Steven D. Lampinen, MD

I enrolled in the MDVIP Program which is a concierge based system that is designed to provide a better medical experience for patients. The cost was $3,000 for my wife and I.

I selected Dr. Lampinen as my physician of choice based on three factors: 1) He was accepting patients, 2) He would see babies/children, 3) Location.

My appointment was scheduled for 10 a.m. I received no instruction to arrive early, advance paperwork nor confirmation email / phonecall. I arrived at 9:47 a.m. The reception area is shared with another physician and there are two reception desks on opposing sides. The other doctor's area was lively, bright, TVs were on and a handful of persons were being serviced.

Conversely, Dr. Lampinen’s desk was empty and the lights were off. The area appeared closed. There was one other patient on this side of the waiting room. I signed in. There was one name ahead of mine. She arrived at 9:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. appointment time.

I sat down and waited. After 15 minutes someone showed up to one of the rear workstations with her back to the lobby. She didn’t review the sign in sheet nor greet anyone. She was eating breakfast at her desk. I got up and asked if there was some paperwork to fill out. Through a mouthful of food, she told me she would get someone.

A second admin appeared and provided me with standard paperwork. For a VIP experience, I expected the documents in advance or at least electronic versions to complete. I finished the paperwork at approximately 10:08 a.m. Around that same time, the woman with the 10:30 a.m. appointment was seen.

I waited approximately 30 minutes longer and was called back. A woman took some preliminary information (weight, height) and my vitals and I was told to wait and the doctor would be in shortly. The doctor came in at exactly 11 a.m. He was friendly and seemed personable.

I interrupted the normal introductory banter and recounted what I’ve documented here. I told him that it was unacceptable and the primary reason for enrolling in the concierge service was to avoid wait times and have a VIP experience. He apologized profusely and offered a wide variety of excuses. For example, the air conditioning is malfunctioning so the reception team was keeping the lights off to help keep the area cool. He didn’t have an explanation for the 10:30 a.m. appointment being seen first, but acknowledged that it shouldn't happen. He could not explain the lack of customer service or not having personnel present.

He noted that all of his reviews were positive and my experience was uncharacteristic. He asked if I would prefer to reschedule, continue or end the visit. I elected to end the visit and requested that my paperwork be returned.

When I left the office, I called MDVIP and described what transpired. They also apologized. They asked if I would like to see another physician. I explained that when I first enrolled there were no other physicians that met my criteria (accepting new patients and seeing babies). I requested a refund for the $3,000. The polite woman on the phone told me she would call the physician’s office to follow up and process the requested refund.