In March of 2007 the Country Medical Clinic became part of the Sansum Santa Barbara Clinic. What an awful change! I had been seeing Dr. Shannon at the Country Clinic for almost 20 years and had an appointment with him about a week after the change to Sansum. I was not aware of this when I made the appointement and only found out after arriving for my appointment and being asked to fill out all new paperwork including information that they clearly had in all of my previous records. When I saw the doctor, he was clearly undone by the new charts and expressed frustration. He saw me for approximately 5 minutes, briefly addressing the two health concerns that I had. A few weeks later when I received my EOB from my insurance company I noticed that I was charged $107 for an office visit (level 3) and $211 for a procedure code 20610 that I learned from my insurance company was for ""arthocentesis aspiration and/or injection of a major joint."" I never had any procedure. I had asked the doctor about the arthritis in my fingers and he suggested tha I start taking Omega 3s. So, I tried to clear this up with the now Sansum Clinic and was told by the staff in Solvang that they don't have access to patient charts as they are kept by a third party. Also, if I wanted to see my chart I would have to come to the office fill out a form and pay a fee! Outrageous! I was given a phone number for customer service at Sansum in Santa Barbara but was never connected to a human being there. I decided to pay my small co-pay and change doctors. Months later, I received another bill from Sansum for the Blue Cross write-off portion of my bill. Again, I called Sansum at 8:00, the time that the statement indicated that the billing office opened. I got a message on the phone that they open at 8:30. I called back at 8:30 and was told by an operator that they open at 9:00! This place is messed up! I have left Country Clinic and will NEVER return. How sad for the residents of SYV.
Pros: Close to home
Cons: Impersonal, unapproachable corporate attitudes
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