Ottawa Canada Newbie- Diagnostic Journey

A primer for newbies and old pros alike.
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Proverbs31_Woman
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Ottawa Canada Newbie- Diagnostic Journey

Post by Proverbs31_Woman »

Hi everyone,

I took charge of mom in mid September of 2021. My mom has no family doctor which makes it a pain. I dealt with Appletree Medical Group. Today, I had an appointment for mom and I was disgusted. I think it is important for others to know what to expect if you are in the same situation dealing with Appletree.

The first thing I did when I took charge of mom, before finding a family doctor was book a virtual care appointment to get her schedule for an MRI. After more research, I called the Alzheimer association who have been an incredible help! I can not thank them enough! They told me the memory clinic would do a free memory test and free genetic test for both of us. I placed our appointments and then went looking for a family doctor for mom through Appletree.

Doctor #1: Informed the Doctor what was going on with mom, the test through the Alzheimer clinic, and MRI scheduled , mom family history, etc. I asked him if he could take mom as a patient, he said yes. He made mom do a urine test and blood test. He then told us, that this was out of his field and referred us to another doctor. Would have been nice to let us on day one!>! :x

Doctor#2: I attempted to informed doctor #2 the same way. He was mean and arrogant, and cut me off by saying: I'm the doctor, It is my job to figure what is wrong with her. You should not be giving information, I ask the questions here." Well, I answered his questions and he claimed that I was withholding information. He then forwarded me to doctor #3.

Doctor #3: Attempted to inform him what was going on with mom, he cut me off by saying what are you here to resolve? I answered him. I also told him of the MRI that was scheduled. He made her take chest x-ray ,cardiogram, blood test and ECG. At this point (today), our MRI results were in. Today, was our appointment. He walks in and says:" Her blood is fine , everything is fine. I didn't order the MRI, the doctor who ordered it should review it. This is out of my field. you should go and see him for this . This is out of my field" and he hands me a copy of mom's medical file.

I am angry disgusted. Appletree is not a place to be an advocate for your loved one. When you come in informed , with information for them. They simply get angry. It is not a place to bring your loved if they have something serious ,need to get diagnosed, and through a series of exams. This is a quick shop, small issues, no complex issues.

So now I have to wait again to get explained the result of mom's MRI and I will go to another private clinic on the Quebec side. Hopefully, they will care and bother. They advertise that they prefer to concentrate on complex issue to figure out what is going on with a patient.
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RAJ64
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Re: Ottawa Canada Newbie- Diagnostic Journey

Post by RAJ64 »

Proverbs31_Woman wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 4:48 pm Hi everyone,

I took charge of mom in mid September of 2021. My mom has no family doctor which makes it a pain. I dealt with Appletree Medical Group. Today, I had an appointment for mom and I was disgusted. I think it is important for others to know what to expect if you are in the same situation dealing with Appletree.

So now I have to wait again to get explained the result of mom's MRI and I will go to another private clinic on the Quebec side. Hopefully, they will care and bother. They advertise that they prefer to concentrate on complex issue to figure out what is going on with a patient.
Dear Proverbs31_woman,

I am so sorry for the negative experiences you and your mom have had with health care providers in your region. I do wish you better success with the next clinic you are able to visit in hopefully, the not too distant future. Your mom is blessed to have you for her daughter and caregiver. Hang in there and keep us posted as you are able.

Warmly,
Rachel
RAJ64, BSN, RN
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Proverbs31_Woman
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Location: Ottawa, ON80

Re: Ottawa Canada Newbie- Diagnostic Journey

Post by Proverbs31_Woman »

Hi Rachel,

Thank you. I had to post it in here. I want others in my area be aware.
Greyhound
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Re: Ottawa Canada Newbie- Diagnostic Journey

Post by Greyhound »

I am from Quebec. One has to be wary that many places and doctors are not always aware of the laws they must respect and do whatever they want. A typical excuse is that we have limited access to tests and treatment and they feel obligated or legally bound which not be the case at all to do what they know and just take over and see it as their duty. They can also decline to provide service and the still bill the system. I had difficulty dealing with my parents doctors and institutions and I understand your frustration and shock. Take care. It might be better to keep trying in Ontario. There is an ombudsman office that may be looked into. I would also look into Ontario's patients rights it may differ from Quebec's besides the billing problems. I had an aunt who had Alhz and she had home care and they had problems too. You raise a good issue on compassionate care and maybe we need to address this issue somewhere here.
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