish patient testimonials to prove the value of their particular pseudoscience. Thus, I have never done so.
But, we live in a new age. Physicians (like restaurants, auto-body shops, and fake-nail emporiums) are being rated all over the internet, often with the most outlandish slanders by anonymous posters on dubious sites with NO accountability by either - many of which (for some reason) come up in Google searches HIGHER that the legitimate websites of the service in question. Intelligent people can't take such ratings seriously, can they? Well, apparently they do. A restaurant's volume can rise or fall 20% by their newest rating on a popular site. Wise people say we (whether physicians or the nail emporium) should not attempt to respond; it will only "lower" us. So most slandered businesses suffer in silence, which can be irritating, none-the-less.
It is easy to understand how a restaurant could get a review for "bad service" without the reviewer ever admitting they'd never had a reservation or were a drunken, waitress-pinching bore. But, who might slander a doctor's office, unfairly? Well, let's face it, some patients might make unreasonable demands, some are just plain angry at the work, and some are more than a little crazy. Some may no longer be welcome in a practice.
For example, HFM has dismissed about 100 patients for abusing prescription narcotics (lying to us about their use, selling them to others, getting them from multiple sources). We have dismissed a similar number for not paying their bills. I expect, unfortunately, that those numbers are comparable at any well run practice. Those people might be quite happy to slander their former doctor at no risk to themselves.
And some may have fully rational, honest and legitimate reasons to be disappointed. Those, we need to hear from.
We are gratified at the positive affirmation given by our patients and to the staff at HFM that supports our efforts. We will continue to look for ways to further enhance our service.