Paul Rudolph

Review of Patient Innovation Center, Get...

I have some mixed opinions about this facitlity. W...

I have some mixed opinions about this facitlity. While they are providing some needed treatments that there is a lack of throughout the rest of Chicago (medical card qualification, ketamine treatment, etc.), some of their methodology has some serious issues.

First off, if you are looking for a PTSD or PCS diagnoses, they do not except insurance which seems strange as every other aspect of the qualification process does. Just a heads up. I know this may be in insurance providers hands.

My partner was recently diagnosed with PTSD, and her initial diagnosis session went really well, she had high hopes for this organization! Jenna Quinn was wonderful and supportive.

Now comes the problematic stuff.

Next step was a follow up appointment, where she would actually be sitting with a doctor and talking through the Cannabis program.

Well.

We arrived at the clinic and she was moved up to a waiting room on the 2nd floor. I stayed downstairs until I got a text that read: "There is a lady up here peddling CBD products SO hard and she will not stop talking at us in this itty bitty waiting room and its making me so I anxious."

For someone with ptsd, this experience was really jarring. After she texted I went upstairs as well. I'm usually not too anxious of a person but this was truly overwhelming.

Next was the "in-person visit." This was the entirety of the conversation between the physician and my partner.

Phyician: "I didn't pull up your file, why are you here?"

My partner told him the diagnosis and he said:
"Do you know the difference between CBD and THC? Indica vs Sativa"

My partner did. The doctor said "okay, we can be done now," with a grin that seemed to translate to "you can go have fun and smoke weed"

That was all within under a minute. Seriously.

No conversations about developing a routine or regimen with Cannabis, no information about filling out an application, nothing.

My partner cam back into the waiting room and we sat patiently through the Cannabis consultant (Farah)'s continued diatribe about CBD products that cost 3 times more than the same third party lab tested ones you can find in stores and online. This whole rant seemed much more like a sales pitch than anything else (especially as she sold 3 or 4 $150 1 oz tins of CBD cream).

Finally my partner thought to go back up to the desk since we were waiting for quite some time. She went up and they seemed confused, gave her an application, and said we were good to go home.

All of that was overwhelming as hell. The fact the doctor hadn't looked at the file made my partner feel like her diagnosis was insignificant, and the whole experience felt rushed, and inconsiderate of folks with anxiety and sensitivity to loud noises.

My partner is happy to have her card now, but we're having to do a lot of our own research when it comes to developing a healing relationship with Cannabis. It seems the only option IEC offers for this is expensive consulting services with Farah, and based on our experience we wouldn't feel comfortable with that.

I've since talked to a few people who have gone through this clinic with the exact same experience.

This is partly a review on the clinic and partly a heads up to those looking to spend a lot of time and money on their services.

If all you're looking to do is get a diagnosis and medical card, by all means. If you're looking for more nuanced and sustained relationship with a Cannabis friendly doctor or therapist, you might not find that here. Maybe you will! It just didn't pan out that way for us.

IEC, thanks for the help with the card. But it seems like innovative means taking even more money than usual from patients, and express means overlooking comfort and care for the sake of speed and ease for the staff.