I will start by saying that Dr. Edokpayi is a great doctor, which is why I can not give this review 1 star. Dr. E is attentive-- she listens, she seeks to find the root of the problem instead of just prescribing medication to treat surface symptoms, and I truly feel she cares about me as a patient. I would give her 5 stars as a physician. My issue comes from the lack of communication and poor time management/scheduling on the administrative side. I have been seeing Dr. E for about 1 year and have been to the office 5 times. Each of those times, my wait in the lobby has been NO LESS than one hour, most times stretching to about 1.5 hours wait. Today (2/14/2023) was the absolute worst. They ask that you be at the office 15 minutes prior to your appointment. I arrived early for a 10:30am appointment. I was not called back until 11:45am, and the FNP did not enter my room until 12:15pm (2 hours after my arrival).
Additionally, I overheard the receptionist tell a vendor that Dr. E was out for the day after I had already been waiting for 1.5 hours. When I inquired about the doctor being out, I was told that I would be seeing the nurse practitioner because my file did not say that I only wanted to see Dr. Edokpayi. I was also told that everyone who had the note that they wanted to see Dr. E had been called the day before, and that I had not been called because my file did not say that. There was no way for me to know that I needed to make that request when I specifically made my appointment to see Dr. E, nor was anything said to me upon check in. The receptionist told me that I could reschedule, but I had already waited for 1.5 hours and was in medical distress (which is why I came to see the doctor)!
By the time I was finally called back to have my vitals taken, I was in more pain, my BP was extremely elevated, and I was irritated and frustrated, only to have to sit and wait ANOTHER 30 minutes for the FNP to come in the room. At this point, I’m visibly emotional and stressed out even further. I expressed my frustration to the FNP who explained that there were other patients before me who needed extended care. This was NEVER communicated to me during the entire 2 hours that I waited. The nurse was apologetic and gave me time to get my vitals back under control. However, the only resolve was to refer me to another physician. So essentially, I sat and waited 2 hours with no communication, only to be referred elsewhere and have no resolution to my ailment.
It truly saddens me to have to search for a new PCP after finally finding a really good doctor, but the angst and frustration I experienced today along with the consistently long wait times contributes to an overall poor patient experience.
Stephanie M. | Feb 15, 2023