Arthritis & Rheumatism Center

Do you know what sucks? Having an auto immune disease. You know what else? Getting older. (I’m sure MANY people have warned you of the latter, but you were too busy being young.) I swear 90% of my conversations are now topics that revolve around medications, aches and pains.
But the good news is that I found this place, where I see one of the doctors. I really, really, like her.
I’m 16 months into treatment since the diagnosis, and making progress. The nurse at my GP gave me some sage advice; «Don’t freak out by what they tell you.» I had NO idea what that meant. Uh, now I do! I think the initial diagnosis was a shock, even though I spent hours on WebMD self diagnosing prior to seeing the rheumatologist. With each visit came something new, and the long story short is I’m giving myself injections 6X a month with 2 types of medications. Don’t get me wrong, I DREAD injecting myself with something I consider poison, (one being methotrexate, which is chemotherapy) but I can now do things that we all take for granted … like starting my car, driving, getting dressed, tying my shoes, and even walking without limping. I finally starting to feel like my old self — slowly but surely.
Why not 5 stars? Well, it’s a coin toss on if this is a good or a bad thing — I wasn’t billed for the first 6 months since the office was billing the wrong address. What I find funny is that I am at the office 2X a month and NOTHING was ever brought up to me until the 6 month mark. So there must be someone in the office with a case of dyslexia, since my last name was even spelled wrong for a time.
Also, a big shout out to the best RN ever — Ed! He’s the man! He makes me feel comfortable with everything that is going on, explains administering my shots, and helps me with the overwhelming amounts of healthcare/​insurance paperwork that comes my way. I swear I want to make that man my personal assistant!

Dr. Tumulari takes great care of me as his patient. I’m very comfortable with the caring that he gives to me and the extra time he takes to make sure I’m doing ok. RA is not fun to have but thank goodness he is looking out for me!

I think some big changes have taken place since the post from the previous person. My doctor moved to this facility a year ago and I have been nothing but happy. The receptionist I speak to is very nice communicative. The waiting area is relaxing and doesn’t look like your typical waiting room. They’ve just remodeled so the place is looking good. I’ve always had good interactions from the nurses. They do take your vitals and go over your medications and let you know the doctor will be along. The same thing done in every other doctor’s office I’ve been to. The wait to see my doctor is longer than I’d like but it’s that way at every doctor’s office. Look up any doctor’s office on Unilocal and you’ll see people complain about the wait time.
My doctor, Dr. Lynda Lee is absolutely fabulous! She is kind, caring and considerate. She takes the time to explain everything to you from what’s going on in your body to what the medications will do or not do. So for me, she is well worth the wait.

Let me begin by saying that I am not really a 1 star kind of a girl, but in this case I have been thinking of what I could give more stars for, and I really can’t come up with anything.
Let’s start with the front desk. The receptionist is very non-​communicative and cold. You do not get the idea that you are welcome in the clinic at all. To set up an initial appointment, you have to wait for them to call you back at their convenience and let you know if the doctor will want to see you (read: what is your insurace coverage like?)
You are then taken through by a nurse and your vitals taken — and then left with no comment as to how long or whether or not the doctor is on his way or not. I was there today (this is the second appointment, and last) for 30+ mins without anyone so much as checking in and letting me know that the doctor was running late or any communication whatsoever.
If you get to see the doctor, you are lucky. One of my patients (yes, I am a health care provider) said that she literally felt dehumanized. This is a scary place to be if you are young and in relatively good health. The last thing any of us want to hear is a diagnosis of RA or similar, so we are scared and in need of ressurance and CARE.
Which brings me to my last point. The care taken at this office is little, on every level, except billing, which they are pro’s at. On my statement it says that they charge $ 300 for a blood test called Beta 2 glycoprotein and $ 225 for Anticardiolipin, $ 135 for DFNA Antibody single and double stranded — so that’s x2 @ $ 135 and $ 225 for RF/​3 panel, and the kicker– $ 810 for the extract nuclear antigen antibody something or rather. These blood tests were taken at a quest lab and then read at this office.
All this could be taken, if (a) you have great insurance (b) you know trhat Dr. Tumulari is great at his job and © you feel taken care of and that your highest interest is formost in the mind of the clinic. Unfortunately, I am not convinced that my wellbeing is in fact important to them, and it is for this reason that I cannot allow myself to go back. In this world, we have to be our own advocates, and I feel that this clinic falls short of patient care. Way short.