RUN FAR FAR FAR AWAY!!!!!! I have not had one good experience here yet. The provider opened the door while I was fully naked without warning (so I did not have a chance to cover myself), and then did not close it fully behind her.
I usually see Brown Dermatology, but could not get in until September. I have been battling a stubborn eczema flare since December (I am writing this review in July). I was able to get Triamcinolone through my PCP, which is what I usually use in a flare. I then was stuck in a cycle where I would use it for the two weeks and it would clear up almost completely, but then when I would stop to give my skin a rest (if you aren't familiar steroid creams must be stopped after a few weeks, in my case two, to avoid complication and dependency) and it would start to get worse again. I needed to go back to the dermatologist, but my regular dermatologist could not get me in, so my PCP recommended this place, as they can get people in quickly. They did get me in within a 6-week period, which is one of the only two things I can say they did well (the second positive thing is that the office staff is polite).
The NP I saw (Bethany) said that she thought my rash was not eczema but a fungal infection, and that was why it was getting worse (steroids make fungal infections worse, as she said). She put me on ketoconazole and a few other prescriptions, which were all sent to the wrong pharmacy after the office closed on Friday, so I had to wait until Monday to get my medications.
We did not know (as I had never taken it), but I am actually allergic to ketoconazole. The treatment caused the rash to triple in size, and it became so itchy that I was genuinely considering drastic measures. When I went back 6 weeks into treatment, she said that she believed I was allergic to the ketoconazole, and since there was no benefit, it was likely not a fungal infection after all, but she was unsure. She told me to stop using ketoconazole and to go back on the triamcinolone (but if it wasn't effective when the spots were small and mild, why on Earth would it work now that the spots were large and moderate/severe?). She said she thought I still might have fungus between my toes. She was going to prescribe a different anti-fungal. She also took a biopsy to determine the cause of the rash. She said that there was a chance that it was still fungal, so to call back immediately if it got worse on the steroid. 48 hours later, and the improvement was dramatic (but the skin was still in poor shape). She never sent in the anti-fungal, but I didn't call because I don't think I have fungus between my toes. I have absolutely no symptoms of a fungal infection (no rash, itching, odor, etc), so I did not call.
I got a call today with my biopsy results, and it was eczema. I knew this all along, and my pcp was able to diagnose this; the only one who didn't know was this provider, which is interesting. I would imagine a dermatologist of all people would be able to distinguish between a fungal infection and eczema, especially when non-dermatologists could, but I digress. When discussing the results, the medical assistant said that the provider was going to prescribe a different steroid cream. She then said to continue using the ketoconazole. I informed her I was allergic. She said that the provider said to keep using it. I informed her that the provider had said she was going to prescribe a different med because I was allergic, and the assistant said that the NP had put in her notes to continue on the ketoconazole. This went back and forth, so I said ok. I am not going to use a medication I'm allergic to, especially not to treat something that 1.) I'm fairly sure I don't have 2.) should've already been treated when I was using this medication for 6 weeks, so even if I did have a fungal infection, the treatment clearly was inefficient. It just wasn't worth arguing.
I went and picked up the new med, which is apparently stronger than the triamcinolone. The instructions this provider assigned said, "Please see attached for detailed directions." I looked at the directions in the box, especially because I want to confirm I am supposed to use it twice a day. The directions say "apply... once a say. In some cases, twice-daily dosage may be necessary". Annoying, they didn't tell the pharmacy or write on the prescription how often to use this medication. I went to the patient portal to see if they made a note in my medical record regarding our phone call that would include the instructions. They did not. I did look at my last visit note to see if it was annotated, and what I saw was the cherry on top of an already horrible experience.
The medical record was wrong. Some parts are completely fabricated. Some parts contradict each other. Entire conversations that never occurred. Even the reason for the visit was wrong. Absolute BS. I cannot wait to go back to my regular derm and never come back here again!!!!!! read more