Cleveland Clinic
Reviews and Complaints

My experience with Cleveland Clinic began at the Mellen Center with Dr. Conway on September 15, 2021. Dr. Conway performed a thorough neurological exam at the first visit finding gait and tone changes significant to relapsing/remitting Multiple Sclerosis and suspected my history reflected a potential diagnosis. An MRI was scheduled for demyelinating disease of the central nervous system for November 5, 2021. Additionally, there would be an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) test and a plethora of blood work the same day as my first visit on September 15, 2021. The MRI and OCT both returned negative for Multiple Sclerosis, however, the blood work ruled out other potential illnesses other than MS. This is where my care at Cleveland Clinic should have ended. Despite ruling out other possibilities through blood work, a negative MRI is the gold standard in Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis as of 2017 guidelines. However, Dr. Conway proceeded to order expensive testing and make appointments with fellow doctors at the Clinic. One such doctor was Dr. Y. Li on March 18, 2022. Imaginably, it is best to simply state this was a repugnant encounter with an individual overwhelmed with his own ego exuding unrestricted arrogance. In all my years I have never sat in a doctor’s office and openly had remarks maligning my character, upbringing, and intelligence. Once finished, Dr. Li told my wife and I….” leave now”. No one can give back the validity, medical trust, or hope Dr. Conway and Dr. Li ripped away from me. Inquisition should have ended with a negative MRI. Continuing until the dregs were empty and a substantial balance was owed does not speak well of Cleveland Clinic’s practices. Dr. Conway and Dr. Li was incorrect regarding my health. I am currently receiving care from another neurologist. My condition worsened to the point where I had adductor spasms so severe blood vessels ruptured in my legs. Extraordinarily painful and perhaps preventable if the aforementioned doctors would have listened and not just heard what I was saying without judging based on geographical location or personal feeling.

I chose to travel several hundred miles to the CC Main Campus to have a high risk knee replacement due to a sixty year history of blood clots in that leg and multiple bilateral emboli coming from that leg. The surgeon I selected was EXCELLENT in every way but the hospital care was substandard times ten. I was in the hospital four days and during that time the staff never elevated my leg, put on support hose, or provided ice - all of which are standard procedures to minimize blood clots. One the third evening, I had my call light on for four consecutive hours and no one ever responded until I began shouting for a nurse!. A nurse finally came in, explaining that she had been sent from another floor and that "no one scheduled for that shift on that floor showed up." An orderly was the most sarcastic, belligerent, indifferent person I ever met and a lady taking my dinner order was the most non-professional, rude employee your hospital has ever had. Everyone of the physical therapists was very good. And way down the list, the food was absolutely inedible. I will need to have my other knee done and while I love the surgeon and would want him to do it I will never turn my health over the such a substandard hospital!

I was with Nicholas Baron, when he left I, with no help from the clinic, had to find a new doctor. I was given Elizabeth Kightlinger. Had an appointment with her on 10/3. she prescribed ozempic told me message her when meds received., so they could show me how to use it. I have done this 3 times with no call back. I have also messaged her on my chart about some meds and she never responds. It is very difficult and frustrating. I need to find a doctor @ willoughby family health who is caring and will talk to me and answer me when trying to contact them.

Nicholas Baron was so good with keeping in contact.

Lisa Niton

Euclid Oh

Willoughby hills family

I forgot to schedule my annual physical appointment for this year and when I called today (9/29/22) I was told that I would not be able to see my primary care doctor until April or May next year. This is frankly ridiculous and frustrating. I was able to schedule an appointment with a nurse practitioner which is not the same. With the greatest respect to the nurse practitioner I cannot have the same conversation about concerns I may have as I would with the doctor.

I went to cc urgent care on route 43 in Kent ohio. The PA came in and asked me a few questions I was not feeling well have a cough and chest feeling raw she stated I needed an X-ray and I would have to go elsewhere ( nowhere close by ) because they have nobody working at their X-ray machine for months . The best she can do is give me script for cough pills which do nothing and that’s all they ever prescribe I had Covid two weeks ago and felt fine a week ago and something left from Covid just carried into this cough and chest irritation . I am furious because I didn’t get full car there and said she can not prescribe anything until she gets results from X-ray . If I would have known that I would of went to my family dr which he could of done X-rays and helped me . So now I have to do that tomorrow and pay for another office visit . I am upset about this and I will need to talk to someone about even paying for this visit it was very unproductive and I left there feeling worse because they didn’t help me

On 08/17/22 made my regular payment to Cleveland clinic $85.00. I also set up auto pay on that day. Auto pay took 2 more payments, another $171.00 for a total of 3 payments. I called the following day to get the $171.00 back and got the run around. I have been calling every other day for the return of my money and they haven't even processed it yet. Please help, thank you the number for their billing is [protected]

The care at the Cleveland Clinic is substandard at best. They give up quickly on their patients and I was questioned by the technician for an ordered test that was not up to par. MRI was ignored and not viewed in full or discussed. It gets better... If you over paid and want your refund, one has to wait over 60 days+ which appears to be used for cash flow.

Cleveland Clinic is no longer working or serving their patients as they once did.

8/22/22 3:00pm I went to main campus cardiology for EKG and 3:30 dr appt with Dr. H. Wassif. I got to the dr office by 4:00 (long lines). I was processed by the nurse. I informed her I am deaf and read lips, which requires the dr. To use a plastic visor, or simply pull the mask down when speaking.

Dr. Wassif refused to see me. I asked if I could see a different doctor. No. I asked if she could simply write down any verbal information on a sheet of paper. No. I asked if the nurse could simply sit in and relay to me what the dr. says. No. Instead she scheduled me for a zoom virtual dr appt in five days.

I am humiliated and do not want to have anything to do with this doctor. I have been deaf for 64 years and have never been refused medical help because of my deafness and communication requirements. I am very angry and I don’t know if I’ll go back to cleveland clinic cardiology again. World class care? No, not at all.

I recently received a new cpap for my previous one that had gotten recalled. Prior to going to bed when I was setting up, I noticed that I needed additional supplies. I am very forgetful, so I called the office then & there (8/22 12:13am) to leave a message that I would need supplies and requested a call back in the morning.

I received a call back (8/22 @ 9:26am) from "Mary" at the Cleveland Clinic Home Care dept. stating she was from the billing office and I needed to call respiratory services. I thanked her for the information.

However, she failed to hang up the phone and proceeded to have a conversation with a co-worker stating how ridiculous I was to call in the middle of the night and going on about "What's wrong with people?". It was at this time that I explained that I had received a new machine and that I did not have expectations of reaching someone at that time or needing a call back right away, but that I would be able to leave a message.

She was rude and, quite honestly, must not understand what voicemail was designed for? The hours are clearly stated on the greeting message with the option to leave a message. It is easy for a patient to get a call back to resolve an issue by leaving a message.

This employee's mgr should be notified of this behavior. Patients call in for assistance, not to be talked to in condescending/patronizing ways, let alone for the patient to overhear how the employee feels the patient is "ridiculous" & "has something wrong with them". She should be reprimanded for her poor performance & made to take remedial customer service training. This representative clearly does NOT value patient care or how she should represent CCF.

I been in treatment for depression for a very long time. 4 years ago I began seeing a psychologist/doctor at one the Cleveland Clinics locations. This was one of the very best i had ever had. I truly trusted her and relied on her to keep me stable and doing anything stupid. This doctor did more for me than any medication. Medications only harmed my health.

In May she informed me that they changed their model to a short term model and I could no longer see her. I was given at most one or two more visits. Which would have been pointless. She told me it was because they couldn't find another psychologist.

I don't if this is true or not, because I have been lied to by doctors and hospitals numerous times over the years.

When you have mental health issues it is hard to trust people. When I filed a complaint, the ombudsman sent me a letter clearly written by a lawyer. They showed no compassion, or sympathy. It 's like I wasn't a person. That doctor turned her back on me and didn't care how I took it.

While I was able to find another psychologist, that one meant a lot to me because of the progress I had made. To not allow me to see her anymore destroyed me emotionally. I has made the last few months hell mentally on me.

While I have been cynical on medications for a few years. i always trusted psychologists.

The Cleveland Clinics decision to change policies to a short term model set me back years as far a treatment.

I can no longer trust anything they tell me, and if I ever have a broken bone or other medical emergency I cannot trust the Cleveland Clinic to get good care. I can no longer trust hospitals anymore, and most doctors.

For all this talk about mental health treatment, they proved to me that they don't care about long term mental health patients. Now I have to question everything that doctor taught me.

My daughter was seen at the Willoughby Hills location on July 27, 2022, at 0840 with her grandmother without my consent. They gave her grandmother copies of her health records, discussed her PHI, and added her to her health profile without my consent. When I spoke to one of the nurse managers about this situation, she said, "Well, they should have permission to get her seen". "Should" is not consent. Per CCF protocol, they are supposed to call me and ask for my consent to treat. The staff also added her father to her chart without my consent. I fear this will be an ongoing issue moving forward. I would like someone to reach out to me regarding my concern and I will remove my family from under the care of the Cleveland clinic foundation to protect their health records and safety.

My father was admitted to the hospital for what we discovered was urinary retention. They put in a catheter and kept him for 4 days, only checking on the initial day to see if he had a UTI. He was never given medicine to prevent a UTI, but we were told it could cause one. We were told to go home on July 26 and schedule an appointment with a Urologist to follow up in 1-2 weeks. Once we got home, he was in so much pain that I was able to call and get the earliest appointment of Aug 4. The pain persisted to the point where he was crying and I was able to get an appointment with Michael Delaneuville on

July 28. One hour before the appointment a nurse called me and she and Mr. Delaneuville were talking in the background while telling me that they were cancelling the appointment because it was too soon to take the catheter out. I explained that something was wrong and I was unsure if he had a UTI, had pulled it somehow, or something else. They refused to see him and said they would call in some medicine to help him. They never called it in. I tried calling for hours trying to get back through to someone and could not. The next day when I called, people argued with me that this had never really happened. The pain still persisted and I eventually got another appointment on Aug 2, with a different nurse practitioner, where they removed the catheter, but still never checked for a UTI. The pain persisted and I sent a message through mychart. I never got a response so once again I sat on the phone until I was finally put through to a nurse who told me they were too busy and to see the PCP or go to the ER. I explained the symptoms, which were textbook UTI and she said it didn't sound like a UTI to her. After going through the PCP, who is not a part of Cleaveland Clinic and is in a different county we were able to determine that yes he has a UTI and has likely had one since he was in the hospital, 2 weeks ago. The care, or lack thereof, is inexcusable and unacceptable. A man with many complications already should not have to sit with a UTI for 2 weeks because no one can be bothered to check him. He should have never been discharged from the hospital without being checked; but truly the specialists should not cancel appointments without checking patients.

Following my surgery, I was transferred to the Observation Unit. The doctor's plan was for me to receive IV fluids due to a severe drop in my blood pressure during surgery. I was hooked up to the fluids but they did not end up in my IV, they ended up on my gown. Approximately 1/2 liter of fluids had leaked on to my gown. No one came to check on this for four hours. In addition, I had asked for pain medication and did not get pain medication for the entire four hours either. The call bell that was supposed to be left by my side was dropped by the nurse in haste and she never returned the control to me. In that time frame, the external Purewick Catheter had been disconnected by the nursing tech and never reconnected causing me to urinate on myself/bed & floor. At that point, there was a change of shift and a new nurse came in to check on me. I had gotten up out of the bed to get help and found myself drenched in urine & IV fluids. The new nurse had said that the Catheter was not hooked up to the canister. The remainder of the night, I saw no one. No one came in the room to check on me, no one asked me if I was in pain even though I was suffering from neck & shoulder spasms from the surgery, I believe. I was given pain medication once early on after the surgery. The following morning, I spoke to my sister, Mary L. Dennis, NP Hospitalist for Tradition Cleveland Clinic the following morning and explained to her my concerns. She immediately got off the phone and called the nurse, Julie, who then took care of the situation for me, making sure I had fluids, pain medication, food and call bell within my reach. I want to credit Julie for doing that. I want to explicitly note that I have no complaints with my surgeon, Dr. Rosenthal, who was wonderful and very caring. I am very disappointed with my care at your facility and I know Cleveland Clinic would want to know this and remedy the situation.

While checking in after a grueling ambulance ride due to uncontrollable vomiting I was "scolded" by a check in clerk to "shut up or she would put me out". Since Cleveland Clinic took over Martin Health it has been a true nightmare. The best doctors are gone and the decent workers are overworked leading to sub-par care. I was thrown on a gurney in the hallway for 5 hours..

This is a far cry from the great care this institution provided prior to Cleveland Clinic purchase. Such behavior of staff would not be tolerated.

PS: I am a cancer survivor and recipient of a craniotomy along with autoimmune issues. All of my records are in their system.

I will be joining everyone I know and going south to Jupiter Medical Center for everything from hereon. AND I URGE ALL OF YOU FLORID NEWBIES to STAY AWY FROM CLEVELAND CLINIC!

Family member admitted with covid has multiple conditions and is using oxygen. His conditions have him extremely weak and cannot stand up or walk. Family caregiver also has covid and is unable to stay at the hospital as this individual is also sick.

1. No phone calls from doctors or nurses

2. they place a food tray and do not make sure he is awake or even sit up to eat it

3. has not been able to urinate or go to the bathroom for a few days and the nursing staff has overlooked all of his symptoms

4. has not been washed up or handed a bin to brush his teeth in over 5 days 5. Was told by the respiratory therapist he would not get better, and he can discontinue treatment if he wants to, (telling a patient who is not well to allow himself to die) (I am wondering if this is the reason so many covid patients died- did the nurses, doctors and therapist tell them to kill themselves?

6. His health has deteriorated for lack of eating and drinking, and they do not care- he has Kidney issues

7. The social workers can only say family can help/ so come in with covid even if you are sick and do the nurses job because family should be doing it

I visit Dr. Maron on 4/8/22 with problem of rectal fissure. Dr. Maron suggested to do Botox procedure and also suggested to do colonoscopy at the same time.

I was skeptical about doing colonoscopy while I have problem with rectum. However Dr. Maron assure me that it will be no problem. On 4/21/22 Dr. Maron performed both procedures. Right after procedures I noticed that fissure issue became better, however I experience burning sensation during my bowel movement. I contacted Dr. Maron several times via MyChart and his response was that it is normal. I made new appointments on 5/10/22 and 6/3/22. During those appointments Dr. Maron assured me that everything is ok. Finally on 6/7/22, four days later I went for second opinion with Dr. Muddasani from Mount Sinai Hospital. She informed me that piece of flesh with skin was ripped off from the very exit of my anus during colonoscopy and that I have infection in my anus. She prescribed antibiotics to take care of it. I am not complaining about tear off my flesh, I am complaining that Dr. Maron try to hide this problem by misleading that everything is ok, therefore creating even bigger problem with infection.

I think it is very unprofessional conduct which required review of Dr. Maron actions by Cleveland Hospital Administration.

Sincerely,

Joseph Ettinger

16th May 2022

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am writing to express some of my concerns after having been a patient at Dar el Fouad in Egypt a hospital that is working in collaboration with Cleveland Clinics.

On the 12th of May 2022, I was admitted for an operation to remove the gall bladder and was eventually discharged on the afternoon of Friday the 13th of May.

During my time in the hospital, numerous people kept entering my room, whether male or female, from janitors or porters to nurses and doctors, who often left the door wide open to do whatever they had to and leave. I found this not only degrading, with no privacy, but also there was little or no consideration to the state of the patient in the bed, and as a female, I felt humiliated. This point really surprised me, especially, as we are in a Muslim country and women are often veiled or covered. Perhaps, it was because I am a foreigner, and therefore the reason that this care for my privacy was felt not to be necessary and that they thought they could come and go without basic consideration for the person inside the room? I do appreciate and take on board we are in a hospital and in an emergency situation, however, there was someone in the room with me throughout and people could have knocked and waited to be answered rather than everyone just bursting into the room. My companion complained about this and we were assured someone would contact us regarding this after 72 hours. We are still waiting for this call.

In addition to this, I notice that your website lists a number of keywords such as diversity, inclusion and more importantly non-discrimination. The latter is more important for me, as I believe that you penalised me because I have a disability. I have a hearing impairment, which was part of the reason for my friend being present to ensure that I fully understood everything that was being said. Furthermore, though not my chief concern was the language barrier (something which my companion helped with as well), as most of the senior staff could speak in English. Imagine my surprise when I was presented with a bill of 1,264.24 because I had a companion in the room, who sat on a couch for most of the day until 2am, when the bed stashed in the corner was finally pulled out. Moreover, nowhere in the hospital does it state or display a tariff for people staying in the room. Furthermore, she was not offered any meals, which we ordered and were included in the bill and neither was breakfast and again we had to ask for this as well. I do not accept being penalised because of a disability and quite frankly, especially as this person not only helped me but facilitated communication with your hospital staff overall.

Finally, on release when I got home after a few hours, imagine my horror when I noticed huge sores or blisters almost like burns or scorch marks on my feet. A few hours after this a few more on my upper leg and vaginal area. Sores that can only have been the result of my stay at your hospital Dar el Fouad. I am assuming it is from the blanket or linen covers. Additionally, my companion also came away with a rash on her hand also as a result of staying at the hospital. I am astonished as not only am I trying to recover from the operation but now have to treat an infection caught from the hospital that I stayed in. I have taken photographs of the sores on my feet and upper leg region and can supply photographs taken.

In addition to this, I sat with a number of people, including a Dr Mohamed at Dar el Fouad and raised these points, which I shared in writing on the 17th of May. As yet I have had no response to any of these issues and in view of all this, I have decided to complain officially. Therefore I require your immediate response to my concerns raised above.

Yours faithfully,

Guitty Talberg

Today 5/11/2022 @ 11:45 AM

Today at the west palm beach Cleveland clinic I went to see Dr Lia Jamian and because of my exspirence at the office I felt I needed to share this. So Dr Jamian enters the examination room a greets me with all of the pleasantries and she then said so where her to discuss your lab results right ? My answer yes and a few other things hopefully. So she tells me that the Dr who has been treating me for RA had no reason to treat me for that because I didn't have RA and never did. Then she said you remember on your initial visit I told you that it's not RA I said yes and so that was that. Then I asked so what do I have ? Why am I in so much pain why are my hands hurting so bad why are the soles of my feet beginning to hurt more and more everyday. Why do I feel pain in my hands and are as soon as I enter the frozen food section in the food markets. Her answer was Mr Robinson it's all in your head. If you get the right meds all of this goes away you need to be treated and medicated by a physician who deals with these kind of issues. And oh by the way there are signs of osteo arthritis but not enough for me to treat. That was my experience today at the Cleveland clinic!