Patient
Hello I am writing this review for my family member who recently visited Dr. Matthew Ortman for the very first time. Brief history of my Uncle he is a little over two months post stroke caused by A-fib. When he had the stroke, him and his wife were vacationing in FL. Which landed him in Broward Health Hospital. This stroke left him mostly paralyzed on one side. A man that worked every single day of his life and who recently retired- his world as he knew it, was turned upside down by this serious health event. He is a husband, a father, a new grandfather, a brother, and an Uncle- and a Navy Veteran. With that being said, he patiently waited for his upcoming appointment with Dr. Ortman. His expectations were high due to the referral from the treating Doctor in the FL. Facility(Broward Health). Upon arriving in the empty waiting room this day. My Uncle was taken to the examining room and was triaged by a nurse. Once Dr. Ortman entered and without any introduction he asked my uncle to sit in the chair instead of the examining table because that's "where he like his patients to be". My Uncle was eager and looking forward to engaging with the doctor. But that wasn't his experience. Unfortunately as the appointment went on the Doctor seemed unprepared and was impersonal. One of the first exchanges was the Doctor asking him why he is there and why he is seeing an "A-Fib" Specialist almost as if he shouldn't be there. Clearly he didn't prepare for a new patient visit because if he did he would've known the history and what occurred and why it occurred. (Afib Stroke) Following their conversation my Uncle expressed confusion and asked for clarity concerning the event and what may have brought on having the stroke and the reply was "you are just unlucky". Not to mention the doctor also decided to have a separate texting dialogue on his phone throughout the visit, in combination with being on the laptop (which was expected). However not on the phone. There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior from a health professional. Especially when meeting a stroke patient for the very first time. Needless to say my uncle will not be following up with him. A doctor with zero bedside manner is not who he wants to continue with and for good reason. With all of this said, it's important to advocate for yourself and to spread the word when these situations occur. I am happy that my Uncle spoke up and I am happy to allow his voice to be heard. Having the title of doctor doesn't give you a license to treat people any way you please, nor does it give you the right to undermine or disregard concerns from a patient. In fact it's the exact opposite.