Pendleton Family Medicine

"Best physicians group practice in Pendleton. Full spectrum of services. Most insurances accepted and billed."

"I was an established patient with Chloe Norris at the Pendleton Family Medicine. After an ER visit for severe pain and constipation (I hadn’t pooped for two weeks), I called the office first thing in the morning so I could make an appointment with my primary ASAP and talk to the nurse about what I could do in the meantime. She took in all of my complaints and told me that she would have to call me back after she talked to my doctor. Understandable, right? Well.. The nurse waited until 445 pm to call me back. But that’s not the worst part, when she called me the only thing she said was that I wouldn’t stop having puking? issues until I stopped smoking cannabis, and that I am causing my own misery. I complained about CONSTIPATION and I never said anything about puking, only nausea, and after being constipated for two weeks nausea is a pretty normal symptom. I got very upset and told her that I would like to address the problem I called about not the one I usually have (I’m seen primarily for a puking problem I’ve been having because of hormone and endometriosis issues) , and I asked her if she was even listening to me at all, told her that she wasted my day waiting for a medical plan, and asked her why she didn’t listen to me. All she said was that I could talk to my doctor at my appointment in two weeks. When I’ve already been constipated for TWO WEEKS. I told her I didn’t appreciate that they were basically treating me like a drug addict and completely dismissing my complaints. I never went to my appointment because I solved the problem myself, so I called them and asked them for another appointment, they told me they would have the director call me. I waited patiently.. about a week later I received a letter in the mail letting me know that not only have I been removed from being Chloe’s patient, but that I am not allowed back to the office AT ALL for the next three years. I didn’t receive a warning or was given an option to have time to establish new care, the director NEVER called me and asked for my side of the story, like requested, and every time I have asked to talk to the director since then, I’ve been told that they’ll call me but they never do. I’ve had medical problems my whole life and this is the most UNPROFESSIONAL medical office I have EVER dealt with. TLDR; The Pendleton Family Medicine has an extreme bias against cannabis users, and they will go to extreme lengths to use it as an excuse for your medical issues."

"I HAD an appointment scheduled for 12/20/2023 and they called and cancelled on my a couple days prior. there reasoning was that the doctor was "out of office" on the day of my appointment and I had to be rescheduled to the end of February. My prescription for my depression meds expired on 12/19/2023 and I am now with out my medication. I hope that I can struggle through to get my meds in February and I don't loss the battle with my mental health."

"Beware of billing practices at this facility. I have been a regular patient for a number of years now, and I can say that until recently charges were straight forward. However, I have now been extorted (obtain something by force, threats or unfair means) after attending a routine follow up office visit for a severe sinus infection. I had previously been seen on 12/31/2022. I returned on 01/09/2023, as my symptoms seemed prolonged. I wasn’t told about any additional charges for having my ears examined. To me, it was a routine visit. I’m assuming that anyone reading this post who has visited their doctor for cold symptoms have been subject to cultures, swabs or other items poked and prodded without accruing additional costs. And I wasn’t going there on the day in question for any medical procedures. In all honesty, at the end of the visit, the NP was the one that made the suggestion to me about taking a closer look at my ear. To my surprise, Pendleton Family Medicine decided to send me a bill for $115.26. Rather than billing me for a standard office visit (which would have only resulted in a out of pocket co-pay) they chose to submit a billing request to my insurance for a “procedure”, without explaining that additional costs would be associated and most like not covered by insurance. Thanks Pendleton Family Medicne for being a Transparent and Ethical place to seek medical treatment….. Oh wait, that’s not who they are. On the bright side, at least my Primary Care Provider has always been amazing. Unfortunately, on the day in question she was not available. When I called to seek relief from the bill I was told that there is no way for the attending provider to know the billing practices, which makes me nervous to attend future appointments. I understand that the NP might not know the exact charge, but they should be knowledgeable enough to explain that additional costs will be included outside of the standard visit for certain events. Fortunately for me, I have a livable wage job with secondary health expense options to pay for unexpected costs. However, not everyone is as lucky as me and these costs could really cause undo hardship. It’s just sad that this is the culture of healthcare. And my story is pale in comparison to others who are far less fortunate than me and might require more expensive procedures. Patients should know if they will be incurring a cost when visiting their doctor."

"This office has a few good women providers that people love (hence the 5-star ratings), but these practitioners generally aren't accepting new patients. I asked for several of these individuals but was assigned to the new doctor, Dr. Johnson. He has trouble communicating with women and maybe he should only be assigned men. During my last appointment he made me so angry that I asked to see a different provider hoping I could find a better fit. I was told he "had to release me" (basically give me permission) to see another provider in that office. It was beyond frustrating and I was never offered a new physician. At what point did the patient lose the ability to pick their own doctors?? Now doctors "cherry-pick" patients, but as everyone ages, we need more experienced doctors who understand health issues of older folks. Plus it's even harder to get in to see doctors when they only work 4-day weeks. At this writing, Harrison Family Medicine isn't accepting new patients since they lost one of their star doctors recently and the other doctors have to absorb those patients. This continues to be is a real problem in Pendleton - finding good doctors. We could use another physician's clinic or even several solo practitioners. I'm going to have to seek medical care in Walla Walla or Hermiston."