ComplaintsforVitality Medical Group

• Initial Complaint

  11/08/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I had a torn meniscus on my R knee & had a surgery on it in 2013. The same thing occurred to my L knee in 2017. I saw a surgeon & he said that I could manage my knee health without a surgery. However, I was living with a dull pain which was not pleasant. Then I started finding joy in rock-climbing. I REALLY wanted to do it! That led me into looking into a new solution & that is when I heard of VMG. The timing was perfect. I was furloughed due to the pandemic. I could be home and heal for the next several months. I visited VMG & I was just bombarded with good news & promises. Doctor **** ( the chiropractor) said: "The board of surgeons won't approve The Stem Cell Therapy because they rather charge people over $40k for each surgery using insurance policies." I paid $10,000.00 cash out of my retirement funds for a treatment that never worked. I just wanted to find a better life & today I can barley walk! Two weeks after the procedure they sold me $500.00 for two braces when they heard me complaining of pain. I was told to wear them a few hours during active hours of the day. Also, I was told I could return to work and live a normal life while my knees were healing. However, I never returned to work. I designed the first 6 months to rest and gain my knees back & my mom and sisters were fully supportive of me even doing the grocery shopping for me. I have been home ever since. I asked for reimbursement & they are denying EVERYTHING they said. The only thing they have against me is that i did not use the braces. I did not have too sitting on the sofa. I have recent MRI that supports everything I am saying. Today, I am I need a knee of a replacement. There are a lot more into this & there are people out there that feel exactly the same, they just have to let it go because they KNOW they won't be reimbursed. I am just asking for my 10K back so I can use it towards my surgery. They removed the negative reviews on yelp as well as mine. I have snap shot of all.

  Business response

  11/29/2021

  Dear ******,
  
   
  
  Here is my response to this complaint. I apologize in advance for my response. After 6 months of the same conversation I am growing tired and frustrated at repeating myself I will do my best to keep my emotions out of my reply.
  
   
  
  I am certain Ms. ****** will not be happy with my reply as she has proceeded to post negative reviews and complaints on popular social media sites for the past 6 months. Our position remains the same and filing a BBB complaint will not change anything. I respect your organization and what it stands for and I appreciate your efforts in reaching out to us to give us a chance to explain our side of the story. Because we have to protect Ms. ******** health information we cannot disclose specifics that would expose her privacy. The only part you can publish is what follow below.
  
   
  
  I will attempt to enlighten you on our general practice philosophy that we follow for all of our patients.:
  
   
  
  Our practice focuses primarily on patients who are not candidates for surgery, have been told they need surgery and wish to avoid surgery, have failed pain medication or steroid injections, or have a desire to seek alternative treatment methods outside of traditional drugs and steroid injections. Our ethics provide that we do not accept cases that, in our evaluation, require surgery. We also do not recommend unnecessary procedures that are more than a patient needs.
  
   
  
  After a careful health history review, thorough patient examination, review of x-ray or MRI, and discussion with the patient about their goals we formulate a treatment plan that is appropriate for the patient.
  
   
  
  If we accept a patient into our practice for care it is because we honestly feel we can help them and that patient has an opportunity to benefit from the treatment options we provide.  If a patient is not a good candidate we will not accept their case.
  
   
  
  We are a fee for service practice, we do not bill insurance for most of our procedures as they are considered Complementary and Alternative Medicine by insurance companies and are thus not covered.
  We will happily refund a patient for any services that are paid for and not delivered, or if they change their mind to receiving the service prior to it being delivered. However, once a service(s) is delivered and we have completed that service there is no refund.
  
   
  
  If a patient is unhappy with their outcome this is not cause for a refund. This is why we do not offer a guarantee of results.
  
   
  
  Before a patient is allowed to begin care in our office they must sign an informed consent which covers a few key things:
  
   
  
  Our office policy that all patients are on a cash basis and they must pay out of pocket
  A notice of non-covered services that clearly states what their financial responsibility is (what the insurance company does not cover)
  Results are not guaranteed
  Voluntary consent to the procedure(s)
  Consent that the payment for any service delivered is non-refundable
   
  
   
  
  We do not, in discussion with patients, promise guaranteed outcomes. We will, of course, cover what potential benefit a patient can reasonably expect to receive based on our clinical experience. This is not intended to indicate a promise or guarantee.
  
   
  
  Successful outcomes are, of course, dependent on the patient following our explicit instructions. If a patient chooses not to follow our instructions then they can reasonably expect to see less than desirable results.
  
   
  
  The fact is that medical procedures are performed every day in this country by doctors that do not work, have serious side effects or do not meet the expectations of the patient. Some doctors even deal with patients dying as a result of their treatment. This is a well known and accepted outcome of all medical care regardless of who the doctor is. We are not alone thankfully this is a rare occurrence and we only have to deal with this type of situation a couple of times per year.
  
   
  
  We understand how stressful and frustrating it is when a patient doesn’t get the results they were hoping for. We also do not want to fail with our patients either. It’s stressful and frustrating on our staff, too.
  
   
  
  It is also my belief and opinion that patients who are satisfied with their care and treatment do not post on social media as often as those who are unsatisfied. Rarely do we have to ask an unsatisfied customer to post their review. We almost always have to ask a satisfied customer to leave positive feedback. It can appear as though we may be incompetent and that there are “others” out there who are unsatisfied. What goes unaccounted for is the many more satisfied patients than unsatisfied ones.
  
   
  
  We will do the best we can to help rectify the situation when a patient is unhappy. If a patient does not accept our recommendations for follow-up care, even when we offer further care at no cost, we cannot do any more to help that person.
  
   
  
  We wish Ms. ****** the best in her healthcare journey.
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
   
  
  Yours In Health,
  
   
  
  ******* ** ****
  
  Chief Vision Officer

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