Brenda Stuhldreher got a letter from Gonzaba Medical Group that made her worry she was losing care. Gonzaba said she was still a patient after KENS 5 got involved.
SAN ANTONIO — A northwest San Antonio senior said she was frustrated and confused after receiving a letter from Gonzaba Medical Group which said they would no longer serve as her primary care provider after 60 days.
Brenda Stuhldreher, 79, said she received a letter from Gonzaba Medical Group around April 28. The letter said the provider was reviewing it’s “care delivery model.”
The first two sentences of the second paragraph stated, “After much internal discussion amongst GMG Leadership and with much regret, GMG can no longer provider healthcare services to all our current patients. You are receiving this letter because we will no longer be able to be your Primary Care Medical Provider 60 days after the date on this letter…”
Stuhldreher’s initial interpretation of those words was that she was losing her care.
“I was very upset. I didn’t know what I was going to do. I’m trying to think ‘how do I get care?'”
At the same time, that wasn’t the end of the letter. The third paragraph stated, “However, GMG has developed an alternative primary care service for you. Please take note that care provided through this service will likely be with a different GMG provider, not your currently assigned Primary Care Physician.
Stuhldreher didn’t know what that meant and said she called Gonzaba Medical Group group the same day she received the letter.
“I got a lady and told her that I had received the letter and she didn’t quite understand what was going on. I had to read her part of the the letter,” Stuhldreher said.
She said she then drove to their Culebra Road location that day and still couldn’t get a full explanation.
“I got the patient advocate and it appeared that she had never seen the letter. She looked a little startled and went to see her supervisor who would not speak to me,” Stuhldreher said. “Nobody explained to me what was going on.”
Finally, after more than a week of not getting answers, she called KENS 5.
“It just is not right. Seniors shouldn’t be treated this way,” she said.
KENS 5 reviewed the letter and observed as Stuhldreher called Gonzaba Medical Group yet again.
During that call, a representative told her that she could, in fact, remain a patient at Gonzaba after July 1 but she would need to schedule a new appointment and she would now be served by a pool of doctors instead of one primary doctor. The representative said GMG was making the change “due to high demand and limited appointment availability.”
Stuhldreher said this information was new and Gonzaba Medical Group had not provided this explanation before.
KENS 5 then reached to Gonzaba Medical Group directly to ask if this most recent information was accurate.
Gonzaba Medical Group sent a response the next day which included the following confirmation:
“Thank you for sharing your concern. The letter Ms. Stuhldreher received was intended to communicate a change in physician assignment, not a loss of access to care. While she will no longer be assigned to a specific primary care physician, she may continue receiving care within Gonzaba Medical Group through other Gonzaba providers. Ms. Brenda Stuhldreher remains an active patient with Gonzaba Medical Group and is not being discharged from our practice.
Thank you for your feedback related to the letter. We understand the letter and subsequent conversations caused confusion and frustration, and we regret that experience. We are working to ensure patients receive clear and consistent information regarding these care delivery changes.”
Stuhldreher also received a personal call and said Gonzaba Medical Group assured her she was still a patient.
“They called me and apologized about the letter,” Stuhldreher said. “She said ‘I just want to reassure you that you are still a patient with us.'”
The senior said it was a relief and she’s glad she called KENS 5.
“That’s all I was trying to find out from beginning to end. What does this letter mean and how does it affect me?” she said. “Now I have the information that will let me find out what way I want to go.”
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