Not so impressed

So maybe I'm paranoid - shut up, I can hear you snickering at the "maybe" - but shouldn't a doctor seeing a relatively high-risk patient have the WHOLE chart in front of her on an OB visit?

Let me back up just a tad and say that I saw one of the OBs in the practice on Thursday morning, one I hadn't met before. She seemed fairly competent - it was hard to say because of the following:

1) When I mentioned my blood sugars to her, she said "Oh, do you have gestational diabetes? It's not in your chart."
2) When she asked me about contractions and problems and I answered "not since my visit to the hospital with PTL" she said - Oh, that's not in your chart"
3) She then asked me if I had ever had my amniocentesis results (!!!) and when I answered in the affirmative, she asked me what I was having - it wasn't in the chart.

She measured me and said I was bang on 30-31 weeks, so she saw no need for an ultrasound. I told her that I indeed wanted an ultrasound to see the size of the baby - "well" she said, "I guess we could do that in two weeks time on your next visit. We could code it for GD ... and I guess we could use AMA too (advanced maternal age)". I didn't tell her that I didn't give a shit how she coded it - I want to know how big this boy is and I have that right considering I have a GD diagnosis. She then told me she couldn't really tell which way the baby was lying from doing Leopold maneuvers. Hmmm. While His Highness is indeed a squirmy worm and I am sure from moment to moment that his toes are alternately in my cootch and then my ribs, I thought an experienced OB would be ...well ... more capable.

All in all, I wasn't very happy when I left - I did get scheduled for an ultrasound during my next visit in 2 weeks and I will be going to the Rockville office again, a 40 minute drive from here. *sigh*.

And that, I think, is the root of the problem. Because they are so short-staffed (2 OBs have left recently because of malpractice insurance costs) I can't get scheduled in the Frederick office - so they keep shunting me and my chart from office to office. But that still doesn't justify the pathetic lack of charting or the omissions thereof.

I called the office manager the next day and politely told her that what I had encountered the previous day was unacceptable. I was very nice (I hear you snickering again) but I told her in no uncertain terms that as a high-risk patient coming to their practice, I was perturbed at the lack of continuity of care and appropriate charting, and while I understood their staff issues, etc., this was unacceptable.

She completely agreed with me, which was good - she also told me that they are soon switching to electronic charting which would eliminate the problem. She will "definitely look into this". I left it there but I'll tell you, I'm not feeling the love. And this late in the game, it doesn't inspire me with confidence. I'm just not sure where I go from here.

Updated to add Just had my visit from the home healthcare RN who let me listen to the baby's heartbeat. I am in a very mellow mood now. Oh, and we're going to my mother-in-law's for what my husband stammeringly called "dinner". I'm thinking "baby shower". How exciting!!!