Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2017/02/10) */
Let me begin by saying that I am sorry to hear that you have any concerns at all with your past surgical consultation. I hope my response may shed some light on this situation and rectify any miscommunication or misunderstanding that may have...
existed up until now.
I have had an opportunity to review your file with my administrative staff and familiarize myself thoroughly with the details.
I can inform you that some time shortly after your consultation with me, the [redacted] closed access to the outpatient clinic where your procedure was planned to be performed. This was done unilaterally and without any warning. After years of performing minor surgery in this particular clinic, it remains closed not only to myself but to other surgeons seeking to resume use of this operating room. In my administrative capacity as chief of the division of plastic surgery, I can tell you that I have been working hard to rectify the situation and restore access. But those efforts have yet to result in the theatre being reopened.
All patients making inquiries about their clinic procedures have been informed of the closure and have been offered bookings in the main operating room as a viable alternative. The patient cost of using the main operating room is substantially higher than booking the clinic space. This fee has absolutely nothing to do with me or my office and is dictated by, and payable directly to, the [redacted]. Some patients have accepted the higher hospital cost and paid the fee in order to gain access. While others, like yourself I presume, have elected to wait in the hopes that the clinic space will yet again become available and their hospital facility fee will be lower. May I stress again that I have no direct control over the hospital decision regarding clinic access, nor over the differential fees charged for different theatres despite the fact that the exact same procedure will be performed in either venue. As a patient you have the opportunity to proceed with your procedure in the main operating without much delay at all, but at the cost dictated by the hospital.
With respect to your request that the consultation fee you paid for your initial surgical assessment be refunded to you, let's pause for a moment and recognize the service that that fee covers. The consult fee is payable at the time of initial visit and simply remunerates me (or any surgeon) for the time and expertise I offer while considering your suitability for surgery, the surgical options available, and communicating the details and relative risks of those options to you. I trust that there is no dispute that that service was in fact provided, and provided well. The fee to cover the consultation is entirely separate from any charges for the actual procedure because those two services are completely separate both in time and where they take place.
In summary, I hope we can agree that a surgical consultation was provided and paid for. The operation proposed could be provided today as initially discussed but in a different room of the hospital and at an increased price. That increased price is solely at the discretion of the hospital, and it has always been clear that the facility fee would be payable directly to the hospital and not to me personally.
Again, I am truly sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. My staff and I pride ourselves on providing exemplary service with every patient interaction. I hope that this letter has at least clarified the circumstances at play that rest outside of my control. While I am saddened to hear that you will be pursuing consultation with another private clinic, I understand your point of view and I wish you nothing but success with any future surgical procedures.
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2017/02/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is the first time I have heard about any issue with availability of the surgical suite at the [redacted]. I was never given any information in relation to this on any of the occasions that I contacted the office throughout 2016, nor was I offered any option of choosing to pay a higher fee for the main operating room. If this had been the case, I realize the onus would have been on me to make that decision.
I would never fault a surgeon for losing a surgical location - I completely understand that this is beyond your control. I also understand what consultation fees cover and have never requested a refund for one before. My issue is not with quality of service during the consultation, it is with the complete lack of information and service afterwards. It is important to note that service is not only about what happens in and out of examination and operating rooms.
Again - I made repeated attempts to move ahead with the surgery and lost the year waiting with no explanation or information ever being offered to me. I was never asked for information when I called and no reference was ever made to my file.
It is unfortunate that I did not have the experience of receiving the level of service you pride yourself in. It is what I hoped for when I first contacted your office. I feel that my request for refund is fair given the incongruity between what you claim to offer your patients and what my experience has been. I am not sure what has caused such a disconnect between the two but I do hope you will look into this to prevent future issues for both you and your patients.
Thank you.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]
This issue has been resolved to the satisfaction of both parties. We refunded the total amount paid.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2017/02/10) */
Let me begin by saying that I am sorry to hear that you have any concerns at all with your past surgical consultation. I hope my response may shed some light on this situation and rectify any miscommunication or misunderstanding that may have...
existed up until now.
I have had an opportunity to review your file with my administrative staff and familiarize myself thoroughly with the details.
I can inform you that some time shortly after your consultation with me, the [redacted] closed access to the outpatient clinic where your procedure was planned to be performed. This was done unilaterally and without any warning. After years of performing minor surgery in this particular clinic, it remains closed not only to myself but to other surgeons seeking to resume use of this operating room. In my administrative capacity as chief of the division of plastic surgery, I can tell you that I have been working hard to rectify the situation and restore access. But those efforts have yet to result in the theatre being reopened.
All patients making inquiries about their clinic procedures have been informed of the closure and have been offered bookings in the main operating room as a viable alternative. The patient cost of using the main operating room is substantially higher than booking the clinic space. This fee has absolutely nothing to do with me or my office and is dictated by, and payable directly to, the [redacted]. Some patients have accepted the higher hospital cost and paid the fee in order to gain access. While others, like yourself I presume, have elected to wait in the hopes that the clinic space will yet again become available and their hospital facility fee will be lower. May I stress again that I have no direct control over the hospital decision regarding clinic access, nor over the differential fees charged for different theatres despite the fact that the exact same procedure will be performed in either venue. As a patient you have the opportunity to proceed with your procedure in the main operating without much delay at all, but at the cost dictated by the hospital.
With respect to your request that the consultation fee you paid for your initial surgical assessment be refunded to you, let's pause for a moment and recognize the service that that fee covers. The consult fee is payable at the time of initial visit and simply remunerates me (or any surgeon) for the time and expertise I offer while considering your suitability for surgery, the surgical options available, and communicating the details and relative risks of those options to you. I trust that there is no dispute that that service was in fact provided, and provided well. The fee to cover the consultation is entirely separate from any charges for the actual procedure because those two services are completely separate both in time and where they take place.
In summary, I hope we can agree that a surgical consultation was provided and paid for. The operation proposed could be provided today as initially discussed but in a different room of the hospital and at an increased price. That increased price is solely at the discretion of the hospital, and it has always been clear that the facility fee would be payable directly to the hospital and not to me personally.
Again, I am truly sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you. My staff and I pride ourselves on providing exemplary service with every patient interaction. I hope that this letter has at least clarified the circumstances at play that rest outside of my control. While I am saddened to hear that you will be pursuing consultation with another private clinic, I understand your point of view and I wish you nothing but success with any future surgical procedures.
Respectfully,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 10, 2017/02/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
This is the first time I have heard about any issue with availability of the surgical suite at the [redacted]. I was never given any information in relation to this on any of the occasions that I contacted the office throughout 2016, nor was I offered any option of choosing to pay a higher fee for the main operating room. If this had been the case, I realize the onus would have been on me to make that decision.
I would never fault a surgeon for losing a surgical location - I completely understand that this is beyond your control. I also understand what consultation fees cover and have never requested a refund for one before. My issue is not with quality of service during the consultation, it is with the complete lack of information and service afterwards. It is important to note that service is not only about what happens in and out of examination and operating rooms.
Again - I made repeated attempts to move ahead with the surgery and lost the year waiting with no explanation or information ever being offered to me. I was never asked for information when I called and no reference was ever made to my file.
It is unfortunate that I did not have the experience of receiving the level of service you pride yourself in. It is what I hoped for when I first contacted your office. I feel that my request for refund is fair given the incongruity between what you claim to offer your patients and what my experience has been. I am not sure what has caused such a disconnect between the two but I do hope you will look into this to prevent future issues for both you and your patients.
Thank you.