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Lahey Clinic
Rating Details »
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11 reviews for Lahey Clinic
I walked into the urgent care clinic with a 103* fever; if my mom hadn't been there with me, I never would've found it. Still, they took my information and (supposedly) filled out my insurance forms, and within twenty minutes I was in a room with a nurse answering questions. Tests were run speedily, my doctor was in ten minutes later to perform a kidney punch. As soon as the results were in, I was briefed on my awesome new kidney infection, handed a prescription, and sent home with a doctor's note to present to my boss. (I didn't even have to ask!)
Points off for being difficult to navigate; anyone seeking urgent care shouldn't have to wander around this maze of a hospital in the midst of a trippy fever dream. Later, I found out that they'd screwed up my insurance information and were trying to bill me under my parents' insurance. More points off for the nurse treating me like a drug seeker...I asked for some Tylenol, not Fentanyl! I'm sure they get plenty of junkies coming and going, but still!
Points back on for being ridiculously speedy, and for my doctor being fantastic at translating medical-speak into fever-speak. ("Go...home. Take...pill. Drink...Gatorade. Get...sleep.")
Ughh I don't like this place! OK, that is strong language. And I would totally go here if I had any big medical issue...they are state-of-the-art and definitely one of the best hospitals around.
However, seeing my doctor in the general internal medicine dept. is nearly impossible and even speaking to someone on the phone is the most difficult thing in the world.
I recently needed to get a prescription switched...just wanted to switch the brand. NOT a big deal. And it needed to be re-filled anyway because my doctor forgot to write the prescrip. a couple months earlier at my physical. I honestly called the Lahey 50 times and EVERY single person I talked to was extremely rude to me. Nobody wanted to help me, they talked to me like I was a huge idiot.
Finally, in a desperate attempt, I drove to the hospital to speak directly with my doctor's dept. Actually my friend drove me because she was in shock by how difficult this was for me and didn't believe me. After refusing to speak to me at the nurses' station desk (privacy rules!), they sent a nurse out to the waiting room who loudly asked me all about my prescription, etc. Then she had the nerve to say, "You haven't even seen your doctor in 3 years!!" Umm that's because every time I make an appointment with her, you make me see a nurse practitioner instead. Even then, I have to wait 8 months!
Finally, they said "OK, we'll call you in a couple days, but you might have to come back in" WHAT?? I said, "um, I live in Boston, I'm NOT driving back here" If this is such a huge deal, just re-fill my prescription with the old brand!
Finally my nurse practitioner called and was sooooo nice and apologetic and I got my prescription changed and re-filled. Finally someone was nice to me!!
Also, when I went last summer, nobody bothered to tell me that my insurance didn't cover ANYTHING (my school insurance didn't work in the summer) and their financial dept. even signed forms for me to get vaccinations saying my insurance would cover me. Then all the sudden, I started getting bills for thousands of dollars!
Though I'm switching doctors and hospitals altogether, I'm still giving the Lahey 3 stars just because I think they're a good facility to go to for specialty stuff. They don't really care about you if you're healthy!
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I haven't had any major surgeries (thank God), so I can't really rate this place as far as the more serious services go, but my experiences in the walk in clinic and other special appointments I've had have really been a mixed bag. The GI doctor I recently saw was very nice. Dr. Zacharias. But I was waiting for days for lab results and had called twice, told by the receptionist/nurse that they would relay the message to have her call me because I was in excruciating pain, and never heard. I doubt it was the doctor's fault, but it was like they didn't put a suffering patient as a priority.
I ended up going into the walk in clinic 10 minutes before close in agony and they were about as helpful as I would have been looking in my mirror and telling myself to drink more liquids.
I've had other walk in appointments that were terrible, including one with a very rude and condescending doctor. Sadly I don't remember his name, but hearing the way he treated the nurses in the hall I was appalled. Granted there have been glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel with the convenience factor for someone on an HMO plan. I don't need referrals to see different specialists in one place. But it's felt more like a patient factory than a place where you matter.
The MRI people are awesome. And I have good feelings about the GI department. The otolaryngology dept wasn't very helpful. Stay away from the walk in clinic if you can.
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This review is based on my former primary care doctor, Judith Feldman. Without getting too personal, I had an infection and Judith Feldman gave me a gel form of an antibiotic. It didn't work and I went back (I believe) 3 or 4 times. When I asked her for an oral antibiotic, she flat out refused. She said women get sick from it and it doesn't work. I had to drive into Boston, and wait two hours in the emergency room at Brigham and Women's. They gave me a full exam and lo and behold gave me the oral antibiotic. The infection cleared up and hasn't come back. I have since switched primary care doctors. I wouldn't let that woman ever touch me again.
When I was 17 my friend hit a tree (no alcohol involved just carelessness). My head went through the windshield - like totally through and then back again. I was dumb and was not wearing my seatbelt. We were in Stoneham so when the ambulance arrived they took me to Lahey. I was too bloody and hysterical to protest, even though my mom, a nurse practitioner, had warned me about the place.
Since I was conscious, even though I had been unconscious for a time, I suppose they thought I was okay. The EMTs brought me to the ER and I was left in a room, strapped to a backboard, immobilized, unattended, covered in bits of tree bark, glass, and blood for two hours before someone saw me. Did I mention my wrist was broken too?
It was a horrific and terrifying experience for a sober 17-year-old. My parents were out and those were days before everyone had cell phones. By the time my parents arrived it took my mother's scolding for the doctors to do the necessary x-rays and neurological tests.
The whole experience was a horror show. This happened 10 years ago so I hope they have changed. However, though the medical grapevine I've heard that even recently they are pretty awful. I would not go there unless I had no other option.
An aside - I've had some pretty serious and long-term medical problems and the hospitals I have gone to, Brigham and Womens and Mount Auburn have been absolutely fantastic.
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After you're admitted to an examination room, be sure to check for an ID badge on the person with whom you're interacting. I've had a problem finding ID badges on individuals who work at Lahey.
I went to Lahey to an eye exam by an optometrist. A man in a white jacket entered my exam room and told me he "had one more thing to do to me".
He didn't have an ID badge on. So I asked him if he was a student. He said yes.
I told him, I did not want a student touching me. He left the room.
In Internal Medicine, a similar situation developed with the medical assistants not telling the patients who they were. The medical assistants are not RNs although they may try to pretend they are at times.
BE SURE TO CHECK FOR ID BADGES AND FIND OUT WHO"S TREATING YOU.
More about mammography in a separate post.
An MD at Lahey once told me that individuals at Lahey had to wear name badges, so the patients would know who they're complaining about.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/26/2008
I've been a patient for many, many years at Lahey Clinic, first at the Boston Clinic and then after… Read more »
Maybe it's on a case-by-case basis, or it depends who's working the shift, but I think this hospital pretty much sucks. I've spent the last two weeks in and out of this place taking care of my grandmother (who is relatively young, alert, and perfectly aware of her health needs). She went into the ER feeling dizzy and suspecting something was up with her heart...at 8:30 am. It took 4 hours and heart failure for someone to realize she needed to be helped. After she flatlined, they wheeled her into the OR and WONDERFUL surgeons finally took care of her. Two of the doctors and one anesthesiologist, all 3 Indian, showed the most compassion and most positive bedside manner to date. I can't say the same for any of her own doctors, especially her cardiologist and her GP. Lahey is also dealing with a serious overload of MRSA cases, and many neighboring rooms had quarantine-like signs up advising people entering to wear gloves and scrubs at all times. IMO, they should have a separate ward for patients deemed seriously infectuous, especially when in the Cardiology ward. My grandma was transferred to the MICU after another issue with her lungs, that could have been prevented, but never was during her week in Cardiology. The ICU staff is more organized, much more knowledgeable, and are very attentive to patients. However, it sucks that she had to go all the way into the ICU to get decent treatment. The waiting areas are as uncomfortable as they come (although they have flatscreens with cable), there's hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE (yes!), and the overall cleanliness is good. I'm giving this place 2 lousy stars. One because they managed not to kill her, and one because the cafeteria is also clean, and has good, cheap food.
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These people saved my life with 2 full days of really amazing surgery. The next time I need the kind of care that just doesn't exist away from big cities, I'll be back. I'll agree that charging for parking in Burlington is goofy, but it's a much shorter walk now than it was a few years ago when parking was free and there was no multi-level parking. I don't know about the ER but I've got nothing but good things to say about neurology & interventional radiology. And the cafeteria has great Mac & Cheese. :)
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One of the best hospitals in Boston, and probably the best in the suburbs. If you have to go to the ER, be prepared to wait, but once you're in, the dr sees you immediately. Great GI unit.
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A good set of available specialists out in the suburbs. The only problem would be the expensive parking lot. One star off for charging for parking out in the suburbs.
I've been here twice recently. Once to see Dr Roger Hybels, ENT. He is the worse excuse for a doctor I've even seen. Every question was answered with - I don't know. When I asked if he had heard of a procedure he said yes, but wouldn't elaborate. He's as helpful as going to a bum on the street. He shouldn't be practicing. Took me 15 minutes to find a parking space. Then I saw a doctor in the GI dept. she was great amy barto, but I did have to wait 2 - 3 weeks for a lab result, after a couple of calls. They double billed me for a co payment that I made when I was there, I wanted to give them my visa confirmation #, they wouldn't take it, you can't drop off paperwork to the billing office, you can only mail in the papers. Why do I have to pay to xerox my visa bill and pay for a stamp when it's their fault? This hospital is pretty much non caring when it comes to patients. I've been warned not to get a surgery here. Go to Brighams. Also I was given a referral, and was told that they would call me with an appointment. They never called, I was told they are too busy to call and it could take weeks for them to call me. The earliest they could get me in is 6 weeks. the day before my appt they called to say the doctor had cancelled. Now I have to wait another 8 weeks.
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