1 /5 Lea Fruchter: I recently had the misfortune of visiting Pronto Urgent Care, and my experience was, quite frankly, horrendous. My encounter with Dr. Game only added to what was already a distressing situation—dealing with a third-degree burn.
Upon my arrival for my appointment two days ago, I was taken aback by the lengthy wait. I ended up waiting 1.5 hours just to see the physician, despite only one other person being in the lobby at the time. My brother had visited this same clinic two months prior and had to endure over two hours of waiting. The explanation for these delays was nowhere to be found, and it left me feeling frustrated and disregarded.
When I finally saw Dr. Game, I was hoping for some compassion regarding my injury. Instead, I was prescribed Cipro, a harsh antibiotic that seems ill-suited for treating skin wounds. The doctor informed me it would take at least 48 hours to feel its effects and instructed me to return in two days for wound cleaning.
In the interim, I had a dermatology appointment with my longtime dermatologist, who has known me for over 20 years. During this visit, he expressed concern over the treatment I had received at Urgent Care. He strongly advised that I should have started using Silver Sulfadiazine topical cream immediately, in addition to the antibiotic, to aid in the healing of my burn. This recommendation further underscored my dissatisfaction with the care I received from Dr. Game, who failed to prescribe appropriate external treatment.
Fast forward to my follow-up appointment at Pronto Urgent Care, where I found myself once again waiting—this time for another hour, despite only one other person in the lobby ahead of me. When I finally met with a medical assistant, she kindly informed me that there were three other patients ahead of me. The delays continued as I waited over 35 minutes for Dr. Game, despite her earlier promise that she would be back in "20 minutes."
It became obvious to me that this practice is overbooking appointments, leading to prolonged wait times and a rushed experience during consultations. Dr. Game seemed more focused on completing her duties quickly than on providing compassionate care. I felt uncomfortable and the entire process felt disorganized, with no regard for my pain as a patient dealing with a serious injury.
After waiting so long, I kindly requested to start the wound treatment process without the lidocaine topical because I simply could not endure any more waiting. While I recognize that the antibiotic prescription may have been appropriate, the absence of a topical cream like Silver Sulfadiazine indicated a lack of thorough consideration for my case.
Ultimately, my discomfort during the treatment led me to decline the debridement procedure, further frustrating me with the process. My mother accompanied me during this visit, and despite her kind demeanor in trying to explain my distress to Dr. Game, we were met with a snarky response. This was the tipping point. As I increasingly felt that I was not receiving the compassionate care I deserved, I decided to leave and seek treatment elsewhere.
It’s also worth mentioning that I voiced my concerns to the secretary about the misleading appointment scheduling. Patients should be informed that this is, in fact, a walk-in clinic that could potentially involve significant wait times rather than the illusion of scheduled appointments.
In conclusion, my experiences at Pronto Urgent Care were frustrating and disheartening. The lack of compassion, the overwhelming focus on efficiency and revenue generation, and the seemingly chaotic approach to patient care left much to be desired. With the subsequent advice from my dermatologist, it became painfully clear that I could have received much better care elsewhere. I strongly advise seeking treatment outside of Pronto Urgent Care, especially for serious injuries, to ensure you receive the attention and compassion necessary for proper healing. For the record, this is my opinion based on my own personal experience.
