Dr. Bermudez Family Medicine at 242 South Central Avenue, Mechanicville, New York.

On 1/3/16 around 9:30AM I called the office, where I have been a patient for well over 5 years, with a complaint of pain, hardness and heat in a vein on my thigh. I was QUITE concerned that I had a blood clot that should be looked at immediately. I was told that the doctor was booked for the day, and given an appointment for around 10 (I forget the exact time) the morning of the 4th.

Still being quite concerned about the vein in my leg, I went to Albany Med's EmurgentCare facility in Mechanicville. I was examined and the PA there told me that I should definitely get an ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis of a blood clot in a vein. EmurgentCare contacted Dr. Bermudez's office (Family Medicine) and she had an order faxed over for an ultrasound at a diagnostic facility.

Within 30 minutes Dr. Bermudez's nurse called and said that I had to come in that day the 3rd. By now it was around 3:30 PM. When I explained that I couldn't imagine Medicare or an insurance company paying twice in the same day for a visit for the same complaint, the nurse told me that if I did not come in for an appointment Dr. Bermudez would call the imaging facility and cancel the order. It was suggested that I come right in before the doctor left for the day.

This leaves me with 2 questions, the biggest one being that if when I called in the morning for an appointment for an urgent matter and was put off until the next day, how is it that all of a sudden there was time to see me the same afternoon?

The other question is why there was such a forceful frantic effort to get me in for an appointment? Was it perhaps that it was an impropriety or regulatory lapse for Dr. Bermudez to issue an order for an ultrasound without ever having seen the patient for the complaint mentioned? If so, why was the order issued in the first place? Was it pique that I chose not to wait another day to got my potential blood clot (the ultrasound the next day bore out that I did in fact have a clot) looked at elsewhere? Or perhaps, was the reason as simple as there was a cancellation in the doctor's schedule and trying to get me in there after I had already been seen elsewhere was an opportunity to sell unused time?

I returned the doctor's order to the office and told her I would get orders for the ultrasound elsewhere. In the course of that conversation I expressed my displeasure with the attempt to force me into an appointment, and also cancelled an appointment to follow up on the ultrasound. I was never obscene, threatening or loud, but I was quite blunt in expressing my displeasure.

Imagine my surprise at getting a letter on 1/7 from the doctor telling me that I was no longer her patient, citing disrespect for staff and a failure of the doctor/patient relationship. Apparently at this medical practice independent thought and expression is not welcomed, and the only correct response is "Yes doctor, of course".

The sad part about this is that Dr. Bermudez is an excellent doctor. She is blunt and to the point, not given to throwing drugs at a problem, and quite caring. She has called me on a Sunday to deal with an emergency prescription need, and has always been respectful of my preferences and opinions regarding immunizations. It is quite unfortunate that her front end staff is not selected with the same eye towards patient satisfaction as the doctor herself expresses. Her nurses are by and large quite good, and I have always been pleased with the medical aspects of my visits to her office.

Nevertheless, her termination of my status as her patient was unnecessary. After the fiasco with the demanded, duplicated, needless appointment, and numerous hassles with trying to get her receptionists to understand what I was saying about what times I was available for appointments, and frustration at having to tell receptionists my name (a fairly simple one) multiple times before they understood who I was, I had pretty much come to the end of my rope with Family Medicine and was going to switch to another local physician.