SAME DAY SURGERY PROCEDURE.
I assisted my wife with an outpatient procedure at Washington County Regional Medical Center. The Scheduling department waited until Friday, September 18, 2026, to call and discuss her finances and tell her about her upcoming procedure that was to be done on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Friday, September 18, between 3:34 PM and 3:57 PM, my phone was beeping while I was talking with the Regional Manager at Abbott about programming my spinal cord stimulator, and I could not hang up or place him on hold.
After ending my phone call, I noticed at 3:44 PM that 478.240.2168 had been calling me. I immediately called the number; it was the Scheduling Department Manager. She was very unprofessional and had poor “customer service and communication skills,” and said we had been calling all day to talk with your wife regarding her procedure on Monday, September 21. She said that we had cancelled your wife’s procedure since she didn’t answer her phone and we needed to talk with her before 4 PM. I explained to the scheduling manager that when my wife has a migraine, she never answers her phone. You would think a manager working in a hospital would understand how debilitating migraines are, obviously not at Washington County Regional Hospital.
I looked at my wife’s recent phone calls; there were seven calls. I found two voice messages; one person left a message that didn’t identify her department, only said to call Keshia and left an extension, but when I called, it was the lab. I found a voice message from the Director of Nursing Service, saying we need to talk with you about your procedure for Monday, September 21. Out of seven phone calls, only two voice messages were left.
For Washington County Regional Medical Center to change its image from being known as the “band-aid station” and become a state-of-the-art hospital, it’s going to have to start first with the CEO making sure her managers and employees have excellent “customer service skills and communication skills” and know how to properly answer phone calls. When answering phone calls, first identify your department and say your first name.
I am a healthcare professional and have been a manager twice. I have worked for the Department of Defense; during my orientation, the instructor spent an entire day on how important “customer service and communication skills” are. I have worked at various hospitals in other states. I attended or took online classes and was required to take and pass tests. I don’t know if Washington County Regional Medical Center requires its employees to take similar classes or not, but they should.
If I had conducted myself like I have observed at Washington County Medical Center, especially while working for the Department of Defense, I would have been fired immediately. Perhaps some managers and employees need to be replaced with employees who have excellent “customer service and communication skills”.
This is the first time my wife and I have ever had a procedure or surgery cancelled due to an incompetent manager and her employees. Going forward, if we need emergency care or procedures done, we will go to another hospital.
I was able to get my wife’s same-day surgery procedure somewhere else, and it only took three hours to discuss her financial obligation and other pertinent information needed before the procedure.
