It's nearly a full time job keeping up with and documenting the various ways the University of Utah medical school mistreats patients.
On June 22 and 23, 2015 I made note of the following complaint:
University of Utah Orthopedic Center and David Petron: rude treatment, denial of service, refusal to weigh (of all things!)
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/06/university-of-utah-orthopedic-center.html
On July 20, 2015 my wife & I had back to back visits at the Greenwood Center location for the University of Utah School of Dentistry.
September 21, 2015 update, regarding the University of Utah School of Dentistry:
On July 20, 2015 my wife & I had back to back visits at the Greenwood Center location for the University of Utah School of Dentistry.
Problems noticed:
Problem 1: For the 7-20-2015 visits or myself and my wife the hygienist involved was not particularly friendly.
Problem 2: For the 7-20-2015 visit for myself, my cleaning was incredibly painful. No anesthesia was offered for me. If in the mind(s) of the relevant staff root planing was being done, at no time was the option of anesthesia offered.
Problem 3: For the 7-20-2015 visit for myself, root planing was billed out for, even though only a regular cleaning was scheduled. At no time prior to or during our visit did anyone warn or tell us a non-regular cleaning was going to be done, or was being done while it was happening.
Problem 4: While I did receive a few conciliatory phone calls from a dental medical director, Dr. Craig Proctor, the regular manager for the clinic, a public employee by the name of Leslie Berg, is very angry that I have complained about her clinic to people within & outside the University (as per a 9-21-2015 conversation I had with her).
On 9-21-2015 I had an extended conversation with Ms. Leslie Berg, a public employee of the University, and manager over the School of Dentistry clinics.
I wanted to speak with Ms. Berg because of insurance and clerical issues for the 7-20-2015 claims (in-network vs out-of-network issues), and so as to help ensure the 7-20 visits for myself and my wife would be covered as "in network" with my insurance.
Ms. Berg's tone and approach was essentially the exact opposite of Dr. Proctor's.
Ms. Berg was angry, angry that I had complained to anyone about problems with the visits.
Ms. Berg wanted myself and my wife, out the clinic door, permanently, in as much as she said to me "I don't know why you want to continue to come to our clinic if you are going to complain about us to the university and to other parties." She made this point several times during our 9-21-2015 chat, and was quite upset that I had complained about the visit to other University entities and to entities outside the University.
From Ms. Leslie Berg of the University of Utah we have a direct attempt at retaliation, retaliation in response to my complaining about what happened during the 7-20 visits for myself and my wife.
Ms. Berg said that I had "demanded" to speak with her on 9-21. I told her that I had requested to speak with her, because clerical type network insurance problems which seemed more in her sphere of influence as opposed to that of Dr. Proctor, and I explained this to her staff. But Ms. Berg choose to characterize my request as a "demand."
Ms. Berg said that she "did not like my approach." This was her first volley in what became an argument with Ms. Berg. In our 9-21 chat she was combative and retaliatory, and her actions directly served to undercut the otherwise good work of Dr. Proctor. Again Dr. Proctor was conciliatory and cordial and kind. Ms. Berg was angry and irritated, and she sought to deflect-at-all-costs any and all complaints about bad-and-poor actions of her staff.
Ms. Berg's preference was to call myself and my wife, as patients of the University, liars, rather than to take ownership of any miscommunication or lack of communication or inappropriate actions on the part of her staff.
Ms. Berg also did not address the issue of anesthesia during the supposed "root planing:" None Was Offered to me.
At the University of Utah, if you complain as a patient, a game of whack-a-mole is engaged.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Dr. Proctor tried to not do this, but Ms. Leslie Berg picked up the virtual mallet today (9-21) as from the referenced game, and began virtually whacking away at my family.
Examples of how the game has played out with the dental clinic (paraphrasing Ms. Berg's direct responses):
Me and my family: "The hygienist was rude to us."
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: No comment, and "we don't like the fact that you complained to other parts of the University and to external entities."
Me and my family: "The hygienist never warned me she would code my visit as 'root planing' even though only a regular cleaning was scheduled."
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: "Our hygienist and the resident doctor involved both claim they gave you proper notice. So it's your word against theirs, period, end of story, and I'm probably going to give more weight to what they claim as opposed to what you and your family are claiming."
My response to the above whack: My claim is that the hygienist was rude and that she never warned me about doing any root planing during a regularly-scheduled cleaning. I was never warned, at all, and no anesthesia was offered for the supposed 'root planing,' as is common when such procedures are engaged.
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: "I am upset that you complained about our clinic to other University departments and to external entities. Wouldn't you be happier going elsewhere?"
My response to the above whack: "Dr. Proctor's response to our complaint was positive. Ms. Berg's response is the exact opposite of Dr. Proctor's in tone & substance."
The reason I felt it necessary to escalate the issue to other parties was because Ms. Berg was completely unreachable via phone prior to my escalations. She never returned my phone calls. No return voicemail. Nothing. And her staff at the clinics never take messages so that she can call patients back in a timely manner.
But I ask myself now what would have happened if she would have called me back? Her tone is so very abusive & negative now, now that I have finally spoken to her - I bet her tone would have been inappropriate from the beginning, had spoken with her earlier.
The whack received from Ms. Berg: You "demanded" to speak with me today even though Dr. Proctor said that only he should be speaking with you moving forward.
My response: "I requested to speak with you because of clerical insurance 'in vs out' of network errors and issues, and it seemed like you would be the best person to speak to about such issues. I did not 'demand' to speak with you. I simply explained the situation to your staff today, and that the problems seemed more relevant to your scope of work.
The whack received from Ms. Berg: "I am going to end this conversation, now." Click.
My response: Leslie Berg has been the manager of the U of U Dental School clinics yesterday, today, and she probably will be the manager moving forward.
With such a manager, one who is fully willing to engage in direct retaliation against patients who make complaints, first and foremost because patients have the gall to complain & raise their voice, is not a person who can be trusted with the medical care of my family.
Dr. Proctor is a good man.
Leslie Berg is undercutting his good work.
After Ms. Berg hung up on me today I phoned a professional dental association and spoke with it's director, to have this man help me as a kind of sounding-board.
Their director shared with me the following concerns regarding the U dental school, as follows (paraphrasing what he shared):
1. The U School of Dentistry is very top-heavy.
2. The U School of Dentistry has experienced a great deal of turn around regarding their upper leadership.
3. The U School of Dentistry, and the U hospital generally, doesn't really care if a patient is unhappy with treatment. Entrenched government employees don't have any incentive to change or act better.
4. The U is a government agency, and entrenched employees like Leslie Berg could apparently care less what patients think or what their experiences are.
5. Miscommunication is a fact of life in dentistry, and patients being properly warned about procedures up-front is also a continuing issue professional dental associations are trying to help with.
6. Maybe the University will let Ms. Berg go if this is how she's going to act and if this is how she's going to treat patients.
----end of paraphrases & impressions from a director of a professional dental association.
Regarding item 6, one can only hope Ms. Berg will be let go soon from University employment.
But there is a great tendency within the University to pounce on patients who complain. To iron-fistedly stand by providers who act badly. To defend the status quo, even if that means patients who complain are booted right out the door - booted without any sort of due process.
Not really appropriate actions for a governmental agency, nor for a "caring" hospital.
Step 1: Patient has a bad experience with a given provider.
Step 2: Patient complains.
Step 3: Patient is retaliated against, retaliation which usually includes quick booting out the door in response.
The University cannot and does not tolerate complaints from patients.
Dr. Proctor is an anomaly within the current abusive culture. A man who did try to be conciliatory. But his own entrenched staff acts to directly undercut his good actions & good intentions.
The University of Utah is not a church, but parts of it still operate like one. Belief maintenance. Heresy trials. Excommunications. These tools are all actively used, today, by University staff.
The First Amendment does apply.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Complaining about the U dental clinic to other U departments, and to relevant external organizations, are all attempts to "petition my government for a redress of grievances."
Ms. Leslie Berg acted directly to attempt to abridge this guaranteed right of my family. The right to complain about poor treatment from governmental officials who operate health clinics.
Retaliation in response to my usage of the First Amendment.
Yes the University is not a church, and it's also bound by the Constitution and so on. Employees like Ms. Berg don't know who they are working for, nor are they familiar with how good dental practice is and should be done.
My wife is Chinese, and I wonder if that was the
reason the hygienist was upset during our 7-20 visit? Was that the reason
the hygienist coded the visit for root planing even though no warning
was given for the change? Was that the reason she engaged a very painful
procedure with no anesthesia being offered? Was that the reason she is
now completely misrepresenting what I was told during my visit regarding
what exactly was going to be done?On July 20, 2015 my wife & I had back to back visits at the Greenwood Center location for the University of Utah School of Dentistry.
Problems noticed:
Problem 1: For the 7-20-2015 visits or myself and my wife the hygienist involved was not particularly friendly.
Problem 2: For the 7-20-2015 visit for myself, my cleaning was incredibly painful. No anesthesia was offered for me. If in the mind(s) of the relevant staff root planing was being done, at no time was the option of anesthesia offered.
Problem 3: For the 7-20-2015 visit for myself, root planing was billed out for, even though only a regular cleaning was scheduled. At no time prior to or during our visit did anyone warn or tell us a non-regular cleaning was going to be done, or was being done while it was happening.
Problem 4: While I did receive a few conciliatory phone calls from a dental medical director, Dr. Craig Proctor, the regular manager for the clinic, a public employee by the name of Leslie Berg, is very angry that I have complained about her clinic to people within & outside the University (as per a 9-21-2015 conversation I had with her).
On 9-21-2015 I had an extended conversation with Ms. Leslie Berg, a public employee of the University, and manager over the School of Dentistry clinics.
I wanted to speak with Ms. Berg because of insurance and clerical issues for the 7-20-2015 claims (in-network vs out-of-network issues), and so as to help ensure the 7-20 visits for myself and my wife would be covered as "in network" with my insurance.
Ms. Berg's tone and approach was essentially the exact opposite of Dr. Proctor's.
Ms. Berg was angry, angry that I had complained to anyone about problems with the visits.
Ms. Berg wanted myself and my wife, out the clinic door, permanently, in as much as she said to me "I don't know why you want to continue to come to our clinic if you are going to complain about us to the university and to other parties." She made this point several times during our 9-21-2015 chat, and was quite upset that I had complained about the visit to other University entities and to entities outside the University.
From Ms. Leslie Berg of the University of Utah we have a direct attempt at retaliation, retaliation in response to my complaining about what happened during the 7-20 visits for myself and my wife.
Ms. Berg said that I had "demanded" to speak with her on 9-21. I told her that I had requested to speak with her, because clerical type network insurance problems which seemed more in her sphere of influence as opposed to that of Dr. Proctor, and I explained this to her staff. But Ms. Berg choose to characterize my request as a "demand."
Ms. Berg said that she "did not like my approach." This was her first volley in what became an argument with Ms. Berg. In our 9-21 chat she was combative and retaliatory, and her actions directly served to undercut the otherwise good work of Dr. Proctor. Again Dr. Proctor was conciliatory and cordial and kind. Ms. Berg was angry and irritated, and she sought to deflect-at-all-costs any and all complaints about bad-and-poor actions of her staff.
Ms. Berg's preference was to call myself and my wife, as patients of the University, liars, rather than to take ownership of any miscommunication or lack of communication or inappropriate actions on the part of her staff.
Ms. Berg also did not address the issue of anesthesia during the supposed "root planing:" None Was Offered to me.
At the University of Utah, if you complain as a patient, a game of whack-a-mole is engaged.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Dr. Proctor tried to not do this, but Ms. Leslie Berg picked up the virtual mallet today (9-21) as from the referenced game, and began virtually whacking away at my family.
Examples of how the game has played out with the dental clinic (paraphrasing Ms. Berg's direct responses):
Me and my family: "The hygienist was rude to us."
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: No comment, and "we don't like the fact that you complained to other parts of the University and to external entities."
Me and my family: "The hygienist never warned me she would code my visit as 'root planing' even though only a regular cleaning was scheduled."
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: "Our hygienist and the resident doctor involved both claim they gave you proper notice. So it's your word against theirs, period, end of story, and I'm probably going to give more weight to what they claim as opposed to what you and your family are claiming."
My response to the above whack: My claim is that the hygienist was rude and that she never warned me about doing any root planing during a regularly-scheduled cleaning. I was never warned, at all, and no anesthesia was offered for the supposed 'root planing,' as is common when such procedures are engaged.
The whack received from Ms. Berg in response: "I am upset that you complained about our clinic to other University departments and to external entities. Wouldn't you be happier going elsewhere?"
My response to the above whack: "Dr. Proctor's response to our complaint was positive. Ms. Berg's response is the exact opposite of Dr. Proctor's in tone & substance."
The reason I felt it necessary to escalate the issue to other parties was because Ms. Berg was completely unreachable via phone prior to my escalations. She never returned my phone calls. No return voicemail. Nothing. And her staff at the clinics never take messages so that she can call patients back in a timely manner.
But I ask myself now what would have happened if she would have called me back? Her tone is so very abusive & negative now, now that I have finally spoken to her - I bet her tone would have been inappropriate from the beginning, had spoken with her earlier.
The whack received from Ms. Berg: You "demanded" to speak with me today even though Dr. Proctor said that only he should be speaking with you moving forward.
My response: "I requested to speak with you because of clerical insurance 'in vs out' of network errors and issues, and it seemed like you would be the best person to speak to about such issues. I did not 'demand' to speak with you. I simply explained the situation to your staff today, and that the problems seemed more relevant to your scope of work.
The whack received from Ms. Berg: "I am going to end this conversation, now." Click.
My response: Leslie Berg has been the manager of the U of U Dental School clinics yesterday, today, and she probably will be the manager moving forward.
With such a manager, one who is fully willing to engage in direct retaliation against patients who make complaints, first and foremost because patients have the gall to complain & raise their voice, is not a person who can be trusted with the medical care of my family.
Dr. Proctor is a good man.
Leslie Berg is undercutting his good work.
After Ms. Berg hung up on me today I phoned a professional dental association and spoke with it's director, to have this man help me as a kind of sounding-board.
Their director shared with me the following concerns regarding the U dental school, as follows (paraphrasing what he shared):
1. The U School of Dentistry is very top-heavy.
2. The U School of Dentistry has experienced a great deal of turn around regarding their upper leadership.
3. The U School of Dentistry, and the U hospital generally, doesn't really care if a patient is unhappy with treatment. Entrenched government employees don't have any incentive to change or act better.
4. The U is a government agency, and entrenched employees like Leslie Berg could apparently care less what patients think or what their experiences are.
5. Miscommunication is a fact of life in dentistry, and patients being properly warned about procedures up-front is also a continuing issue professional dental associations are trying to help with.
6. Maybe the University will let Ms. Berg go if this is how she's going to act and if this is how she's going to treat patients.
----end of paraphrases & impressions from a director of a professional dental association.
Regarding item 6, one can only hope Ms. Berg will be let go soon from University employment.
But there is a great tendency within the University to pounce on patients who complain. To iron-fistedly stand by providers who act badly. To defend the status quo, even if that means patients who complain are booted right out the door - booted without any sort of due process.
Not really appropriate actions for a governmental agency, nor for a "caring" hospital.
Step 1: Patient has a bad experience with a given provider.
Step 2: Patient complains.
Step 3: Patient is retaliated against, retaliation which usually includes quick booting out the door in response.
The University cannot and does not tolerate complaints from patients.
Dr. Proctor is an anomaly within the current abusive culture. A man who did try to be conciliatory. But his own entrenched staff acts to directly undercut his good actions & good intentions.
The University of Utah is not a church, but parts of it still operate like one. Belief maintenance. Heresy trials. Excommunications. These tools are all actively used, today, by University staff.
The First Amendment does apply.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Complaining about the U dental clinic to other U departments, and to relevant external organizations, are all attempts to "petition my government for a redress of grievances."
Ms. Leslie Berg acted directly to attempt to abridge this guaranteed right of my family. The right to complain about poor treatment from governmental officials who operate health clinics.
Retaliation in response to my usage of the First Amendment.
Yes the University is not a church, and it's also bound by the Constitution and so on. Employees like Ms. Berg don't know who they are working for, nor are they familiar with how good dental practice is and should be done.
We came to the University School of Dentistry because translation services are offered. We suspect we're being treated badly because of the race of my wife, and because we have a "mixed-race" family.
Why else would we be treated badly?
Just because U employees & managers really hate complaints from patients?
Sincerely,
Jonathan
Jonathan
=== September 23, 2015 addendum:
Related posts:
Complaint regarding the University of Utah Hospital and it's marketing department: Censored on Facebook, Permanently.
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/09/complaint-regarding-university-of-utah.html
University of Utah Orthopedic Center and David Petron: rude treatment, denial of service, refusal to weigh (of all things!)
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/06/university-of-utah-orthopedic-center.html
Related posts:
Complaint regarding the University of Utah Hospital and it's marketing department: Censored on Facebook, Permanently.
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/09/complaint-regarding-university-of-utah.html
University of Utah Orthopedic Center and David Petron: rude treatment, denial of service, refusal to weigh (of all things!)
http://jonathanshome.blogspot.com/2015/06/university-of-utah-orthopedic-center.html
