Can I Get a Little Service?

Has customer service died? I know there are a few pockets within civilization that are staking their claim, not budging an inch, forcing you to enjoy your experience. Chick-fil-A for example... you're required to enjoy your visit. They will "my pleasure" you until you cave, smile, and enjoy your visit. Apparently the medical field, particularly the infertility world, has forgotten about customer service... at least in my little corner of the world.

Sam and I have decided to see what else is out there. I guess I should pause here and say that we are still moving ahead with IVF. My last post was a little confusing and I caused many of you to worry we were jumping ship. We're not. Full steam half steam ahead. We haven't made the decision to leave RBA, but their falling success rates plus the high costs have made us question our current path. We're looking closely at what Atlanta offers and also thinking about the surrounding states. Basically, our criteria at this point is: Beat RBA. We really, really love our doctor at RBA, so if we're going to leave a good, working relationship, it's going to be for something better. To us, better means lower cost and higher success rates, but it doesn't mean I'm going to sacrifice quality of care, at least not much.

But seriously, I feel like just about every fertility clinic could take a lesson in customer service. Is there a Chick-fil-A boot camp? My friend Em recently wrote a post that stirred up all kinds of interest about what makes a good patient. I'm here to admit that I'm an excellent patient when it comes to some things and a terrible patient when it comes to others. I'm EXCELLENT at keeping records. My notebook has tabs, it has charts, it has notes… I find blood work results faster than my doctor can flip through my chart. But I'm the first to admit that I'm a needy patient. Even outside of fertility treatments, I need to be reassured that my doctor checked everything. But I'm honest… I shoot straight with my doctor's. I tell them right away that I'm complicated. But if I'm about to pay you EIGHTY GAZILLION dollars for a procedure with approximately a 40% chance of success, I expect a little customer service, you know? Show me another profession that can treat me like crap and still expect payment!

How about some examples? One office has a "lovely" system in which 90% of the time, no one answers the phone. They simply ask you to leave a message. Now this office wins some MAJOR points for their low cost, and by low cost, I mean half of RBA... so I'm trying my darnedest to give them the benefit of the doubt. I left a message last Wednesday... I never heard anything. Granted, it was a holiday weekend, so I waited until later on Monday to lose my cool. I called again. Holy freak out, I got a person! But that person A- attempted to make me do a "new patient" consultation, even though I did one less than a year ago, and B- said they'd have to call me back to set up an appointment and NEVER DID. I'm trying my best to keep cool, and recognize that's it is a small staff, a busy office, and they could save me $8,000, BUT if this is the kind of service I should expect as a patient, NO THANK YOU. I'm needy, thank you very much. What if I was bleeding? What if I was confused about the six million medications? What if I had a reaction? Someone has to ANSWER THE PHONE or CALL ME BACK! It is totally possible that I could receive a personal email or phone number once I start cycling… maybe there is a secret number… but you'd think they'd treat me well enough to get my business in the first place!

Office number two, was mostly polite, and easy to deal with. Most of my frustrations were probably due to dealing with office number one only moments before. But still, I'm not a fan of hoops. I'm not a dog... I don't do tricks. Apparently the initial receptionist couldn't assist me... I had to speak with the new patient consultant. But the first lady told me to request a "Second Opinion" consultation, as it's FREE. New Patient Lady wasn't in (of course), so I left a message. She called me back to inform me that I can't do a "Second Opinion" consult if I know I'm coming for IVF... whatever lady. She then informs me that they can't file the consult to insurance if the consultation takes place over the phone. So I can either drive eight hours one way, to get my insurance to pay for it, or pay full price from the comfort of my home. Awesome. It's also interesting to note that I know for a fact that CCRM files phone consults with insurance... so this is a policy, not a law, just so we are clear lady. And in accordance with my "I don't do tricks" rule... schedule my stinking appointment without requiring my complete medical record be in front of you. I (the Queen of Medical Records), do solemnly swear to have them to you well before the appointment.

Are you still reading? Troopers, I tell you, troopers. Well, for your reading pleasure I present crappy service item number three. This actually came from my clinic, so boo to that. I've been pretty pleased for the most part with the office staff. They call when they say they will, they answer the phone, they offer me well wishes and hugs for good luck... so this was a little out of character. I called to request my medical records. I knew there would be extra steps... privacy laws and all that jazz. What I wasn't expecting was for the receptionist to FREAK OUT over the request. She wanted to know if I was leaving the practice, if I was seeking a second opinion, if I was quitting treatment. I tried to calm her down (though it is a possibility) by explaining that I'm the Queen of Medical Records... you see, to keep my title as such, and to maintain my "good patient qualities" I need this for The Notebook. She then explained that there are fees and such, and wouldn't I rather wait until I was "finished with treatment" so I could get the records all at once for free? Well, yes, I would... but you see, I'm not finished with treatment, and I may never be. I laughed and explained that treatment isn't ending any time soon, that I understand that I have to pay a fee for MY OWN records, and that yes, I'd still like them. She then said this, "I hope you aren't in a hurry; we're way behind on this. It'll probably be a few weeks!". I'm guessing that was her way of gauging my reaction; if I flipped out, I obviously needed them for something other than my personal enjoyment. So I played it cool. But I wanted to say, "no, no problem, I'll drive down and make a copy myself". Geez!

Basically, I'm frustrated. If I was about to buy a car, I could expect excellent customer service... they would woo me for that kind of money. But it appears to me, that fertility clinics assume that I am desperate for them, and that they can treat me as such. Well listen up, I'm desperate for a baby, not for you. There are about a zillion clinics out there... someone will meet my demands and do so with a smile and maybe even a "my pleasure".

End rant.