Family Medicine practitioners - Mount Pleasant, SC

"Absolutely the best most attentive caring doctor we have ever been to. My daughter needed a physician because she is away from home at College of Charleston and was very sick. He showed a true caring nature towards my daughter and made her feel at ease at a time when she really needed it. The staff was also wonderful. They went the extra mile. Thank you !!!!"

"The doctor often plays a crucial role in determining outcomes between life and death, so we choose our medical providers with care. We’re fortunate when the chosen doctor meets our expectations, but unfortunately, Dr. Alaina Payne did not. In July, my husband, Zen, suffered a stroke, leaving his left side paralyzed. Previously, he had also been diagnosed with diverticulitis at the same hospital. He spent three weeks at East Cooper Hospital, as it was the nearest emergency facility, and he showed steady signs of recovery. After his discharge, Zen scheduled a follow-up appointment with his primary physician, Dr. Payne. However, she didn’t order any clinical tests to reassess his condition and instead prescribed more antibiotics for diverticulitis. When our insurance didn’t cover these antibiotics, Zen contacted her office to request a medication change. Instead of a straightforward switch, Dr. Payne’s assistant called Zen every 30 minutes, urging him to return to the office. Given that Zen was still unable to walk, he understandably asked why he needed to come back so soon, as his last visit was just two days prior, and the doctor had merely prescribed medication. Despite his reasoning, the assistant was relentless. Zen, having just had a stroke, was still weak, disoriented, and in need of rest, and all he wanted was to be left in peace to recover. Eventually, he agreed to go back, only for Dr. Payne to reprimand him about his “tone” when speaking to her assistant. She then informed him that for this she would no longer see him as a patient. Dr. Payne always pushed for more appointments. Initially we had to make an appointment with her assistant, and only after that we had a luxury to schedule appointment with a doctor. Reason? Just a greed trying to get more money from insurance. A few weeks later, Zen developed the flu and tried to schedule another appointment with Dr. Payne’s office. She did not respond. Due to ongoing symptoms of nausea and dizziness, I eventually sought help from a GI specialist at MUSC. At our first meeting, after reviewing Zen’s x-rays, the GI doctor doubted the initial diverticulitis diagnosis and ordered a colonoscopy. The results were devastating: Zen was diagnosed with sigmoid cancer, with a tumor measuring 5 x 8 mm. The MUSC doctor promptly scheduled surgery. Dr. Payne only prescribed antibiotics that did more harm than good, and, knowing the difficulty of finding a new doctor, she dismissed him from her care over an administrative issue. Given this negligence, we are considering legal action for her misdiagnosis and failure to provide proper care, allowing Zen’s cancer to progress untreated. Dr. Paine’s actions are a serious violation of the Hippocratic Oath, showing a lack of professional and ethical standards. This experience has left us questioning how someone so dismissive and unhelpful could be entrusted with patients’ lives. "