I can honestly say I’ve not knowingly or intentionally burned a bridge or irreversibly ended a relationship especially a professional relationship. Until now. A trusted specialist physician I was a client of; who does not take insurance; partnered up with a physician of the same expertise; tripled his rates, now requires a credit card on file for payment and has limited his availability to his clients. This was announced over 3 separate emails with a spin on the details as if this was a great, positive change for the clients.
To be honest I was at first appalled at the changes to this physician’s practice. I had received great care from him, he would accept emails or texts for quick questions or clarifications, and always prompt when an appointment was necessary. I would pay out of pocket and submit a claim to our health insurance company and be reimbursed the majority of his fee so being a patient of this practice wasn’t a hardship. However to continue with this practice under the new policies would be a financial hardship. I would no longer be a client of this physician, it’s not just the increase in his fees, it’s the tremendous change in the practice as a whole. To read the new impersonal emails describing the unacceptable new office policies felt insulting and unreal.
So I wrote an email. I specifically stated that I was no longer this physician’s client. I also stated I would be under the care of a physician who provides more personal and individualized care. Essentially I intentionally burned a bridge. I feel bad about that. I’m really not intentionally snarky, but in that email I was.
Menay O; mom to 4, Christian and thrift shopper on the side... 