TLDR: Not 100% sure if "patient dismissal" the right word for this situation, please correct if wrong. I cancelled my appointment because I had COVID symptoms. After recovery, I was unable to reschedule because the doctor didn't believe I was "committed to the treatment" and he would no longer see me. Is it appropriate to file a complaint in this situation? Is there an additional course of action besides just a complaint that no one will probably read?
Context/Details:
Sought out additional treatment for a sports related injury. I called my health insurance prior to the first appointment with a sports med doc to confirm it would be covered (they verified that specialist visits are fully covered, however any additional services from the specialty visit such as imaging would be out of pocket).
At the initial consult, they told me they wanted to do ultrasounds & x-rays that same day. I told them I would like to know the out of pocket costs for the images before proceeding. They told me they didn't have that information and I could see the prices when I get billed, so I requested to come back after I got estimates from the hospital. I could overhear the doctor in the other room being frustrated at me. This is where I admit I'm at fault, I could have called ahead and asked the clinic what services and associated CPT codes my first visit would involve and then go to the hospital's financing dept. for estimates. For background, this is the first time in my adult life I had to use the American healthcare system so I'm not familiar with the system and I didn't want to be in a situation where I had to pay hyperinflated prices for a picture of my foot.
After hunting down the information for the out of pockets for the ultrasound/X-rays, I came back for the imagery and rest of the consult. Doctor confirmed I would be a good candidate for a non-surgical procedure to rehab my ankle that he specializes in. They provided me quotes for the procedure since it is not typically covered by insurance. At no point whatsoever did I ever express concern over that procedure or it's pricing. In fact, I was glad about the cost transparency for the procedure in contrast to the lack of transparency on the imagery cost.
My procedure was scheduled first thing in the morning next week. The evening before my appointment I started developing flu-like symptoms. I'm vaccinated but I was concerned I had finally got COVID for the first time. I woke up in the middle of that night with a high fever, chills, and body aches. The minute the clinic opened I called to let them know I woke up with COVID-like symptoms and thought it was responsible if I cancelled instead. They said sure no problem get well soon. I was confirmed positive the next day and quarantined myself for 2 weeks.
After 14 days of no symptoms and a negative test, I called the clinic to reschedule my original procedure. They said they couldn't schedule me yet and they would call me back instead. I waited a week with no response so I gave them another call. I spoke to someone on the doctor's staff and they said I should get a second opinion. I was confused and asked what they meant. They replied "Dr so-and-so doesn't think you're committed to the treatment" and we feel like maybe getting a second opinion is worth pursuing. I was honestly shocked that I would be accused of that. I've been struggling with this injury for over a year and I was looking forward to this treatment. The associate wasn't being very direct so I straight up asked them if the doctor was refusing to see me and they replied yes that is the case. I'm obviously pretty upset and now I have to find another specialist who can do this procedure.
I suspect either the doctor was angry about me having to do a second app. because I was uncomfortable getting an ultrasound without first knowing how much the ultrasound would cost or he's angry that I canceled my appointment last minute even though I gave immediate notice when I realized I had symptoms. Or he just doesn't believe me when I say I had COVID. I don't agree with their decision and I'm not one to ever complain even in suboptimal situations but this one really set me off for some reason. Am I in the wrong here? Is there any action I can do like filing a complaint with the hospital? Is that pretty much the only option I have? I doubt they'll overturn their decision or do anything about it but I would like a platform to voice my concern.
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