Sometimes the gate keepers at Creekside do make getting timely appointments impossible. In every case, when I finally did get into see the nurse practitioner they were surprised I didn’t get an appointment within a day or two.
Part of the issue VHS is having is changing computer systems multiple times in the last two years. My mother has had terrible issues that ended up with her in the hospital twice because they lost requests for referrals and test results.
Sometimes the system is just overwhelmed. At hospital checkout the instructions said to get in to see her specialist within 3 days, the first available appointment for the specialist was 2 weeks, and this was in the summer. The office staff schedules to many non-emergency appointments per week, not allowing room for urgent appointments. I would be more than happy to have my yearly checkup scheduled 8 months out as long as in an urgent situation I could get in to see the doctor in a few days.
Right now I’m under 65, so I have good insurance that allows me to bypass VHS in an emergency. When I had orthopedic issues, and I couldn’t get in to see the PA or doctors for a week, I called my husband’s orthopedic doctors and got in the next day, and was well on my way to recovery by the time I could even get in to see my VHS Creekside nurse practitioner.
In the last few weeks both my mother and I were able to get timely appointments at Creekside, and the nurse mentioned that one of the doctors and a PA that were out on various leaves are all back now. Also they have found all the missing records, and are verifying prescriptions to ensure they all are correct. Perhaps the issues my family has had the last six months is getting better.
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