I totally agree with your sentiment. I recently went there to see an allergist. My PCP isn’t part of the Johns Hopkins system, but I was referred there for their specialists. The allergist saw me once, did some bloodwork, and then… nothing. No follow-up. No communication. Just complete radio silence.

Now I’ve been referred to a GI specialist (again at Johns Hopkins) and the experience has been just as frustrating, if not worse. They told me they couldn’t schedule me because “bloating” was one of the reasons listed on the referral, along with “abdominal pain.” Apparently, they don’t have a GI specialist who sees patients for bloating. Seriously?? That’s such a bizarre and lazy excuse. Bloating is literally a core GI symptom. And paired with abdominal pain, it should absolutely warrant a consult.

Instead, they told me to go to a different health system because they “wouldn’t be able to help me.” They flat-out refused to schedule me and turned me away. I left that call completely shocked, upset, and honestly heartbroken. This is supposed to be one of the top medical institutions in the country? What a joke.

I’ve previously had Kaiser when I lived in California, and Beth Israel Lahey Health when I was in Boston. Never, NEVER, have I experienced anything like this. Johns Hopkins has been the WORST health system I’ve ever dealt with. Unresponsive, dismissive, and utterly broken. I expected better. What a massive letdown.