InterMed

I needed a primary doctor when I moved to Portland, but mainly to continue receiving my Adderall prescriptions. However, I actually planned on no longer taking the drug, but needed a prescription so I could ween off it with a lesser dosage.
My doctor was Dr. Andrea Klayman. After telling her I had smoked pot a few weeks before, she insisted that I take a drug test before she writes a prescription, because she claimed pot would «conflict» with my Adderall prescription. While this felt a little intrusive, she gave me my first prescription, and I agreed to take the test as long as she gave me sufficient time for it to get out of my system.
A week and a half later, I get a call from Intermed telling me I need to come in the same day for a drug test. I talked to Dr. Klayman who claimed she gave me plenty of time for it to get out of my system. It was a little suspicious that she couldn’t at least give me a month, as that is the average amount of time for pot to exit your system. I started to get the feeling that she thought I was only taking Adderall to sell it on the street rather than using it medicinally (even after she saw my records showing that I’d received it for the previous 5 years).
So, I went in and took the test anyway, and lo and behold, I passed it. She wrote my second prescription over the phone (a little begrudgingly, if you ask me) for a lower dosage, as I requested.
Months later, I get a bill in the mail from Quest Diagnostics for $ 441.
My insurance didn’t cover a cent of it. So, basically, she tested me for every drug in the book (even after telling me she believed me that I hadn’t done anything but pot), without giving me any idea of what it might cost. Probably smart on her end, I guess, because I would’ve walked right out the door. But nope, here I am footing an exorbitant bill for something she required on her own accord.
I called and left her a message to be a little more transparent with her patients in the future, and that I would be seeking a new doctor. Intermed should look to hire doctors that develop trust in their patients, rather than alienating them.

I heartily agree with William M. — the patient care is shockingly good. The response times to phone calls or messages via MyIntermed portal are practically immediate. The same goes for referrals within Intermed. Parking is easy. The waiting rooms are clean and comfortable and I’ve rarely waited long. I’ve had wonderful experiences with Drs. Zeitlin, Noble, Galeckas, Beall and Ruth as well as Kathy Jacobsen, RN.

I’ve had shockingly good service here. In and out quick, Dr. Delenick has been great, and I can always get a quick appointment.
I’d never think I’d be compelled to leave a review for a doctor’s office but I wanted to counter the negative ones with my own very positive experience. (Not that I have any idea how those other people were treated! Just that I’ve been very happy.)

Terrible «doctors» office.
After I was done with pediatrician care, I switched to an adult doctor in the system. My doctor spent more time «playing with her computer» than giving me a through check up. She didn’t even check my ears! I was in the place for less than 45 minutes. That seems awfully short for a check up.
I also had to get tests done. Tests for what? I don’t know. She wouldn’t tell me. I did the tests anyways, because I wasn’t feeling 100% the day of my appointment. We get the results back and my doctor says: you have mono.
Okay, I have mono, so I get the prescribed medication.
Two days later, I get another phone call from my doctor: STOP taking the medication we gave you because it won’t help anything. You don’t actually have mono, but you just have a strep throat.
WHO MISDIAGNOSES A PATIENT WITH MONO?!
CRAZY!
I have yet to go back for another appointment at this office. Thank goodness I go to school in Maryland now, so I am able to switch to a doctor’s office down here. But I will NEVER step foot in another InterMed office again and I don’t recommend anyone else to either.

Although check in can feel a bit «non personal» with the line and counter, the care is anything but. I currently have InterMed as my primary care and I have been very happy! The staff is great, the nurses remember who you are even if you don’t visit often, and the physicians are smart and knowledgable. The only downside is, like many other places, everybody is busy and you may run late. Is that a bad thing? NO! I never feel that I get rushed out the door and always have the time taken for me. I am ok with having things run late when I know that it’s because they care enough to spend extra time with people who need it.
The phlebotomy staff is great too, have never missed on one stick and don’t give you big bruises!

‘Orwellian’ is the right word for this place. It is truly frightening to see the curt dismissive bureaucracy that meets you at every turn. Intermed tells you what to do whether you like it or not. They reserve the right to remove you as a patient from Intermed on a whim. Patient choice is nonexistent in the Intermed universe. This is an organization that is structured to benefit the business of medicine and drain your money without a whit’s care for your health, your opinions, your concerns and your well being. You see it everywhere from the headset wearing fembots at the front desk that stand guard and give orders to patients waiting in lines, from the impersonal large waiting rooms to the short curt visits with your doctor where he or she spends more time staring at their Intermed issued lcd screens then talking to you. Visits are short, curt and impersonal. You could be the wealthiest person with the best insurance behind you but your health stays poor with Intermed. Not sure why good doctors who care about their patients would want to practice medicine in this environment that is the antithesis of personalized healthcare.

«Intra“med, Chicago style politics at its finest. «To the victor goes the spoils» is the basis in which this institution is run. Your health is surely sacrificed for their greed and power.

My wife and I are both patients here and, although I have found my physician helpful, my wife’s is the typical «insurance company» doc. Heather Schwemm takes a very laid back approach to urgent matters and does not seem at all interested in making people «well». My wife has been trying to get help with a reoccurring matter and Ms. Schwemm has referred her to numerous specialists. The result is thousands of dollars spent, multiple ER and urgent care trips and very little help from Intermed over the last 4 – 5 years. All of these specialists and physicians have been more than happy to take our money, and that of our insurance carrier, without presenting anything of value.
So, if you’re looking for someone who is nice, but has very little interest in patient care and wellness, she might be the right fit for you. I’d rather see a backwoods «healer» who uses leaches.

Being new to the area, I attempted to see a physician here in hopes of having a new primary care physician.
The process just to speak with someone was a minor nightmare. While the staff was friendly once I was able to speak with them, they were also curt and a little abrasive. I was lobbed a series of rapid fire questions before I could even ask about making an appointment, (also, the voice mail tree new patients are sent to lets you know that someone will return your call «usually within 24 – 48 hours.» If it takes 24 – 48 hours for them to return a call to schedule an appointment, can you imagine the response time for established patients?).
Though I’m fully insured, AND the doctor I was asking to see is listed as an in-​network provider, I was told InterMed had «made the decision» that unless I had a «New England issued» United Health plan, they would refuse to see me. HUH? My health plan is issued via my employer… BASED IN NEW YORK… and is good anywhere. But I was told this was a «personal decision by InterMed».
I was finally told the doctor I’d chosen was not accepting new patients and that «you would be considered for…» and then several other names were rattled off.
I thanked the woman and told her that I preferred to call the shots in my own healthcare and didn’t care to feel as though I were «being accepted» by my physician. This would be a routine doctor’s visit and physical, not Fraternity rush week.
The bureaucracy is a bit frightening and seems Orwellian to me. For me at least, this place would be a last choice to revisit and seems to be obnoxious in it’s business practices, particularly where the interaction with and scheduling of patients is concerned. :-(