Anyone else feel like they got ripped off with their medical?

[xjennyinstereox 0]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

First off, the place is nasty. I was under the impression that the place is supposed to be clean since it's a medical center. After filling out some paperwork, I was taken into a darkish room where a nurse took my blood pressure and weighed me. SHe was making jokes with another guy who worked there and didn't seem very professional. Then, I was told to wait in a small area with a bed thing that I sat on. I was not in a private room, which I assumed would be the case. It looked like they just bought some fabric from a store and put it up like shower curtains and pulled that on a track to make it seem like it was a little room. It was quite old and dirty all around me.

When the doctor came, he looked through my medical records and decided I needed a chicken pox (varicella) vaccination. I explained that I had already had chicken pox as a kid. He said I still needed it anyways. I couldn't figure out why on earth I'd need a chicken pox vaccination if I had already had it as a kid... but he insisted it was the only shot I needed.

When I got home, I found out that the varicella vaccination is the MOST EXPENSIVE shot there is, and it was apparently the only one I needed... so my assumption is that I was ripped off. He knew I didn't need any other vaccinations but wanted to make a few bucks anyways so forced me to get the varicella vaccination. I was sooooo mad. I have to go back on Monday to get my TB skin test checked and I am certainly going to mention this to him and ask for my money back for that shot.

He was also going to send me somewhere else to get my blood test done and TB skin test. I explained that I would like everything to be done asap and so he talked to the girls in the lab and they finally agreed to do it. I suppose they were too busy discussing General Hospital (I'm 100% serious) and didn't feel like doing it until he convinced them to. So, I got my skin test and blood test and vaccination in a tiny room with a little fridge and computer. The nurse giving me the shots was nice enough, but there were two other nurses in there standing around talking and one kept making comments about me. I was wondering to myself whether or not I should have had more privacy but didn't say anything. They were just standing around watching, cos they had nothing else to do. It was awful. I know I'm being really bit**y, but I just feel like I've been ripped off and I'm amazed at the way things work here.

All in all, it cost $320 for the exam and blood tests!!!! Other people have told me it shouldn't have cost more than $200. I feel like I've been completely ripped off. The place was dirty, nasty, unprofessional and seemed really sketchy to me. I just hope someone in the Baltimore area reads this and decides to go somewhere else because of it. If anyone else has had a similar experience, I'd love to hear about it.

[raymaga 25]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

It sure does sound unprofessional to me. I would definitely be asking for the money back for the chicken pox vaccine. It is not necessary if you had chicken pox as a child.

The main thing is, it's over and you are one step closer to your objective.

Good luck with the rest of the process.

[xjennyinstereox 0]

Sorry to hear about your bad experience.

It sure does sound unprofessional to me. I would definitely be asking for the money back for the chicken pox vaccine. It is not necessary if you had chicken pox as a child.

The main thing is, it's over and you are one step closer to your objective.

Good luck with the rest of the process.

Yeah I'm going to mention it to them on Monday. I don't think it will help, as I'm sure they've got some no refund policy since I can't really give the vaccination back Oh well. I just wanted to share my experience with others and hopefully no one else will make the same mistake.

But yeah, you're right. The main thing is that it's all over and it was completely worth it. I love my husband so much and would do anything. I looked at your photos by the way, and they're beautiful I came from Canada too! But the other side hehe

[Anna C. 4]

I'm sorry for you, doesn't sound too nice.

The only thing that comes to my mind is the following: do your medical papers/history indicate that you had chickenpox? If it is not in the papers (be aware, in English!) or you never had a tither-test (sorry don't know spelling) which indicates that you have antibodies for varicella (anyone who had it has those) they are unhappy and want you to get the shot. But at least he could have explained that. I had a little discussion in New Hampshire with the doctor, but she was nice. My very old GDR vaccination record says: mumps September 1987. She accepted it even though the whole paperwork is in German. And she also added that I have the MMR shot so no problem, but anyway, she put on the I-693 that I had mumps.

I needed to get the varicella shot and it was $80. So we paid $305 for the whole thingie.

The room where they drew my blood wasn't too confy either, but the nurse was okay. Concerning the Tb test: I just had a tb test done last July (2005) cause I wanted to know if my vaccination was still active, but it wasn't. Technically there was no need for a new tb skin test, but as we know, it is only good for 12 months and the AOS interview takes time... But it was only $25.

It depends very much on the doctor, and I had no choice since my back then fiance made the appointment for me (I knew afterwards because he proposed to me and then told me let's do the medical now)... So I guess I was lucky with our doctor.

To all NH residents: I forgot her name but she is in Nashua!

Lg Anna

[I'm Gone 60]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

What do you expect from a ghetto doctor. Should have gone to a doctor out of Baltimore City. We went to one in Columbia and had no problems.

[xjennyinstereox 0]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

What do you expect from a ghetto doctor. Should have gone to a doctor out of Baltimore City. We went to one in Columbia and had no problems.

Lol, I suppse. But, not being from here, I had no idea which one to choose. Next time, I'll know Btw, if you don't mind me asking, how much was yours and did you require the Varicella vaccination?

Edited September 15, 2006 by xjennyinstereox

[Peter Miami 1]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

What do you expect from a ghetto doctor. Should have gone to a doctor out of Baltimore City. We went to one in Columbia and had no problems.

Peter Miami

[xjennyinstereox 0]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

What do you expect from a ghetto doctor. Should have gone to a doctor out of Baltimore City. We went to one in Columbia and had no problems.

Peter Miami

I didn't know! Now I know better. Oh well.

[allynella 1]

I'm not in Baltimore, but thought I would share . For my medical, I went to Springfield Medical Center in Newark, NJ. It was as nasty as you described, but they were the lowest in cost, after I called some 10-odd doctors. I paid $180, and that included a tetanus shot and TB skin test + $50 for blood work. I was grossed out the whole time, but hey... I kinda figured that was what I would encounter. My daughter is now adjusting, and we took her to Dr. Choudhoury in Parsippany, NJ, and her medical cost only $100 (she is up-to-date with all her shots and had recently done the TB Skin Test). They were the ones to tell me my medical would cost $360 + vaccine costs. Their office was way cleaner, and located in a nicer area.

[I'm Gone 60]

I did my medical exam yesterday at the Wabash Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland and have to say I feel like I've been ripped off and chose the wrong doctor to go see. For anyone in the Baltimore area, please do not go to that clinic. Find another one on the list.

What do you expect from a ghetto doctor. Should have gone to a doctor out of Baltimore City. We went to one in Columbia and had no problems.

Lol, I suppse. But, not being from here, I had no idea which one to choose. Next time, I'll know Btw, if you don't mind me asking, how much was yours and did you require the Varicella vaccination?

My wife and daughter got here in 2002, so I don't think the cost is going to give you an idea if you got ripped off or not.

[M. 0]

We had the same thing happen at our Ghetto doctor in a rather nice area of south Jersey, so eh. I'm assuming that most of the doctors who get certified as civil surgeons do so for the extra income because their place is fairly ghetto? I mean, David's doctor was a sweetheart, and his staff knew what they were doing, but the place was shabby and it was the kind of "no appointment needed, we take walk-ins" (I'm serious about that - there was a sign and everything) place that Dr. Nick Riviera would operate out of.

Also, our doctor made David get varicella as well, even though David had Chicken Pox. He, however, explained it was because there was no medical record of him having CP and that they could do the antibodies test for *more* money than the vaccination, so we went with the less expensive option.

All totalled for TB, vaccination, and form being filled out was $160.

[Collie 122]

Sorry you had a bad experience. My medical was done in Dallas and cost just $55 for blood test, x-ray and physical, so I was really impressed.

[Sisu 0]

Sorry you had a bad experience....

I was very pleased with my medical.....nice doctor and not TOO expensive.

[Dr_LHA 3]

Although my medical wasn't all that cheap ($250) my the doctor who did my test was so nice, and their facities so good, that I'm considering changing to them as my primary care physician, even though they're on other side of town.

In my case, the one guy in town who did the medical was certainly not the "ghetto doctor"!

[NeonExile 0]

"Hi everybody!"