My regular doctor referred me to Dr. Book after an MRI reported a small tumor near my pituitary. I called the office to schedule an appointment; first impressions of any doctor or business begin with the first contact whether by phone, email or in person. The first few words of the woman answering the phone made me want to hang up; rude without a trace of friendliness is all I heard. I explained the situation & without empathy, the woman in a rude, very matter of fact tone verbalized the ""office procedures"" and since my doctor had not sent the ""required paperwork"" she wouldn't schedule my appointment. I quickly followed up with my doctor to ensure the proper documents were sent so I could schedule my appointment.(my doc should know Dr. Book's requirements for referring patients). - I called Dr. Book's office the following day to make a 2nd attempt at scheduling my appointment; (side note: everything is done via fax without verbal confirmation or follow up) ....Lab and radiology reports reached Dr. Book's office but the referral did not therefore my appointment still wouldn't be scheduled. The origin of the sender made it obvious that I was referred by another doctor; but rather than schedule my appointment, which incidentally had a 2-1/2 week wait time I was told my appointment wouldn't be scheduled until ALL documents were received. - I'm aware that policy & procedures must be followed however for me, it came down to the delivery and attitude of the individual on the other end of the phone line. Whoever is employed to answer the phones at this practice would be better suited for bill collections where no care, concern or empathy doesn't seem to be a job requirement.
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