On 2/11 I lacerated the fingertip of my left thunb with a razor. My wife immediately drove me to this facility. When seen by MD his beside manner gave me the impression I was there for something that wasn't necessary until I removed the pressure bandage I was holding and blood flowed quickly and freely. He told me he would stitch it and I asked about anethesia. He convinced me that " the anesthesia would be more painful than the stitching" He proceded to place one stitch. (Four sticks through the tissue) I would liken the pain to putting bambo deeply under one's fingernail. At no time did the MD offer pain meds before, during or after the stitching. He did wrap a rubber band around the base of my thumb and said that's all I would need to "numb" the area. Prior to the stitching I told him my thumb did not "numb." He proceeded anyway. Afterward I was presented with a billi of $638.00 and told to come back in the future to have the stitch removed. The next day I became very upset and realized I was in shock from the pain when I left the facility. I contacted a hospital to schedule the stitch removal as I was not going back to the original facility. When the stitch was removed elsewhere I asked if it was normal to stitch that way. The response was shock that I had been treated in that manner. I was told that a drop or two of dermabond would have normally been used for my situation, not a stitch. There would have been little or no pain, it's less expensive, quicker, less chance of infection and no return visit for stitch removal. To add insult to injury I received a billing five months later for another $160.38 that my BCBS insurance would not pay. What happened to the oath that MD took?
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