Student Health Center - Hmmmm

<p>Can I vent a little here?
D just called me in absolute tears after spending 3 hours at the SHC. She is going on a college sponsored trip over Christmas break and needed to get immunizations. she called a week ago and made an appt for 9am today.</p>

<p>When she arrived the check in desk told her they had no record of her appt. The clerk was rude and accused her of lying. D just tried to explain that she had called and made the appt and did not know what happened.</p>

<p>And then she sat and waited. She filled out the required paperwork and handed it in. After an hour someone brought her in a room and handed her more paperwork…except when she tried to tell them that she already filled it out, they walked out on her. Twice. And did not come back for 30 minutes each time.</p>

<p>Finally after 2 1/2 hours the doctor comes in, she gets scrips and her shot. And waited 30 minutes for the nurse tocome back w/ the scrips, which is fine. </p>

<p>the final straw for D. When she talked to the insurance/check out person she was again treated very rudely. ( i don’t want to say more about this as I am going to persue it with Administration). </p>

<p>She called me upset. About the loss of time, which she wanted to use to study, about the rudeness she encountered (which is so rare at UA) and about her frustration with the whole system. </p>

<p>Please trust me when I say that my D is very polite and soft spoken. She is respectful.</p>

<p>I understand that it is a SHC, but why have an appt if it means nothing? Thankfully her two classes today were cancelled. But if this is the norm, I think I will tell her to take her chances at a Doc in the Box next time.</p>

<p>we love love love everything about UA, this is the first thing that has been slightly glitchy. Is this the norm here? What do others do for health care? I don’t think that I can bribe her to go here again…and as a freshman I know she will need healthcare in the future.</p>

<p>I am very interested in this thread as I just advised my D to go to the SHC for her employment physical. I am now rethinking my advice!</p>

<p>I am sorry to hear of this experience. My son needed to go his Freshman year (now a junior) and was treated well. I hope it was just a seriously off day.</p>

<p>DD has been twice for immunizations…it all went fine. So sorry your DD had a bad experience.</p>

<p>I don’t blame you for venting…that sounds like a terrible experience. I have to say, though, that my DD is also a freshman and has had quite the opposite experience. She was very well taken care of when she went in dehydrated from a high fever, but also when she’s gone in for a flu shot and to get prescriptions filled. I also stopped in on a Saturday afternoon to give them updated insurance information and they were courteous. I just wonder if they were slammed with sick kiddos that day and felt overwhelmed. Not an excuse to be rude, I know, but it would explain the wait. </p>

<p>I totally understand your disappointment because she will now hesitate to use the SHC. I had such a sense of relief when my DD went through her recent illness and they treated her so well because I know now that she won’t hesitate to go to them and also it gave her a huge boost of confidence that she handled all that on her own. </p>

<p>Good luck to your DD!</p>

<p>I am very surprised to hear about this since my kids have always had very good experiences at the student health center.</p>

<p>Peachtide…no need to rethink your decision. One child’s experience doesn’t mean that others will have the same. </p>

<p>Buzymom…I’m sorry to hear that your D’s day at the SHC didn’t go well. Did your D make her appt online? or did she call? The appt system usually works, so it’s really not a question of why have one. </p>

<p>Oh I see that your D called. Well, get her cell phone record before you call to complain, so you can provide the exact date/time she called…and the phone number.</p>

<p>My student has used SHC several times over the past few years. They do not ask the student for payment, and they will submit bills to your insurance company. In addition, SHC will bill the balance to your student’s account. They keep a complete list of sponsored trips and have a checklist for appropriate immunizations, also I believe that flu shots are free. You don’t have to have an appointment to be seen, but it certainly helps with wait times. </p>

<p>I have called billing a few times and have always been treated politely. My student has had no complaints about service or care, if anything, SHC is a bit too thorough. There is also a pharmacy on site, and they will soon start taking FSA cards for co-pays and payments.</p>

<p>Even though both I and my student have always had positive interactions with SHC, it is always possible that they could have an “off” day. I would address this by writing a polite e-mail and explaining the situation. I would give them another chance, but I would definitely voice any concerns.</p>

<p>I’m sorry your daughter had a bad experience, and I would try to address it.</p>

<p>My D’s experience with the SHC has been positive. I actually took her there for follow up care after she had an emergency situation during AA and was taken to the hospital. The staff was very attentive, courteous, and professional. The wait time was very long, but they weren’t making appointments since it was such a busy time. The wait time in our case was because hundreds of students who didn’t get their TB tests and immunizations over the summer finally realized the UA meant business and would require them. The number of students there overwhelmed the system.</p>

<p>I hope your D will give it another try with better results.:)</p>

<p>I would not recommend. DS needed monthly allergy shots and it looked they are very used to doing them for others but they are not flexible and have poor “customer service”. He said he could not stand going there so we had to find an allergist in the area to do them, it has worked out great. He said older friends do not go there when sick either, they go to a walk in clinic.</p>

<p>Some of the walk in clinics are very good. If you can find the one where Dr. Bobo works, he is excellent. It may be the one now located on Skyland Boulevard near Sams??? Does anyone know for sure? There is also one in front of Lowe’s.</p>

<p>Also, just for further information, the DCH emergency room is very efficient, although the wait times can vary.</p>

<p>Yes, we were very pleased with DCH when my daughter required an emergency visit. Dr. Bobo actually worked in the ER at DCH and he is awesome. I was born at DCH…way back when…lol. I’m pretty sure Dr. Bobo is at the urgent that relocated after the tornado to a location on Skyland Boulevard.</p>