-Had original vet call me FROM HOME..OMG..and her children were w/her. Yes, she told me that as though I was responsible for disturbing her day off. She must think she’s the only person that’s had to call a customer from home OR she thinks she’s really special. Anyway, she proceeds to razz me about not being home when her covering vet called. She also kept telling me she’s been practicing for 16 years. I was in Educational Sales for computer companies for over 30 years. Was she trying to impress me? Laughable!
- I hung up on her.
-She called back and admitted that she was not there when her convering vet was speaking w/ me so was not going to make any comments. Already did on previous call.
-The next day I’m told to go to the Finacial office to pay $1100-$17.plus change BEFORE I can even see my dog
-Pharmacy Representative was extremely helpful regarding the drugs.
-I get a call today from liason my dog needs to have her stitches out. Vet of 16 years has very few patients that day next week (my vet is always booked solid)THEN he explains that my dog will need more blood work and another ultra sound(which cost me over $700 before surgery)
-I called and begged to have my own vet take over..very political there, so waiting for an answer.
MY PERSONAL SUGGESTION IS DO NOT SEE THE 2 FOLLOWING VETS:
DR KERNS(not sure of spelling but sounds the same)OR DR CAROL.
-Also demand to monitor recovery area.
-ANGELL HAS CHANGED IN THE PAST 3 YEARS-IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY, NOT THE ANIMAL.

I have never posted anything before but after reading Charlie’s submission I felt obligated to share our story. If one family reads this and elects not to go to Angell it is worth taking the same risk Charlie did. I’ve also included all the details so readers will know that there are several excellent alternatives to Angell:

On 8888, my pet was admitted to AAMC for total hip replacement surgery. Our decision to have Dr.XX perform this particular type of replacement procedure was based entirely on our discussion with him and his team at the time of the initial consultation. Prior to meeting with Dr.XX we had researched on the internet possible treatments for our pet’s bilateral hip dysphasia. I was therefore aware of the two most commonly known treatment options, femoral head removal and total replacement. It is critical to note that at the time of the consultation our pet was 4.78 years old. At the initial consultation, Dr.XX was asked if there were any other methods for or types of hip replacements other than the one we read about and he had described to us which involved securing the prosthetic femoral head with cement. The answer was an unqualified no. What your review board will know and we subsequently have learned from other qualified veterinarians, there are in fact two types of total hip replacement procedures now being widely practiced: cement and cement less. When other veterinarians are told that our pet was 4.78 years old at the time of the procedure, every other professional we have spoken with immediately asks why we elected to have a cemented replacement in a dog as young as ours. It seems unnecessary for me to elaborate on why a cement less procedure would have been much preferred in such a young dog. My dog does not have the benefit of cement less replacement that would get progressively stronger instead of one that would begin degrading the minute the recovery period was completed as is the case with cemented replacements. I now know that the cement less operation is more expensive for the hospital to perform as it requires an investment in new technology and training. One surgeon we spoke with said he has stopped performing total hip replacements because his facility can not afford to purchase the requisite equipment. The surgeon in question then immediately referred us to a practice that would have been able to do the correct procedure if we needed our pets other hip done at some point. We have since spoken and gotten estimates from two hospitals that perform cement less operations and surprisingly their estimates were just slightly lower than Angell’s original estimate for an antiquated inappropriate treatment.

This is a difficult letter to write for many reasons but the most obvious is that our pet is a member of our family and to know that she did not receive the best care possible is extremely hard to reconcile especially when we trusted Angell Memorial and Dr.XX to put aside self interest and make a recommendation that was in the best interest of our pet and not the best interest of your bottom line. To write this letter is also tremendously challenging because we encountered incompetence and frustration at every point in our dealings with Angell. I opened this letter with the example that to me is the most concerning and irreversible but I will now outline the litany of mistakes that were made and lies we were told throughout our experience.

Unfortunately, I was so delighted to put the Angell experience behind us I purged my files of the original estimate and actual bills but after speaking with your billing department on several occasions I know you have retained all of the records. When you review them you will see the discrepancy between the cost estimate we received and the final bill. From memory, your estimate was in the range of $5000 and the actual bill was $5977.08 (I believe it was even higher than this but can not find the record of the initial deposit that was made at the time we elected to proceed with surgery). When I called your billing department to question how it was possible that the operation was 10% more expensive than the estimate when I was not informed of any complications either during the procedure or in our pets post-op care, your representative claimed that it happens and the estimate is only that. Frankly, I have never been presented with a bill that was over 10% higher than estimated without some explanation at the very least. I then pointed out line items on the bill that appeared to be incorrect and your representative did allow that there had been double charges for several items. The experience left me wondering if the oversight was in fact an error. If I had not called I sincerely doubt any adjustment would have been made. The bill was paid without more question or debate.

We brought our pet home and during her recovery I had several questions about her bandages or rehab. Many times the phone at your main desk would ring for 10 minutes when I was then asked to hold for up to 15 minutes only to be told that neither Dr.XX or anyone from his staff was available to speak with me. Our first post-op appointment with Dr.XX lasted for approximately 15 minutes and we were told all looked to be fine and our pet was healing well. The next evaluation was scheduled for two months later. When we scheduled this appointment we were told by Dr.XX’s assistant that the evaluation was extensive and we could expect to spend several hours at Angell. My husband and I planned accordingly by canceling appointments and taking the day off. We were specifically told that we would be meeting with Dr.XX and given his schedule it was impossible to give us an estimate of when we might be done. We arrived, were kept waiting for 45 minutes, taken into the radiology area and told that our pet would be out in a half hour after radiographs were completed. When our pet was returned to us we were explicitly told that Dr.XX was not available and would review our pet’s X-rays and get back to us. I was extremely annoyed that we had been told to arrange our day to accommodate Dr.XX’s schedule and he had failed to even look at Auggie or meet with us. I left without paying the $250 bill in question but intended to pay it once a hard copy was sent to my home address. Prior to the arrival of the bill, I received a copy of a follow up letter that was sent to my home vet, in which Dr.XX claims to have performed an orthopedic exam at the appointment in question. We know from the information given to us at the time of that visit that Dr.XX did not examine our pet. The follow up information sent to our Vet was a fabrication.

Unfortunately, before I could dispute the report, our pet suffered a caudoventral luxation and was rushed to Mass Vet Referral Hospital. We were told she would have to be put under to assess whether the hip could be put back in place. I will leave it to your staff to obtain complete records of this procedure which was performed by Dr.YY but I have enclosed the invoice and exam notes that I was given. We were told that it was very unusual for this type of dislocation to occur so far into recovery and it was doubtful it could be returned to the proper position. After a very long struggle, Dr. YY did successfully reposition the hip. It is difficult to articulate just how positive our experience at Mass Vet Referral was relative to our ordeal with Angell. Suffice it to say, I vowed not to return to Angell and would contact your billing office to tell them I would not be paying the outstanding bill.

For our pet’s sake I wish I could end this letter here but her hip dislocated in the same manner again in October at which point we went up to Mass Vet Referral’s new facility Port City Animal Hospital. This time Dr.KK was able to sedate our pet and return the hip to its correct position. Again, our experience with Dr.KK and his staff beared no resemblance to Angell’s treatment of us and our pet. Everyone at Port City was professional and compassionate. We were never rushed, every question was answered completely and immediately and most importantly we felt like our pet’s well being mattered to the Doctors and everyone who handled her, unlike Angell.

When her second dislocation and replacement was done by Dr.KK, we discussed the appropriate next step. Given my comfort level with Dr.KK and his staff I was anxious to have them perform any requisite surgery to repair or replace what had been done by Dr.XX. Dr.KK explained that neither Port City nor Mass Vet was doing hip replacements due to the growing sophistication of equipment and training necessary to perform the new techniques. He referred us to Dr.AA at Burlington Vet Clinic in Burlington Vermont. Dr.KK subsequently contacted Dr.AA on our behalf and we tentatively scheduled to take our pet up to Vermont for an evaluation in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, we were unable to wait for our scheduled appointment.

Our pet’s hip dislocated for a third time two days before Thanksgiving at 10:00 p.m. I contacted Dr.AA’s answering service and my call was returned within an hour, Dr.AA would see our pet the next day and would perform the necessary surgery that day. We were told to get there as soon as we could and they would make the time for us. After leaving at 4 a.m to drive five hours, we arrived at Burlington Animal Hospital. Once again, I will leave it to your staff to obtain the complete records. It was hard to imagine that Burlington Animal Hospital could have impressed us more than Mass Vet and Port City, but they did. Dr.AA spent an hour explaining our options and the associated costs. Our pet was operated on a few hours later. During the operation, I received a call from Dr.AA explaining his findings and recommendations. Apparently, Dr.XX (at Angell) had elected to put an extremely small head size on the prosthetic joint and that was likely the reason the hip had dislocated three times. Dr.AA did not have the materials required to replace the head but would contact the manufacturer to see if they could arrange to have what was needed delivered immediately. Fortunately, they were able to make the arrangements. The head on our pet’s prosthetic joint was changed from a ONE to a SIX. I have subsequently been told that the size that Dr.XX elected to put on originally would have been appropriate for a dog half our pet’s size. Dr.AA could not respond to what Dr.XX’s reasoning was but his hesitation in responding said all it needed to.

Dr.XX’s (at Angell) mistakes resulted in our young dog receiving a hip replacement that was inappropriate for her age that subsequently dislocated three times due to his incompetence in performing the procedure he chose to do. The combined monetary cost of the two dislocation and replacement surgery totaled $4000 , but as I told the representative in your billing department the real cost to us wasn’t monetary it was emotional. Any family that elects to spend nearly $6000 on their pet obviously considers that pet to be a member of their family. To know that our pet suffered unnecessarily through three dislocations, corrective surgery and several lengthy rehabs breaks my heart. I explained to your billing department on two separate occasions that this is why I would not be paying the outstanding bill. Not only was my story dismissed by your representatives at the time, I was subsequently called a liar and told that you had no record of me speaking to anyone in your billing area. I assure you that is not the case. I suspect that the issues that lead to our experience are also responsible for you abysmal handling of this bill and my complaints. Your organization has become monolithic and dispassionate. You have become complacent and have lost sight of the vulnerability of your clients or perhaps have incorporated that vulnerability into your business model.

I have enclosed a check for amount of the outstanding bill. I would recommend that your Board read “What Would Google Do”, by Jeff Jarvis. Angell should not underestimate the power of customer collaboration.

It was not a very good experience. No advice about how diabetes works. No recommendation for testing glucose levels in his blood. No advice about how to adjust his insulin.

We switched to a different Vet who walk us through the issues with diabetes. Also involved a Holistic Vet. My dog is now 4 years old and you would never know he was diabetic unless I told you.

Another incident – my girlfriend had a cat that was suffering from seizures. The Doctor told us it was probably a brain tumor and since it wasn’t treatable, not to bother with a scan. We got the scan and lo and behold, no brain tumor.

Angell might a good place to bring a dog that had been mauled in a fight, but I would bring a sick dog to Angell.