Complaint Review: Quivira Internal Medicine - Overland Park Kansas

I was first seen at Overland Park Regional Medical center about 6-8 weeks ago for pain in my lower back, my neck, and numbness and tingling in on my left hand (specifically my thumb and palm area). They took a CT scan to rule out a stroke, which I knew I had not had, and they never took x-rays of my back or neck. Moreover, they had me provide a urine sample. I asked the nurse for a glass of water because I knew I was not going to be able to provide a urine sample that was sufficient, and she refused to provide me with water; she stated they are not allowed to give patients water, which is absurd. Therefore, when I provided the urine sample, I was not able to catch it midstream, and the urine was obviously contaminated because less than a tablespoon was in the cup (you have to catch urine midstream for a urinanalysis to come back correctly). They diagnosed me with a urinary tract infection, which I doubt I had, and they wrote me a prescription for Cipro, a dangerous antibiotic that can cause all sorts of problems, including tendonitis. The following day, I called Quivira Internal Medicine to attempt to get in with Dr. Michelle Lester. Because she is not seeing new patients, I had to choose another doctor. So I decided to see Dr. Kalpana Gorthi. And she wasn’t even available for an appointment for another month. Therefore, I sought chiropractic treatment during the time I could not get in to see her.

When I finally got in to see Dr. Gorthi, my pain was getting progressively worse. She ordered x-rays on my lower back, and she called later that afternoon to tell me that I have degenerative disc disease an osteophyte formations. She told me during the visit that she was going to prescribe physical therapy for six months, and if that didn’t work, she was going to order an MRI after the 6 month period. She prescribed me Flexeril and Naproxen Sodium, although I stopped taking the Naproxen almost immediately because it caused my hand to start burning and my stomach to hurt. Following the appointment, I continued to see my chiropractor. After about another week or so, I began getting numbness and tingling and weakness in my right hand and arm. So I made another emergency appointment with Dr. Gorthi. During this appointment, I told her I was no longer taking Naproxen due to the side effects, and she prescribed no other medications other than IB (which has not helped with my symptoms whatsoever, and I was taking this prior to being seen at Overland Park Regional) and took x-rays of my neck. Her nurse called me the next day to inform me that I have degenerative disc disease in my neck as well, and no other prescriptions were given. Over the course of the next couple of days, my symptoms began to worsen to the point that I could not even wipe myself after going to the bathroom. Therefore, I called Quivira Internal Medicine after hours and left a message for a doctor to call me back. Dr. Maneer called me back immediately, and we discussed my symptoms. She stated she would talk to Dr. Gorthi the next day and would suggest that she call in a request for an MRI due to my worsening symptoms, because apparently the 6 month waiting time does not apply when symptoms are worsening. As of last week, my MRI was performed, and they state I have multiple discs that are degenerating in my neck. Since the MRI, I continued to have worsening symptoms, including Charlie horses in my legs. Because I was concerned this other symptom might be related to a pinched nerve or taking Flexeril, I called Quivira Internal Medicine again after hours to talk to doctor. This time I got Dr. Barnett. Dr. Barnett was rude, lacked bedside manners, and would not let me speak. He began the conversation by saying abruptly, “Is this an emergency”? Well, it would be hard for me to answer that question, and if he let me speak for two minutes, he probably could have answered that question for me. Rather, he told me he couldn’t “diagnose me” over the phone, which I wasn’t wanting; I was simply wanting to know if my ongoing medical condition or medications could be causing this problem. He then abruptly told me to go to the emergency room, which to me seemed like a waste of time, my money, and my insurance companies money, especially after the poor treatment I received the previous time at Overland Park Regional. So I ended up calling their“Ask a nurse” line, and she was able to answer my question. She said it was probably the medication, to not worry about it, and to talk to Dr. Gorthi the following day about my symptoms. In the meantime, I began doing some research about my symptoms and possible treatments.

First of all, Flexeril’s side effects can cause tingling, numbness, and weakness in the arms or hands. Second of all, a couple of people that I know that have the same type of problem told me that their doctors prescribed them Meloxicam, a NSAID, and the medication cleared up the problem within a few weeks. So I stopped taking the Flexeril immediately, and I called Dr. Gorthi the following day to ask for Meloxicam, because nothing else was working, and I was on limited medications as it was. Dr. Gorthi’s nurse called me back and stated she refused to call in Meloxicam; rather, she wanted me to go see a neurosurgeon. I told the nurse, I think her name was Brandi, that I was receiving little treatment for this condition (IB was not working and I was taking no other medications for my symptoms), and it seemed extremely unreasonable not to call a patient in an anti-inflammatory that could possibly work to clear up symptoms, but rather refer the person to a neurosurgeon. Brandi advised me I should probably make another doctor’s appointment with Dr. Gorthi, and I told her all that was doing was wasting my time, my insurance provider’s money, and my co-pay money, because their office already had the results of my x-rays and my MRI. It isn’t like she was going to need to run new tests or examine me further, and I shouldn’t need to make an appointment for an anti-inflammatory. So I hung up and called to leave a message stating that I wanted to be transferred to another doctor, possibly Dr. Maneer, because she was the only reason why I even got an MRI. Only then did Dr. Gorthi’s nurse call back to say that she was going to call in Meloxicam for me. The problem is, according to the pharmacist at Costco, she called in two weeks worth; it can take three to four week to work effectively.

Today, I talked to Krista at Quivira Internal Medicine. She states Dr. Maneer is refusing to take me as a new patient. No valid reason has been offered other than I need to continue to see Dr. Gorthi, so apparently she just doesn’t want to step on Dr. Gorthi’s toes. But Dr. Gorthi is not providing adequate treatment for my symptoms. As stated before, Dr. Maneer had to request the MRI to get the ball rolling, and Dr. Gorthi is not adequately managing my medications. I shouldn’t have to beg, scream, and cry for a simple anti-inflammatory that is known to clear up symptoms without invasive surgery or a neurosurgeon consult. It isn’t like I am asking for Oxycotin or something. Moreover, when I told a physical therapist about the problems I had getting Dr. Gorthi to call in Meloxicam, she gave me a funny look and said, “Are you on a lot of other medications?” I said, “no,” and she gave me a look like she didn’t understand why she wouldn’t call in something so simple. The physical therapist then echoed what my pharmacist told me, although she said I might start experiencing more relief after about a week. It is important to say that since I have began taking Meloxicam, my palm is not as numb, I have more sensation in my ring finger, although my pinky finger is still completely numb and I have extreme weakness in my thumb and index finger (cannot pinch). Finally, I have also been told by the physical therapist that I am beginning to have muscle wasting in the area near my thumb.  

Because Dr. Maneer is refusing to take me as a new patient, I am beginning to look for another doctor elsewhere. But I cannot get in with the new doctor until June the 6^th; therefore, my symptoms are going to go largely untreated. Moreover, I cannot even get physical therapy appointments in the west building for more than once a week for another two weeks (then I can get in twice a week starting the week of the 12^th) , and my neurosurgeon appointment is not scheduled until I have finished physical therapy, because I think it is useless to see him if the physical therapy and the Meloxicam can clear up my problem.

To me, it seems like all HCA Midwest is concerned about is wiping out your wallet, overbilling your insurance company, and making referral upon referral to their finite number of providers in order to shake you down for more money. In addition, I just found out that the neurosurgeon she referred me to doesn't even do medication management; rather, he would refer me to another doctor that specializes in pain management. This seems like a really poor policy for a simple anti-inflammatory. If you want my opinion, steer clear of this practice. They absolutely don't care about their patients' wellbeing.