Penn State Health Travel Medicine

I will write this in bullet point format I am 65, female, and in generally good health. Two weeks ago, I experienced an upper respiratory illness. The immediate illness ended, but I continued to have bouts of coughing, extreme sinus discomfort, and general malaise. Because my Penn State Health primary care physician got tired of his miserable working conditions and quit his job, I no longer have a PCP. I haven't bothered to try to find a new one because I already know that any new one will be as uninspired, understaffed, difficult to communicate with, and overburdened with electronic busy work as my last one was, a good doctor, and a kind, intelligent man who couldn't take it anymore. But I digress. So. I find myself stuck with going to Penn State Health Urgent Care. The lady who took my insurance information was kind and efficient. The LPN who took my vitals was an absolute princess of a woman. I would go so far as to say that we "bonded." The woman who showed me back to my pod was good at her work. Then came the woman who is, I believe, a nurse practitioner. She, too, is amiable. She listened to my complaints: cough, the constant need to swallow caused by post-nasal drip-, blocked ears, facial pressure, headache, and fatigue. She listened to my heart and lungs. She looked up my nose and in my ears. She said she would prescribe an antibiotic. I was delighted with that. (In recent years, when I have been virtually positive, I had a sinus infection...being extremely familiar with the symptoms of a sinus infection...I have been met with the party line, "We don't prescribe antibiotics for viruses." Yeah. Good. But this isn't a virus anymore. Now it's a sinus infection.) Again, I digress. So, I'm pleased I received an antibiotic. She is even willing to prescribe the antibiotic that I KNOW works for me when I have a sinus infection: a Z-pack. Next, I mention the blocked sensation in my ears. She looks into them again. This time, she says the left one looks fine, but the right one is blocked with earwax. Do I want to have an ear lavage to remove the wax? I have never had an ear lavage, and I was not eager to have water pushed into my ear, but I do want the wax to be gone, so I shrug and say, "Sure." She tells me to lie on my left so she can squirt Debrox, a cerumen-softening agent, into my ear. Then she says sotto voce: "I think I might even give a dose of Dexamethasone." This wasn't said to me. It's more "into the air," as though it's something under consideration but not definitely pending. It doesn't sound like a sure thing, so I don't ask any questions. After muttering this Dexamethasone proposal, she exits the pod. On her heels arrives another woman with a medicine cup of amber liquid. "What is it," I ask. "It's Dexamethasone mixed with a little apple juice." Now, why did I not say, "What the hell is Dexamethasone, and is it essential to my recovery?" I will never know. This is not representative of the way I allow myself to be treated AT ALL. But like an obedient child, I swallowed. I may have been feeling particularly disempowered by the fact that I am, by now, immobilized on my left side with miserable goop in my right ear. Only after swallowing the stuff did my brain engage enough to ask the apple juice and Dexamethasone lady, "May I bother you to hand me my phone?" I go to my trusted Johns Hopkins website. Dexamethasone is a STEROID! I do not DO steroids. Steroids cause me anxiety. No. Steroids cause me sheer, precipitous existential dread. When she comes back into the room to commence cleaning my ear, I mention this to the apple juice lady. She, more or less, puts the ball in my court, saying that I do not have a steroid allergy listed on my patient information sheet. "Well, maybe if someone had TOLD me what they were giving me, I would have had the opportunity to SAY, "No, thank you. I would only accept steroid treatment if it were going to mean the differen

I have been here a few times, not by choice, but I have. The first time was in the thick of flu season and I tell you that it was miserable. I came in after being sick for a few days. I felt like I was not getting enough air and started breathing very heavy. I went in and the staff in the front are not that nice. I could barely keep my eyes open and my dad was answering all the questions for me because I am nodding off every few seconds. The lady was talking to my dad like he didn't understand common sense. My dad is vietnamese and lived here the majority of his life but this lady was talking to him like he didn't understand english LMAO. I waited for almost 3 hours while I was literally struggling to breathe. I was taken back after a long time and waited there for even longer. I they came in and asked me a few questions, would leave and come back 30 minutes later, ask more questions, come back 30 minutes later, etc. I saw the doctor eventually and she was very nice and knowledgeable.

TLDR: This place tried to overcharge me with a surprise bill of almost $700 for services I never received, and they somehow "lost" the payment I made at the time of service. Save yourself the headache and schedule travel services through your PCP.It started out as an average/good experience... The nurse explained the available shots and the associated prices, and then I selected the ones I wanted to get. Before proceeding with the shots, I was informed that just to avoid any surprises my bill would come out to $366 for the shots and seeing the doctor, due at the time of service as per the clinics policy. The price was a little high compared to what the other travelers in my group paid by visiting their PCP (<$200), but it was still not too bad given the convenience. I consented, they gave me the shots, and I made my payment.A few weeks later I came home to a bill in the mail for an additional $700, making my total bill come out to almost $1100 for a few shots!The online chat staff was unhelpful, rude, and dismissive. After calling customer service to complain, they realized there was a mistake made and helped me get the bill corrected.

Traveling to Peru after the holiday. Scheduling staff made it very easy to get an appointment within 48 hours of my call. Was seen very quickly, the staff were all courteous and extremely helpful; was in and out with vaccine updates without any problems. Left with more supplementary health information on my destination than I was expecting. Cannot recommend highly enough if you need to be seen quickly.

Good experience - the gentleman (I believe Rob) who cared for my check in and who assisted in my check out was welcoming and helpful . My travel nurse , after a small computer glitch, was helpful and thorough.The doctor was engaging and i will return when needed.

Needed shots for an upcoming business trip to India. I was able to get an appointment in short notice. The staff was very friendly and knowledgable. The nurse and doctor are very personable and made it a great experience.

Excellent advice and professional service provided by Doctor Walker and his staff for the areas I traveled to in August! I showed Dr. Walker a map of areas in China that I planned to visit and he recommended various immunizations for me as well as to go on line to choose medical and evacuation insurance, since Medicare doesn't cover someone while traveling outside the U.S. I knew that but this was the kind of help I was looking for, and needed since I planned my trip solo from the getgo! If you like to think independently and stay away from large tour groups for your travel experiences, see Dr. Walker and his friendly, knowledgeable staff! I found that he has been in the travel health care business 12 years! Knowing that fact and then following up on his recommendations I was ready to travel with confidence! I kinda needed that boost of confidence since I am at the age of three quarters of a century. And now I'm ready for more exotic travels!

I've been to another travel health clinic in the area that is more expensive, but this clinic was just as good if not better. It was excellent, in fact. Thorough, knowledgeable.

I don’t even want to give this travel clinic 1 star. I was charged 3x more for the office visit than I was told it would cost when I scheduled the appointment over the phone. The doctor seemed to have little or no knowledge of travel. The doctor was googling everything while I was sitting there. He recommended a vaccine and when I asked him what the condition was he didn’t even know! He never even acknowledged my daughters presence in the room. (And she’s the one the appointment was for!) He also seemed to have a problem with breastfeeding and kept telling me I needed to give her a pacifier on the plane. (She doesn’t take pacifiers!) He was clueless and borderline rude, as was the nurse working with him. I’ve had good experiences at all of the other Geisinger facilities I’ve been to but this doctor was THE WORST!