Avoid Partners in Internal Medicine
When I moved, I transferred care to a new primary care clinic called Partners in Internal Medicine. I was getting along decently with my new doctor David Weidendorf there. Very nice.
Also important to know is that I have occasional neck and shoulder pain. When it flares up, I see a chiropractor, and after a couple sessions, the pain always goes away.
Further important is that when I retired, my insurance changed. Now I need a doctor's referral in order to see a specialist. This kind of thing is usually routine--you call the doctor, and they give the referral so you can make the appointment.
The pain flared up, and I tried to see a chiropractor, only to learn that I needed a doctor's referral first, so I called the doctor's clinic to ask for one.
"We don't give referrals for chiropractors," said the nurse. "Chiropractors don't go to medical school. We'll refer you to physical therapy. though."
"No," I said. "I don't need physical therapy. I only need a couple sessions with a chiropractor. The sessions work, they're short, and they take walk-ins. PT sessions last a long time each and they want you to come in three times a week for a month. And it's hard to get a decent appointment slot. I don't need to deal with any of that. I just need a chiropractor."
The nurse's tone became snippy. "We don't refer to chiropractors."
"Well, since you don't refer to chiropractors--who I know can solve my problem--I assume that means YOU can perform that function instead, so let's make an appointment for you to treat my neck and back pain. When's your next available?"
"We don't do that here. We'll refer you to a physical therapist."
"Nonetheless, I want to make an appointment to talk to the doctor."
"Sure. What location, Ann Arbor or Canton?"
"It doesn't matter--this can be done over video."
"We don't do video appointments."
Pause.
"You don't do video appointments?"
"We don't."
"You don't refer to chiropractors, and you don't do video appointments," I repeated carefully. "Are there any other standard medical services you don't perform or refer for?"
"No, that's it."
"Maybe there's a list I could look at, just to be sure."
"There isn't."
"So we're operating on your memory. Could I see the clinic's policies, please? You can email them to me or mail them in hard copy."
Now she was getting icy. "I'm afraid we don't do that."
"So there ARE other services you don't provide."
She got very annoyed with me after that. I hung up. After some hunting, I found a new doctor. I hope this one works out better.
The moral here is, don't become a patient at Partners in Internal Medicine in Ann Arbor or Canton. They're snobby and they're dismissive of patient concerns. Avoid.
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Also important to know is that I have occasional neck and shoulder pain. When it flares up, I see a chiropractor, and after a couple sessions, the pain always goes away.
Further important is that when I retired, my insurance changed. Now I need a doctor's referral in order to see a specialist. This kind of thing is usually routine--you call the doctor, and they give the referral so you can make the appointment.
The pain flared up, and I tried to see a chiropractor, only to learn that I needed a doctor's referral first, so I called the doctor's clinic to ask for one.
"We don't give referrals for chiropractors," said the nurse. "Chiropractors don't go to medical school. We'll refer you to physical therapy. though."
"No," I said. "I don't need physical therapy. I only need a couple sessions with a chiropractor. The sessions work, they're short, and they take walk-ins. PT sessions last a long time each and they want you to come in three times a week for a month. And it's hard to get a decent appointment slot. I don't need to deal with any of that. I just need a chiropractor."
The nurse's tone became snippy. "We don't refer to chiropractors."
"Well, since you don't refer to chiropractors--who I know can solve my problem--I assume that means YOU can perform that function instead, so let's make an appointment for you to treat my neck and back pain. When's your next available?"
"We don't do that here. We'll refer you to a physical therapist."
"Nonetheless, I want to make an appointment to talk to the doctor."
"Sure. What location, Ann Arbor or Canton?"
"It doesn't matter--this can be done over video."
"We don't do video appointments."
Pause.
"You don't do video appointments?"
"We don't."
"You don't refer to chiropractors, and you don't do video appointments," I repeated carefully. "Are there any other standard medical services you don't perform or refer for?"
"No, that's it."
"Maybe there's a list I could look at, just to be sure."
"There isn't."
"So we're operating on your memory. Could I see the clinic's policies, please? You can email them to me or mail them in hard copy."
Now she was getting icy. "I'm afraid we don't do that."
"So there ARE other services you don't provide."
She got very annoyed with me after that. I hung up. After some hunting, I found a new doctor. I hope this one works out better.
The moral here is, don't become a patient at Partners in Internal Medicine in Ann Arbor or Canton. They're snobby and they're dismissive of patient concerns. Avoid.
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