Commonwealth Orthopaedic Center

If you live in northern Kentucky, you may be tempted to make an appointment with a specialist from the Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers. Don't.

They just opened new offices on Rt. 42, and normally I would say this is good for local residents. We need experienced orthopedic specialists. However, they "triple book" appointments. What this means is for every appointment at 8 am with every doctor, there are three patients. Same with 8:15 and 8:30 and throughout the day. I wrote to the CEO, JoAnn Reis, to complain I waited 90 minutes. She called me, and explained it is their business model. "We get paid so little" for each patient, she explained, that patient stacking is "necessary". I asked her what I can do to ensure being the first patient of the day. "There's nothing" I can do, she said. It's absolutely necessary their doctors see as many patients as possible per hour throughout the day? She went further: "All the groups" patient stack around here. Patients must learn to wait. So patients must learn to pay doctors to waste our time with broken appointment times, Really? No.

Dr. Adam V. Metzler, like Barack Obama, is a nice guy personally. He has that nice smile and can be engaging. But professionally both of them are, in my opinion, not up to the job. I went to another Commonwealth Orth specialist for a painful knee problem. I waited 90 minutes, was told to have an x-ray taken (which they insist every patient have), and then told to take a medication and "see if that works". He also gave me a shot in my knee, which hurt even more for 4 days! I wrote a letter to the CEO and made an appointment with their other knee specialist, Dr. Metzler, and before seeing him, I had an MRI done (which should have be done in the first place). He told me I have early signs of arthritis, and oh by the way, a "torn meniscus". He said the pain is caused by swelling and fluid buildup, and take these anti-inflammatories, and no need for another appointment. He took a total of 10 minutes and never explained what I could do to reduce the extreme pain I felt. Very, very poor patient communication, as though we are all dumb hillbillys incapable of understanding a doctor.

I learned about a "torn meniscus" from the Mayo Clinic website, not Dr. Metzler or Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers staff. I made a third appointment with a board certified doctor in Cincinnati, something I recommend everyone should do. Avoid Commonwealth Orthopaedic Centers; they are a waste of your time (triple patient stacking) and money.