O'Neill, Dr. Patrick J
About us
Dr. O’Neill has been providing primary care/family medicine in Madison, Alabama since 1994. As a husband and father of five children, he has actively steered his practice towards health care for entire families. This care has specifically included pediatrics and long term management of health care issues ranging through generations. Additionally, as a three sport college athlete himself and general sports enthusiast, patients can feel comfortable using this practice as a starting point for their own sports medicine. With an extensive background, Dr. O’Neill brings a wealth of medical and personal experience to Madison and surrounding areas. We are equipped to perform in-house labs, radiology, ultrasounds and can offer same day appointments. We are currently accepting new patients. We accept insurance coverage from Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, and Tricare Standard. There is 1 doctor at this site. Minor surgery is performed at this site. To see if provider is board certified visit abms.org.
Business highlights
Services we offer
& Minor Surgical Procedures., Family Practitioner, Immunizations, In-House Labs, Injections, Patient Education, Physicals, Radiology
Amenities
Emergency Services
Yes
Accepted Payment Methods
- CreditCard
| Number of Stars | Image of Distribution | Number of Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% | ||
| 0% |
HE WORKED TO GET TO A SOLUTION TO MY PROBLEM
HARDLY NO WAIT TIME
I was very pleased with the doctor. The wait was very reasonable and he answered all my questions. I did not feel rushed. I plan to go back to him for another refill, plus I need a physical this year.
He is very thorough. If I come in and have some concerns he is one to recommend to test but not over test if he can not determine what the problem will be. He is very no nonsense but has a good bedside manner and has a sense of humor. He does not sit there and tell you story after story. He is very prompt, I rarely have to wait unless he has an office full of people. I have been seeing him for 15 years. He is a very good physician.
I have been able to schedule same day appointments on many occasions. If I can't get the same day, it is usually the next day. I have never had to wait beyond my appointment time, and once you get into the exam room, you are attended to very quickly.
As noted in other reviews, Dr. O'Neill is a man of few words, but of much wisdom. If you have questions for him, you have to be assertive because he is very quick to move on to his next patient. That is why his office works so efficiently.
They are also very flexible with lab work as well. If you have a preference for either Crestwood lab, or Huntsville Hospital lab, you just need to let them know that up front as they do have staff from Huntsville in the office. If you choose Crestwood, but a Huntsville Hospital staff member draws blood, there may be an added charge. If they know up front, they will have a non-Huntsville Hospital staff member draw instead. Just have them note your preference in your record and all should be fine.
All of their staff have been very friendly and accommodating to me every time I have been there.
As noted in another review, Mary can come off as gruff, but she is a very nice lady. Her thick Irish accent can make it sound as though she is being terse with you, but that is not her intention. She has asked me for my pharmacists number in the past, and if you let her know that you do not have it on hand, she will gladly look it up.
I also wanted to describe an earlier experience with Dr. O'Neill. When my son was born, my wife and I stayed in the hospital for a few days for her to recover from her operation before she was released. Dr. O'Neill drove out to the hospital to check up on our son and gave us an update every morning. I don't think he is legally required to do this, and it was a long drive for him, so we greatly appreciated it!
I had been going to Dr. O'Neill for several years for a quarterly check of my medications and for blood work. During these times I would get a call from a nurse which would give me the results. Most of the time it was a nurse named "Mary". This woman was very condescending to the point of being very rude. Now, I am 48 and been around long enough to know to be a very patient, long-suffering and accommodating person to everyone, especially professional people that have hard jobs like doctors. Many times someone who is rude can be won over by being nice. Unfortunately, "Mary" never came around and her attitude really started grating on my nerves.
Finally, the next time I went for my checkup, I told the doctor about it and requested politely that someone else call. He said it was no problem and he would have another person call. Sure enough, I got a call from a very nice person and was very happy.
Later on, I got a sinus infection and went to the doctor. I reminded him that I did not want "Mary" to call. He said "I thought we took care of that" and checked his notes. He didn't say anything, so I thought it was taken care of.
When the results came in "Mary" was the one who called. I tried to be nice and just get off the phone as quick as I could. She told me that she was going to call in a prescription and which pharmacy did I want it called in to. I told her and she said "Do you have their number?" Since I was at work near the computer, I said "I can get it... just a second" about 10 seconds later she said "You can call me back." and as I was saying "Wait... I have it right here..." the line went dead. She had hung up on me. At that point I told myself I will not talk to her again.
I called the office back, explained what happened and she took care of business. She KNEW the phone number of the pharmacy when I told her the name. She was very nice and professional.
Fast forward about a month or so and I was still having issues with my sinuses and had to get a call from their office... and guess who called? It was "Mary". I didn't even listen, I just hung up when she said "Mary". The doctor's office called me back again and it was another person. I explained the situation and that I didn't want to talk to "Mary" any longer. She said she understood and was very nice and took care of the business at hand.
About another month and I had another issue for the doctor. Again, they called me. Guess who? It was "Mary". When I knew who it was, I said "I'm sorry, you will have to have another person call me" and hung up. Someone else (nice) called me after that.
Now, in about two weeks after that, I got a very terse certified letter that I was being dropped as a patient. It didn't say why at all. I called the office and asked the receptionist. She said she didn't know, but would find out for me and call back. Honestly, I had no clue what it was about at the time. I thought the doctor was retiring or something! The receptionist never called back.
I was telling a co-worker about the issue and after hearing the story she said "I used to be a patient of his. You know Dr. O'Neill's wife works there... I don't know what she does or what her name is... but that might be your problem". I checked their web site and found that his son worked there, but I couldn't find any reference to a "Mary".
[NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS MY DEDUCTION ONLY. I CAN'T PROVE IT]Putting two and two together, here is my belief (and only my opinion) of what happened. "Mary" is probably Dr. Oneill's wife. Once I told her that she would have to have someone else call instead of her, I bet she got insulted. Knowing her personality, she probably ran to the doctor and told lies about me that would get me kicked out. I am a VERY nice person, but it would not be hard to tell lies that *I* was rude to her or cussed her. Who would the doctor believe if not his wife? [END MY DEDUCTION]
In any case, I had to find another doctor. Looking back, it is probably the best thing for me because my current doctor and office are exceptional. I am very happy there!
Another minor "negative" is that he doesn't believe in doing refills for maintenance medicines. You have to come in every three months to get blood work. They do not call into the mail order pharmacies unless you pay a fee, so I was always very close to running out every three months.
Now, other than that, I will be honest and say that there was some positives and why I stayed with this doctor so long. I will try to be brief.
1. Dr. O'neill is a man of few words and for some he might come across as gruff, but I kind of liked the "directness". He did care about his patients and did what he thought was right medically. Not a great communicator, but his heart was in the right place.
2. Dr. O'neill is VERY fast. You do not wait too long and when he is examining you he is like lightning. He knows his job. The only downside is that you better have your questions ready because he will have his hand on the doorknob and be heading out before you can open your mouth. :-) I always had questions prepared in advance so I wouldn't forget.
3. The other staff, besides "Mary", is nice. Some nicer than others, but all were at least an 8 out of 10 minimum. I liked going there and the facility was neat and clean. The lab people were also very good and talented in their job.
Now, to sum it up:
If you go to Dr. O'neill, you will either like or hate his methods. It's not for everyone. Not a bad doctor, but he is very direct which can put off many people. Also, if you decide to go here, get ready for a nurse named "Mary" to call you with results, be rude and talk down to you like a five year old. If you complain about her or decide not to talk to her because of it, you better be looking for another doctor because you will be out the door in a few weeks with no explanation.
Always able to fit us in, even when we call with a last minute issue.
Licensing
State Contractor License Requirements
All statements concerning insurance, licenses, and bonds are informational only, and are self-reported. Since insurance, licenses and bonds can expire and can be cancelled, homeowners should always check such information for themselves. To find more licensing information for your state, visit our Find Licensing Requirements page.
*Contact business to see additional licenses.