Donald Smith

Review of MidState Medical Center

Digestive Health Services Yes Pain and Spine Ins...

Digestive Health Services Yes Pain and Spine Institute No

Any hospital is the sum of its parts, some good others in dire need of attention. At MidState The Digestive Center is top notch. You'll find a compassionate and highly competent time.

But where the Pain and Spine Institute is concerned, my advice? If the need comes up, stay away from MidState and go find one of the men or women who still hold the value of compassion, who are on top of their field, are dedicated to reducing or eliminating pain, and who. . .will give you an appointment.

As Paul Harvey would say and now the rest of the story:

Stopped up in Meriden to get my medical records. The Institute had made me send information from four different physicians offices. I have a great team of M.D.s to turn to, and it is these professionals who recommended I see a Pain Management Specialist. Having mobility issues, in one day I wanted to a) get back the materials I had sent to the institute (it was an ordeal for me to get all that done the first time) and b) I wanted to see the notes of the Dr. at MidState who flat out refused to see me. Medical Records couldn t find anything (not their fault, the person that helped me is terrific but nothing had been sent up to her from the Pain Institute one floor down. I went directly to the first floor and ask at the front desk for my information. I was told they cannot give me things that I had another hospital send them. I picked it up and sent it to them myself. A letter or call to the agency that manages HIPPA should resolve the issue. The second part is extremely important the M.D. at MidState supposedly evaluated all my material, his assistant told me, and then he concluded not to see me. There s nothing else he can do for you, is what she said. If one of the 150 people you want to know (CT Magazine?) cannot come up with a diagnose and treatment plan it s hard to know who could. He didn t even give me the courtesy of a referral. If I don t get my medical records and the written evaluation that led to my being denied medical help, truth is I don t even know for sure that he read those materials. Over three months the Institute did nothing to inspire confidence; their only contribution to the process what to keep me stalled, undiagnosed and in pain So, I post a Yelp review and click on the write a review icon for the MidState taking small satisfaction in having done something, at least until the time comes when I can get the matter thoroughly vetted. I have so many important things to do but here I am penning this complaint. It seems fair that I let others know, indeed something morally mandated. I gave months of my faith and time to the Institute only achieving a steady stream of frustration.

Myself, I m not an M.D. but I know what it takes to get an M.S. and PhD from two of the best schools in the nation. A person with the education and mind of the doctor who handled my case would have been able to make a decision in an hour more likely a matter of minutes. I hope the notes show why I was such a low priority and why a man in chronic pain was met with an absolute absence of concern.