I had been a patient here for 15+ years until yesterday, having followed Dr. Brodsky to the practice when she came to it from CHA. (She has since left FPG, and it's clear why.....). Lately the quality of the care at this health center has declined. It's difficult to get anyone on the phone and they appear to be chronically short staffed. Several months ago, when my new insurance didn't want to cover the maintenance asthma inhaler I had been on for 20+ years - - - rather than write a Prior Authorization-----they asked me if I'd just switch inhalers ( = to an inhaler I had actually tried in the past that did not work for me, and that the insurance company was trying to force on me.) I had to push to get them to write the Prior Auth. Red flag. It was literally just laziness on their part. Then, yesterday (12/19/20), Dr. Tomkins had one of her teenage lackeys terminate me using 1 line of text communicated through the Patient Portal. You could hear the vocal fry dripping through that 1 line… of text. Amazing. There was no paper letter mailed to me as a courtesy. There was no phone call - - - - not even from staff. There was no substantive conversation or effort made by the practice in any way, shape, or form, to discern whether I was in fact O.K.; whether I in fact have a new doctor actually established with whom I feel comfortable; or whether I in fact have my medical needs met before transitioning to a new practice and doctor. There was absolutely no effort made by FPG or Dr. Tomkins to create a plan with me for bridging care, and/or for making sure I have adequate supply of my maintenance medications (like Asthma inhalers) while I am transitioning to a new provider in a new state. Oh, and by the way, I have Multiple Sclerosis and Asthma, so it's not like this is a simple transition with low stakes. What they are doing is textbook medical abandonment. (Google that term if you're unfamiliar.) Looking back, it seems to me that Tomkins has been trying to "get rid of" me for awhile. What she and the practice did yesterday, though, is unethical, unprofessional, immoral, and probably illegal. I will be consulting with an attorney about my rights as a patient given the predicament they've put me in. All this, during the holiday season, when it's hard to get ahold of people due to everyone being on vacation etc, at the end of an insurance year, when getting your final refills of the year before your employer's insurance changes --- again ---- actually matters and is already challenging to do. The worst part about my whole experience is the flippant attitude of the practice and its staff regarding the situation. They legitimately do not care at all how this has negatively impacted my life during an already stressful and difficult transition. It's appalling, it's irresponsible, and it's bad medicine. Steer clear.
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