Kaveh Soltani, DPM

On June 18, 2019 I arrived for my 10:30 a.m. appointment with Kaveh Soltani, DPM , early and signed in at 10:02 a.m. the... remaining account of my visit is a moment of hell for any senior citizen expecting a routine visit to a podiatrist.
Dr. Soltani greeted me by asking twice without a response from me “how is your sugar?” He then asked me what was your last A1C reading? I joyfully responded by saying 5.8 isn’t that beautiful? He did not respond, he then asked what was the last time it was taken? joyfully and jokingly I said let’s see…this is June, it was May, BAM I am so happy about that. After leaving the treatment room several times, he said I’m tired of your insults. I asked him if he was serious? He said “yes” I then asked how I did insult him? He did not answer and left the treatment room again. It was then I realized his none ending jokes and smiles were not there. I said “I don’t think I will keep this appointment and began putting my shoes and socks back on. I said “you are better than this, because I don’t want to use the useless term sugar as it relates to my medical diagnosis, after what seemed long a long silence he said “ You question me as a doctor”, I said “no real doctor uses a term “ sugar.”
Dr. Soltani screamed at me about how offended he was when I corrected him as he referred to my medical diagnosis of diabetes as “sugar”? I simply told him medical doctors do not refer to a patient’s medical diagnosis of diabetes as “sugar”. At that time, as he yelled, I felt bullied, insulted, and threatened because he then picked up the phone and said he was calling the police. I am a 68-year-old African American woman and to be threatened by a doctor with a telephone in his hand to call the police in 2019 because he was offended left me speechless. Soltani had joked with me during my family’s first visit to his office when he said, “here comes trouble”. I was not sure what that statement meant but now I know he was not joking …why would a doctor make an unprofessional statement like that to a patient he just met.
His behavior warned me not to continue with the appointment. I did not want him to cut off all my toenails at both the top and bottom as he did during my first visit. My toes were sore for more than a week and I could not wear adequate shoes. I was afraid he would do something even more drastic since he appeared angrier than I have ever experienced a healthcare provider could be. I asked this man during the entire situation was he joking about our exchange and he continued to berate me. I realized that his office was empty the two times I was there for an appointment. The office had no receptionist and he could lock me in the office and there were no witnesses to his behavior. However, I was not going to allow fear to grip me, so I somehow got out of his office and safely to my car. It took me hours to get home because when the adrenalin slowed down, I realized how unsafe I was in Dr. Soltani’s office. He manages to have a professional mask as he suck me and I suspect other people into his practice however, I am fore- warning all senior citizens and veterans (which I am) to be aware of this behavior. I expect more from a healthcare practitioner. I believe that is a right we have when we engage health providers and we want to feel and be safe. more details