Patient First

This place is terrible. Completely wasted my time. Came in a with a dislocated shoulder, waited an hour and a half to see the doctor for him to tell me they don’t pop shoulders back in here, only smaller joints. You think somebody could have told me this before I sat in writhing pain for over an hour.
I then asked if I could have a copy of my X-​rays to take with me to the hospital. 15 more minutes go by and no X-​rays. I stepped out and asked if anyone was printing them out, everyone in the place looked at me like I was an idiot. Nobody responded and I knew at this point everyone at this place was incompetent.
This place is full of a bunch of lame doctors that know nothing.

Came in for a PPD reading and waited an hour and a half for someone to run a finger across my arm. When the P.A. finally came in, she never introduced herself, read it, then argued with me about it. Never again.

Such bad service… It was basically empty and waited for 2 hours to take a rapid strep test that then took 45 minutes to tell me results then they 30 minutes and two phone calls later to send my prescription to a pharmacy that does not take my insurance. After calling them again to ask them to transfer they couldn’t do that until the next day because they were just too busy… Also nurses were very rude while I was just trying to get some antibiotics. Won’t be going back to this clinic again.

Patient first has been my PCP for 3 years because I can’t find a doctor (or haven’t really looked).
I find the front of house staff and nurses to be extremely short, rude and unwelcoming. I never get the warm fuzzies… They are generally very mechanical and impatient.
Medical facilities make me very anxious and the vide at this location don’t help.
The doctor services I’ve received are generally acceptable; I usually go to get a referral or just recently, treat a horrible poison ivy rash.
Although once my doctor was wearing stiletto heals. Who does that?
Friendlier staff would help this location a great deal.

Welp, I don’t know where all these bad reviews are coming from but I’m glad I didn’t listen to them! Maybe the staff has changed in recent years?
I visited last week. I have new insurance that actually told me I didn’t have any in-​network urgent care but I was absolutely desperate and needed antibiotics. I came here on a Friday afternoon and had a wonderful experience, certainly my best PF experience EVER, and like most people PF experiences can be mixed. Maybe this was just because the place was not busy at all on this friday afternoon, but I felt like it was very clean, well-​organized, and well staffed for any amount of patients.
As soon as I sat down I was called in to give my information. The person who assisted me went above and beyond to figure out what she could do about my insurance situation. She was kind, friendly, and helpful. As soon as my butt went back down in the seat in the waiting room I was called to the back again. Once I was in the exam room, I only had time to use the restroom before I saw the doctor. And the doctor, Dr. Jill Goldman, was FABULOUS. She was the first person I had seen in weeks who really listened to me about my symptoms, ordered the correct tests, took the time to do the exam properly, explain what was going on and why she was prescribing each medication, and then making sure I could take the steps to go somewhere else to get my prescriptions filled because their pharmacy was too expensive for me. She was the best Patient First doctor I’ve ever had.
I don’t know about the negative reviews, but that was my experience. I would go out of my way to come back to this facility and I was back to health within 24 hours after leaving and getting the right prescriptions.

When a patient comes in for a visit after not having been in for years it might be a good idea to confirm their current address. Getting a bill sent to collections for a $ 2.08 balance and having to pay a $ 40 fee is a great way to ensure that I never come back. It’s 2015 also, pick up the phone and call someone, this fee issue is a total scheme to generate revenue.

I’m a little surprised that the reviews are so low for this facility. I’ve find the nurses and staff to be efficient, compassionate. I really like the care given by Justin Hepner, and request him every time need to go to PF.

Dr Justin Hepner is the only doctor I will go to at this location. If I am sick, I check to see when he is in and make sure to ask for him.

I have used Patient First a number of times when my primary was not available. Every time, I found the doctors to be very thorough. They listen and never make you feel rushed. PF has the equipment for x-​rays and lab work and you get results almost immediately. The nurses are friendly and compassionate. Sometimes there’s a wait but NEVER as long a wait as you would have in an ER. I have worked in medical settings and come from a family of doctors so can say with assurance that the staff at PF are excellent and you’ll get quality care.

Seriously the worst patient first I have ever been too. They take SO long! Refardless of how long you are waiting they will take others that got there after before you. Don’t go here

I have been coming her for years.
Lucky to only have minor medical issues I guess.
If you can go during the peak business hours of 9, to 5 you’ll be in and out fast.
Always clean and everyone always polite.

I spent two hours waiting to receive stitches in my hand. I understand that higher quality doctors and nurses don’t work at Patient First.
I figured a simple procedure would be hard for them to screw up. However they found a way to screw up putting stitches in my hand.
My cut wasn’t sealed after putting stitches and one of the stitches was placed above my cut and pulls on my finger.
The picture below was taken two days after the stitches were done.

Horrible visit I had on Sunday July 13. The receptionist didn’t seem to be concerned about my health, but much more concerned with 23 cents I owed for a prior visit. She made a great show of paying it herself, saying otherwise the nurse may not take me in. really? they’re so hard about 23 cents? My Aetna insurance pays them a whole bunch more. Then, I was taken to see a Dr. Goldman. After describing my symptoms she started talking about a medical condition that I have, which is under control, then vaguely mentioning I could have a TIA, a pre-stroke.not explaining, why this is serious, or showing an ounce of empathy. The Patient First at Midlothian is much better. I rather drive across town than deal with this people at Carytown.

Had a fine experience at Patient First. I really like Dr Justin Hepner, he was juggling patients but was super professional and thorough. I had uti and they treat and prescribe right there so don’t have to run all over town. They were busy but got in and out relatively fast

Patient First reached out via Unilocal messaging regarding my recent review and wanted to learn more so they «could improve» and «learn more about my experience». They asked me to call them. When I responded out of courtesy, they informed me the conversation was being recorded.
As a customer I found the recording without permission and not having the option to speak without being recorded invasive and aggressive. I was told the recording was in case there was a he said/​she said case against the doctor. I was lead to believe by sharing my experience, I would be bringing a complaint against the doctor in question and that all my comments would be on the record. I also wonder if the information they wanted to record was to truly be used against the doctor in question, or against me for writing the negative review.
This is NOT cool. I wasn’t going to visit Patient First again, but this really seals the deal!

I went in with a request for a prescription for a z pack, they ignored my request and insisted that I strap in to an steroid inhalant device instead. It didn’t help. I went home and lived out my sickness until I naturally recovered weeks later. All I wanted was one prescription, which I requested, and I’ve just received my third bill which I really can’t afford. I know it’s my fault for trusting their opinion because I was desperate for some cheap help at the time (or what I thought would be cheap help with insurance).
Everyone I know who has been to this office with a clear understanding of what a Patient first can and can’t accomplish, as I have accompanied some of them before, has been disappointed. I’ve witnessed some serious incompetence, the kind that would be great in a sitcom. I’m only complaining about this particular office, maybe the other Patient Firsts are acceptable, but I don’t care to find out anymore. Again, it’s my fault for visiting knowing full well that it’s just a festering turd next to an abc store.
Writing this brief review has been quite curative, unlike Patient First Carytown. Thanks Unilocal

Wait, I think I see a pattern forming. Josh R. had a worker file a workmans comp claim that was not one.
Guess who has the same problem that occurred at the Richmond Location also? We have one now. I have insurance and they keep sending me bills and claim there is nothing to be done. I have told them and my wife has told them we have insurance and NOTHING happened at work. The girl forcefully tried to get this done and apparently did not use our insurance card as told.
This has got to be some kind of scam. Who do we call to get this investigated or fixed. Billing is useless and plays the patient game each time I call. We have both spoken with them and they said it would be fixed. Now the story is that it has to be denied and then sent off to my insurance. Why was this even tried?
How many fraudulent claims go through this office?

I’ve had multiple bad experiences here… the plight of the uninsured, but that’s a different story altogether.
My most recent occurred without me even setting foot in this place!
I run a small business. One of my employees went in for an issue that was not work related. They asked who her employer is, which she answered. They made her fill out Worker’s Comp forms despite her explanation that it was not work related, that she was going to be using her personal insurance for the visit.
They blew up our office phone right after the visit, letting us know that at WC claim was forthcoming. My employee called me directly afterward and explained the situation and her frustration with them, which prompted me to call Patient First back to set things straight.
Patient First was basically unresponsive… «the forms have been filed, you need to wait for us to mail you the claim form and then formally deny it. Then the patient needs to come back in and provide her insurance info so it can be paid for.»
Now, I have a thorn in my ass that I should have never had to deal with. My employee does also. I’ve got enough to deal with on a daily basis without some 2-​bit doc-​in-​a-​box screwing with me and trying to squeeze me for cash that I don’t owe.
I won’t speculate on their motive for operating this way… I won’t explain how their outrageous charges get discounted to a somewhat reasonable rate by health insurance carriers… I won’t expound on the fact that many small business owners will just pay for something like this to make it go away (with some of them even neglecting to secure Worker’s Comp insurance, which is not the case in my shop)… I won’t suggest that this may be a business practice that is in place to ensure that Patient First squeezes the little guy to help bolster their bottom line.
I will state that they handled this situation inappropriately and the resulting ass pain won’t likely go away soon.

I’ll keep this short. If you have insurance, go to a real doctor’s office. Patient First is like the Wal-​Mart of doctors. Serves a purpose but you hate going there.

Alright look, it’s Patient First. You don’t go to Patient First expecting top-​notch care and a wonderful experience. You go to Patient First for convenience — whether that’s because they’re open when your regular doctor isn’t or, if you’re like me, because you don’t have a GP.
I know I should probably have found a solid GP by now, but I rarely visit the doctor and when I need tests done, I just go to my family doctor in my hometown. Enter Patient First. I’ve visited this particular location a few times over the years and have never had an amazing experience, but have also never had a terrible one. A few years ago I fell down my basement stairs while carrying an overloaded laundry basket and headed to Patient First for x-​rays after the pain became a bit much. I remember my wait time being minimal and the staff being professional. I’ve also been to check out an eye issue, and most recently, I went with a severe cough that they diagnosed as bronchitis. On my most recent visit I waited a ridiculously long time to see the doctor. Longer than any previous visits, and so long that I was close to walking out. Had I been waiting in the waiting room, I might not have been as antsy. However, I had already been taken back to the patient room and checked by the nurse, where I sat. And sat. And sat. I saw a few patients enter and leave before I was seen, so I couldn’t help but get a bit annoyed. I have no idea how their process works, so maybe these patients were seen as more severe cases, or maybe they were seeing different doctors for different issues. Regardless, it got to the point where I was concerned I had been forgotten so I asked the nurse how much longer she expected the wait to be. Once the doctor examined me, I was out in a jiffy, but the waiting was no bueno. To be fair, I arrived on the Sunday before Christmas, and I’m sure it was a bit busier than normal so I cut them some slack for that. Really, I don’t mind waiting I just mind feeling like I’m being overlooked.
So, moral of the story, you roll the dice with Patient First. For quick, convenient care when you don’t have a regular doctor and you need to be seen on a weekend, they’re the way to go. At least, they’re the way I choose to go. If you want something more personalized, then you should probably look elsewhere.