Contemporary Care for Women

Attention expectant mothers: DO NOT USE!! I was referred to Southwest Women’s Care by a friend who was very impressed by the Ahwatukee office location and staff. This being my second pregnancy, I was prepared for the lengthy initial paperwork, long office waits, and moody receptionists; however, I was not at all prepared for complete and utter incompetence. I left my initial visit feeling ok with my OB selection, but in all honesty, I wasn’t super impressed with the doctors or staff. I rationalized the lackluster feelings as pregnancy hormones and made follow up appointments. If my friend raved so much about them then how bad could they be? I went through my new patient information packet and realized the PA who examined me failed to provide me a due date. Wow! Completely unbelievable! Everyone knows it’s one of the most important components of the initial visit. I was able to figure it out using a pregnancy calculator but I couldn’t believe the miss.

During my visit I also set the expectation I would need FMLA paperwork filled out by 5/29/13—I stressed the importance of the forms and deadlines. The person assisting me said that my deadline wouldn’t be an issue and assured me she would personally complete the forms if needed. Well, when I called this morning (5/29/13) to see if the forms were completed the receptionist seemed uninterested in my situation and chose to inform me they had “7- 10 business days to complete any and all medical forms . . .” to which I responded “that is not what I was told at my visit and I need those forms as soon as possible.” She told me she would check into it and call me back.

The receptionist did provide a prompt follow up call to let me know that they would be making an exception for my forms. She set the expectation that I would be able to pick them up after the office lunch break and left it at that. I was pleased with the quick response and went to pick up my forms as soon as I could. When I got to the office the front desk could not locate my paperwork and the lengthy wait time left little time for me to double check the forms. Imagine my dismay when I got back to my office to discover the forms were filled out completely incorrect. There were contradictories, wrong information, and misspellings galore. There is absolutely no way a medical professional could have completed the documents. When I checked the back signature, sure enough, it was different from the rest of hand writing on the forms. I am completely appalled that a doctor or physicians assistant would sign off on forms without insuring they were filled out appropriately.

There is no way I would let someone who can’t even take the time to make sure basic documents are completed properly deliver my child. An expectant mother needs someone who pays attention to details. If this is how they handle the little parts of pregnancy then I don’t even want to think about how they handle the bigger parts. I urge ALL mothers to reflect upon this information when considering Southwest Women’s Care as their OB of choice.