Patient
I had high hopes of not only finding answers to the heart issues I've been experiencing for a while but also, a Dr that cared and helped ease my anxieties. What I got was the EXACT OPPOSITE. From day 1, without having my test results from 2 ER visits 2 weeks before, and just a short EKG and checking my BP in his office....his NP was already calling my issue afib. Mind you, I was having a panic attack right after arriving. Then comes the man himself. Within 2 minutes, Dr Baroudi prescribed me a medication and made me feel like I was pure scum because I smoke. I get it ..it's unhealthy but c'mon. I asked about a smoking succession program and before I could finish...totally dismissed any possibly by saying "No ...just quit. You should've quit yesterday". Many times I tried to ask questions and would immediately be cut off with him asking me a question. When I would answer and said a few words, he would say "hold on" and went right to his little recording device. Like he's trying to impress me with his gadgets. And to top it off, answered a call on his cellphone while I was trying to provide my family medical history. I didn't even get to finish. Basically, it was "take this pill and follow up". He did order a lipid panel, an echocardiogram, and a halter monitor. When leaving his office that day, I asked the front desk where to do the echo, the blood panel, and the halter monitor, I was told not to worry about that yet. Ummm...why? Isn't that a part of the diagnostic process? I have had 2 other visits besides a visit for an echocardiogram. Which, the technician who performed the procedure had a wonderful bedside manner and for the ONLY time, felt calm in his office. The other visits were more of the rush me through the visit and avoiding anything I had to say or ask. The blood panel and halter monitor.....I had to ask over and over until FINALLY someone said "oh...that should've been done already". Then it was finally ordered at a lab. The monitor came to me in the mail with no notification from his office. My last visit was today and it was the WORST interaction with him. I've lost weight in the last month, have done well on a diet and my condition has improved slightly. But when he supposedly gave me a readout of one of the halter monitor results, he was actually reading the original EKG in his office. I won't even begin to go into the lipid panel results other than him saying my cholesterol was dangerously high and it needs to come down. I asked about exercise and my diet and he said "nope".....take this other pill. Mind you ..the cholesterol was not that bad (have a nurse friend tell me that LDL is borderline high but total was only 187). What he diagnosed me with was absolute BS, especially when he said "it's because of your family history". Ummm...I never gave him a full history because he got a phone call in the middle of that conversation. Summary.....there is very poor communication between his staff, they have no sense of urgency when requesting records from other doctors and a member of his OWN staff said he was a "little off his rocker" and very stuck in his ways. I have never once been treated like this be anyone in the medical field, much less felt guilty of being a "pay out of pocket" and having a medical issue. He may have impressed a few of his patients but he needs to learn A LOT about being a doctor and less about his ego and ignoring questions or concerns of his patients.