On Monday I went to see a new doctor , and after driving 45 min i got to the office . I walked in and gave the nurse my name , the nurse looks at my guide dog and tells me to go outside and get my driver to help me with my paperwork and to put my guide dog in the car . Well I tell the nurse NO I will not put my guide in the car and ask her why my driver needs to do my med . Paperwork ? She tells my they are busy and can not help me ..
Well fine so off i to try to fine someone to help me , and after some begging I got my driver to come in a fill out the paperwork , so we are now siting in the waiting room and my driver is reading out lould all of my meds, asking my when my last pap was , did I have - , Reading my ss number , and so on I am getting really upset because the hole waiting room is just looking at me .
Then a 2nd nurse comes out and tells me that the doc . Is scard of dogs and does not want to see me with my guide . At this point I had had it I just left . I should have just made them see my with the dog but I saw no point in that because you will not good care .
I am sorry that this office treated you badly. I work in a doctor's office and we often have patient's that are unable to use their hands to fill out paperwork. In these situations we have the nurse fill it out in the exam room or one of the secretaries will take the pt. to a private area to fill out the paper work. There is no reason that the office could not help with this. Most doc's offices will say pt. to arrive at 9:00 for a 9:30 appt. so that gives the nurse 30min to gather the info needed before the appt.
As far as the dog is concerned if the doc was afraid they could have offered to have someone, nurse, secretary, manager, whoever to watch the dog while the doctor is in the exam room but always notify the doctors office before the appt. so they can make accommodations and put you with the best provider for your situation.
I'm really having a hard time with the "the doctor is afraid of dogs" line. Not saying that it wasn't said, but a guide dog?? c'mon! These aren't pit-bulls! These dogs go throught some serious training and if they are not "people-dogs", they do not graduate training.
On Monday I went to see a new doctor , and after driving 45 min i got to the office . I walked in and gave the nurse my name , the nurse looks at my guide dog and tells me to go outside and get my driver to help me with my paperwork and to put my guide dog in the car . Well I tell the nurse NO I will not put my guide in the car and ask her why my driver needs to do my med . Paperwork ? She tells my they are busy and can not help me ..
Well fine so off i to try to fine someone to help me , and after some begging I got my driver to come in a fill out the paperwork , so we are now siting in the waiting room and my driver is reading out lould all of my meds, asking my when my last pap was , did I have - , Reading my ss number , and so on I am getting really upset because the hole waiting room is just looking at me .
Then a 2nd nurse comes out and tells me that the doc . Is scard of dogs and does not want to see me with my guide . At this point I had had it I just left . I should have just made them see my with the dog but I saw no point in that because you will not good care .
Not a HIPAA violation but a definate violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
1. They would not provide assistance with the paperwork.
2. They essentially refused to see you because you had a guide dog.
3. Asked you to remove the service animal and leave it in the car.
The doctor was afraid of the dog? seriously, that's ridiculous...unless your guide dog was foaming at the mouth looking like Kujo...then I don't see the problem. I saw a lady and her guide dog in the store yesterday (a yellow lab looking sweet as can be)....ridiculous...sorry they treated you that way
I think this is a HIPAA violation, though maybe not directly. If someone cannot speak English we are supposed to have a translator come help with assessment, not utilize the help of a family member. This is for the purpose of confidentiality. How in the world could having a driver and all of this information shared aloud in the waiting room have been thought to be acceptable?
If someone cannot help you with your paperwork then this is NOT an office of medical professionals you want working for you
As far as the dog is concerned if the doc was afraid they could have offered to have someone, nurse, secretary, manager, whoever to watch the dog while the doctor is in the exam room but always notify the doctors office before the appt. so they can make accommodations and put you with the best provider for your situation.
Oops I didn't mean for the accommodations to be in bold my laptop goes crazy from time to time.
As someone already mentioned, this has similarities to situations where a patient needs a translator. If it's wrong to have a family member fill that role (and much of the time it is), then it's even more wrong for the staff to ask you to put your driver in that position.
Before concluding that a nurse did this, it might be good to pin down the staff member(s) and title(s), if any. Many of the window staff are not licensed or certified in any way.
The next thing for you to do is to ask yourself what outcome you would like to see. Are you seeking damages? Hoping to educate? Wanting to see this doc? Looking for an apology?
Once you've thought this through, you can then consult with the ADA or a private attorney for help with any further steps.
The law is on your side in this one. Human decency is as well.
I don't see a HIPAA violation, but very unprofessional, rude care! I wouldn't go back!
This was definitly a HIPAA violation in that the OP was forced to rely on an outsider (not a medical professional, although you could hardly call the office staff that).
They abused and violated this woman's rights in at least 4 ways I can count simply by reading the post.
As someone already mentioned, this has similarities to situations where a patient needs a translator. If it's wrong to have a family member fill that role (and much of the time it is), then it's even more wrong for the staff to ask you to put your driver in that position.
Before concluding that a nurse did this, it might be good to pin down the staff member(s) and title(s), if any. Many of the window staff are not licensed or certified in any way.
The next thing for you to do is to ask yourself what outcome you would like to see. Are you seeking damages? Hoping to educate? Wanting to see this doc? Looking for an apology?
Once you've thought this through, you can then consult with the ADA or a private attorney for help with any further steps.
The law is on your side in this one. Human decency is as well.
In turns of the guide dog I am not looking to sue anyone it's sad but this happens so much , that my guide dog school has full time staff to help deal with it , I have found that it is way more better to walk away and make so calls later because it alway turns nasty fast . And trust me this is in no way the worst that ever happen to me .the only thing that I am not shore of is if a doc office can say they are allergic to the dog ? This question caused a heated debate at work and I still do not know the answer ?
The two staff where nurses , I am way more up at this point with what happen in the waiting room and I do not have a clue what to do about that one . They do nit make This is a Violation of Hipaa cards like they do the Ada cards for the guide dogs .
The doctor was afraid of the dog? seriously, that's ridiculous...unless your guide dog was foaming at the mouth looking like Kujo...then I don't see the problem. I saw a lady and her guide dog in the store yesterday (a yellow lab looking sweet as can be)....ridiculous...sorry they treated you that way
Apologies ahead of time for going off-topic!
I have two pit bulls and they're the most wonderful, sweetest pups ever. I'm actually working with one to become a certified therapy dog right now. The owner has far more influence over the dog than purely the breed.
Again, apologies for the off-topic post; I just feel obligated to advocate for the breed. :)
I have two pit bulls and they're the most wonderful, sweetest pups ever. I'm actually working with one to become a certified therapy dog right now. The owner has far more influence over the dog than purely the breed.
Again, apologies for the off-topic post; I just feel obligated to advocate for the breed. :)
Sorry, I stereotyped your babies in my post :sofahider: I love animals, and your babies are adorable! And I know an animals behavior is determined by it's trainer/owner.
lillymom
204 Posts
I am sorry that this office treated you badly. I work in a doctor's office and we often have patient's that are unable to use their hands to fill out paperwork. In these situations we have the nurse fill it out in the exam room or one of the secretaries will take the pt. to a private area to fill out the paper work. There is no reason that the office could not help with this. Most doc's offices will say pt. to arrive at 9:00 for a 9:30 appt. so that gives the nurse 30min to gather the info needed before the appt.
As far as the dog is concerned if the doc was afraid they could have offered to have someone, nurse, secretary, manager, whoever to watch the dog while the doctor is in the exam room but always notify the doctors office before the appt. so they can make accommodations and put you with the best provider for your situation.