Dermatologist - Smyrna, TN

"Racism and discrimination at a dermatologist office is the last place such awful experience should occur but this is what happened at the Loma Linda California Skin Institute. If I could give 0 stars, I would. I’m beyond disappointed, offended, and upset. I rarely write reviews, but I could not stay silent. My husband went on 9/7/21 for a follow up appointment regarding his previous 3 month appointment. The receptionist, Lewis asked my husband about his insurance and my personal information even though my husband has been going there for the past 4-5 years. My husband waited for over 45 minutes, all the while 8 people came in and no one else was was asked about their insurance, to verify who they were, or their spouses information, all the other patients were white. One patient came in and was seen within 3 minutes of her 3:30 appointment because the patient stated her appointment was at 3:30. This is right after the receptionist, Lois, told my husband he had to wait, even though he arrived at 2:50 for his 3:00 appointment, and it was now 3:30. Lois was short with him, yet very friendly with other patients, all who were white and did extra things for another patient that was also white. My husband ended up leaving at 3:35 without seeing the doctor as he felt he was profiled and discriminated against. I called the office to complain. I was put in touch with Eric, the manager. I explained what happened and rather than listening to me or showing compassion, he immediately went on the defensive. He told me we have an unusual insurance and they switched their system in 2020 so they needed to update our insurance. Mind you, my husband was there 3 months ago, June 2021, so this excuse is invalid. If the the update was in 2020 why did the other receptionist that saw my husband in June 2021 not verify anything? He also asked me in condescending ways if I knew how long it took to contact insurances. Well Eric, I do, it used to be part of my job. Eric insisted it had nothing to do with color or race and kept telling, “I’m sorry you felt that way” and was dismissive. I explained saying “I’m sorry you feel that way” is not sincere and comes across as a way of not really apologizing. I also explained how a person of color deals with micro aggressions which can seem harmless to someone who is not a person of color but are racist, real, and harmful to the person experiencing them. He kept saying “I’m sorry you feel that way.” Eric also told me my husband has only been to the office 1 time before, not true, he’s been going there for the past 4-5 years. Knowing I was getting nowhere I explained I would take my business elsewhere. Saddened, I hung up. Eric, the manager, didn’t genuinely apologize nor ask how they could make things right. Maybe Eric prefers not to see people of color in that office. Our insurance is a PPO so we can go anywhere we want without a referral. We don’t get told which doctor we have to see, we’re fortunate enough to pick the doctor of our choice regardless of speciality. I’m a supervisor in the medical field and by default deal with complaints; this is not how they are handled. As a manager and leader, you need to hold people accountable to their words, actions, and body language that can convey messages whether it’s good and bad. Although the receptionist may not have meant to come across as racist, Eric could have said something along the lines of this: that he was going to talk to Lewis and genuinely apologize for my husband’s experience. But he took no accountability for himself or his receptionist. This is what is shocking, the lack of awareness and disregard for people of color and their experiences. Eric the manager is not equipped to handle situations or complaints appropriately and Lewis the receptionist is not friendly to all races. Customer service is just as crucial as medical knowledge and care especially in a manager and a receptionist. Do not support this business unless they hire employees that want to serve ALL people, including those of color. I can’t even say do better, do the minimum."