Regional Medical Clinic

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unknown

I selected Dr. Tamang and was very pleased with his professionalism.

They are very nice and I've had them for a long time. My mother is 94 and she's been with them for 30 years. She is good and she is concerned about her patients. She takes time. She does all the positive things that make me want to go to her time and time again. They are awesome.

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Brief, no problems at clinic.

I had been suffering from foot pain due to osteoarthritis. I was referred to Dr. Johnson by my primary physician. I could choose to have the joint fused or to have the bone spurs removed. I did have several bone spurs removed. My recovery time has been substantial and I cannot really say that I am happy I had the surgery. However, this should not be considered a poor reflection on Dr. Johnson or his staff. I was not prepared for many months of recovery. This is primarily due to the osteoarthritis and not the surgery performed.

I had been avoiding the Dr. For a year or so. When I returned, I was not scolded or made to feel guilty. Together we came up with a plan to get back on track and stay on track with my healthcare.

I have celiac disease and thyroiditis.  Dr. Repas is an excellent endocrinologist.  He is like a detective and doesn't settle for generic answers but continues to search for additional clues before suggesting prescriptions or procedures.  He is one of the best physicians in the Black Hills by far.  I wish all the physicians here, regardless of their specialty, were more persistent and curious about the patient's individual needs rather than putting everyone together under a generic diagnostic code.  Dr. Repas is thoughtful, a great listener and has the patient's best interest at heart.  He takes time to listen, communicates back to the patient what he hears and what he thinks is going on based on various labs etc...  Obviously I can't say enough.  His nurse, Tina is also very professional, courteous and prompt in getting back to me whenever I have questions.  I'm very grateful to have him as my endocrine doctor.

Went great. A+ doc, best in Rapid City

As soon as my appointment ended, I went downstairs to the records dept. and requested my records.  They arrived in the mail about 10 to 14 days later and to my surprise I found 11 inaccuracies, including 2 medical codes that make no sense...2 codes that have never pertained to me in my history or Dr. Repas' evaluation, and are now in my medical record - 526.0 developmental odontogenic cysts and 733.0 osteopenia.  During our appointment he told me I had no reason to worry about bone density because I was not old enough.  In his notes he even wrote "there is no reason to perform DXA."
Also, he failed to notice my decades-old limp, writing that I had "normal gait and station" and was "ambulating normally." He also failed to check the range of motion of my joints, yet wrote in my record "no localized joint stiffness" and "Joints, Bones, and Muscles: no tenderness and normal movement of all extremities" when the truth is I have had almost zero range of motion for decades in both hips. He made many other smaller errors.  Dr. Repas never checked my range of motion in any of my joints.  I did write on my new patient formwork that I was concerned about my hips and told him at the appointment.
Shortly after I received my records I received a patient satisfaction survey in the mail from Bob Scarlett, director of the clinic.  I called Bob and mentioned these errors and inquired about how to correct them.  He said it would be best to put the issues in writing and mail it to their office, so I did.  I wrote a 4 page letter detailing the errors and included a copy of Dr. Repas notes which I highlighted for his convenience.  I called Bob and asked him about the progress being made to correct the errors and he said they were working on it and to give them some time.  Then I got to thinking it would really make sense for me to set up an second appointment with Dr. Repas so that he could finish his evaluation and actually check the range of motion of my joints and discuss the other errors.  I called and made an appointment for September 12.  A few days later I got a call from his nurse Tina who said she was cancelling my appointment and I am only to speak to Bob from now on.
I was perplexed - how could Dr. Repas correct my records without ever having checked my range of motion in my joints?  It made logical sense for me to go back into his office and have him check my joints.  How could he determine their condition without examining them?
About September 12 I received a letter from Bob saying Dr. Repas denied my request to correct my record, saying his records are "accurate and complete!"   Dr. Repas did not write the letter himself - he had Bob write and send the letter.  In Bob's letter it stated I was to contact HIPAA Privacy Officer Jennifer Bernhard, HIPAA Privacy Officer if I disagreed with Dr. Repas refusal to correct my record.  I called her September 14 and she said she blames the 2 incorrect codes on the coding staff, saying the doctor is not responsible for his own codes on his own records and nothing can be done to correct the 2 mistaken codes that a non-doctor has attached to my medical records!  I asked her what Dr. Repas basis is for denying my request.  She said because he reviewed his records and found them to be accurate and complete.  I said they are not accurate or complete and HIPAA law states providers must correct inaccurrate information. She said he is sticking by his original evaluation of me regardless of what my true condition is.  Basically, because he is "THE DOCTOR" ---  white is black and black is white as long as he says so. 
Everyone at this clinic seems to have taken leave of their senses:  nurse Tina admitted she saw me limp into the office, but refuses to acknowledge the inaccuracy of Dr. Repas notes saying that is between me and Dr. Repas who will not communicate with me directly.  Jennifer advises me to write a letter of disagreement to be included in my records. The law states that there are alternatives to amending the record and first and foremost is the requirement that the doctor correct errors.  That step has been skipped.  I told Jennifer I had just printed out a complaint form for the SD Board of Medical and Osteopathic Examiners and that I had just called the head of the clinic which is the Rapid City Regional Hospital and left a message.
As a side note, Dr. Repas was sanctioned by the state of Wyoming's medical board in 2003 and he entered into a Consent Decree on May 5, 2003 and his license was reinstated...hmmm, the dictionary states Consent Decree means one agrees to stop doing something illegal.  I called the WY medical board to find out the details and am waiting for the documents to be mailed to me.
TO BE CONTINUED!

He’s great.

I’ll be seeing her next week.  It’s a good practice.  I would tell others to go see her.

When I called for the appointment, the receptionist asked me my travel destination.  When I arrived for the appointment, the staff had done all the research to know how to help me with information, immunizations, and other health precautions.  I had a lot of apprehension about my health before going to the doctor and he allayed many of those fears.  He was also able to address my specific concerns related to my current health issues.  I paid $397 for the doctor's visit, including the 4 immunizations.  Maybe a little spendy, but worth it for my peace of mind.  I also felt the doctor did not go overboard with drugs but gave me backup prescriptions in case of need.  He took plenty of time with me and addressed all the questions I had come armed with.

I will put him perfect across the board.  He has a great bedside manner.  He is the best doctor I have ever met.  He takes the time to explain what he is looking for, what he finds and explains it in layman terms, so you can understand him.  He is punctual.  He is on time.  You don't have to wait for hours.  He is great.  His office is great.