SMC Telogorejo Hospital Semarang — Local services in Semarang

A hospital that doesn't appreciate patient’s time.

SMC Telogorejo is the main reference for me and my family if we experience health problems and need other medical facilities. However, my trust has been undermined only because of the lack of clarity of the staff in the name of the SYSTEM. I went to the dental clinic with an appointment at 14.00 in the afternoon. At 14.10 I arrived and the staff asked me to wait without any explanation that I was late. A few moments later patient No. 1 was called to enter the examination room, I was very surprised because at the time of registration via telephone I was number 1. When I clarified this, the staff answered that I had been skipped by 5 patients because my registration had not been completed due to the insurance process which at 14.10 was not yet complete. I filed a complaint because the banner installed beside their desk as a notice board clearly stated that "if a patient is called but is not there, will be skipped by 5 patients”. Here I clearly felt unfair, that I never felt called and the health staff just asked me to wait without ever providing information that my number would be jumped by 5 patients. Staff always act on behalf of the SYSTEM, as a patient and consumer I don't understand the system that runs internally in the hospital. What I understand is that I wasn't late, I wasn't called, but I was skipped 5 queue numbers. It's even worse when a patient just arrives at around 14.45 but goes in before I do because (again) in the name of the system. As a consumer, I felt disappointed and asked big questions regarding the queue number when registering via telephone. Why is there a queue number via telephone if in fact, the queue number can change according to the system at the time of attendance? All my schedules on that day got messed up just because of the lack of clarity in the management and the system. All these incidents and the clarification process made me feel very upset, especially the expressions from the staff who did not provide good hospitality and the absence of any apology at all for me who was forced to understand a system that was not in accordance with the announcement banner posted.

For everyone who reads this review: avoid getting queue number 1 when you register via telephone, because if you are late even just for 5-10 minutes because of the insurance system or other things at this hospital, you will be skipped by 5 patients without any notification.

This hospital is quite well-known for its good service, but based on my personal experience, there are still several aspects that need improvement.

Firstly, the appointment system via the app is a bit confusing. There should be a clearer distinction between BPJS (national health insurance) services and private services, especially when choosing a clinic or specialist. I wasn’t aware which clinic was BPJS and which was for private patients, so I selected randomly. On the day of the appointment, I was asked for a referral letter because the clinic I chose was under BPJS. Eventually, I was redirected to the private service, which came with additional costs.

On the positive side, the payment system is efficient — each department has its own cashier, so no need to queue multiple times. That’s very convenient and should be appreciated.

However, I found the SOP (standard operating procedure) a bit confusing. After seeing the pulmonologist, I was immediately given a prescription and sent to radiology. The result was sent to the doctor via WhatsApp, which was helpful. But afterward, I was asked to see a cardiologist urgently. So, what was the point of the earlier medication? It feels odd — ideally, the cause should be clearly diagnosed before prescribing any treatment.

One of the prescribed medications was Xanax, to be taken only when needed. But the effect is very strong — one dose could make me sleep for up to 12 hours. I think stronger guidance or explanation should have been given for this.

Hopefully in the future, the system and internal communication can be improved, so patients aren’t confused and can receive more accurate care.

Staff driven by A.I. system like hell.

I've tried requesting a medical record of myself for insurance purposes. I went there and the staff said to request by their system on the website. I did what they said, and I wrote 2 medical records with different occasions, hospitalization and outpatient. My insurance request is both for claims and reimbursement. 3 business days later, I got their message by system to pick up my medical record. However, it's only during the hospitalization period, not both, as I requested. The staff claimed that I only wrote 1 request and insist to wait for another 3-6 business days for the outpatient medical records. I showed the staff my screenshot, and still, he insisted it's automatically provided by their system. I don't reside in Semarang and have to wait and almost a week for a paper. What a hassle.

To the management: please educate your staff to be more proactive and read the actual patient request written in the system. The system is human-made, not entirely automatic.

To the staff: please learn to read and apologize properly.