This is a review of my experience with Martha Klaufman of Valencia Optometry, apparently operating…read moreunder Dr. Adam Cárcamo, O.D.
I called for help with a chalazion and was told they'd be able to address it for me, which made my day because I'd been getting the runaround from my primary care doctor with horrendous wait times.
On the phone, they said they didn't accept Medi-Cal. When I offered to pay out of pocket, they said it would cost $149, which I was fine with.
Upon arriving, the doctor was complaining about a strange sound clearly coming from the apartment above the office, probably some kid with a bouncy ball or something. It was a bit unprofessional, but I let it slide. I figured I'd finally be done with this awful chalazion that's been plaguing me for over a month.
They asked me to fill out paperwork before the appointment, which I did happily. When I turned it in, I was asked to immediately pay the "co-pay" of $149, which I did with my debit card.
About five minutes later, the doctor called me in for a standard eye exam, definitely not what I needed since I'd already had LASIK. I was there expressly to deal with the chalazion. During the exam, she checked my vision, and I explained the situation: I already had antibiotics from my primary care doctor, who'd referred me to an ophthalmologist, but the earliest appointment was November 4th, over six weeks away. That's why I was there and willing to pay out of pocket.
She explained that after about a week with no improvement from hot compresses, chalazions typically need a steroid shot, which I already knew. She said she'd prescribe an antibiotic "to kill the bugs," even though there was no active infection. Then she said she'd write a referral since "that wasn't the kind of thing she did there," and took me to her assistant to see "what kind of appointment we could get." At this point, I was both angry and disappointed but kept it to myself.
The doctor thought aloud for a few minutes about who to refer me to and asked about my insurance. I explained, while the assistant double-checked, that I was on Medi-Cal under SF Health Plan. She said, "OHH, that's why," and I said, yeah, I already explained this.
The assistant finally reached the place the doctor wanted to refer me to. They said they could only "help" if my primary care doctor submitted a referral, which had already been done, and that there was still a six-week wait. That's literally why I was there in the first place. When I said I was willing to pay out of pocket, they said it would be $500 just to get an appointment. The doctor told the assistant to hang up and told me to "call my primary care doctor and ask for a referral" to that same place.
The entire interaction took about fifteen minutes, from the time I arrived early to the end of that "referral" call. I paid $149 for fifteen minutes and got a prescription I didn't need, for a weaker antibiotic than the one I already had. I wish I got paid that well.
I DO NOT recommend coming here. The person who helped me on the phone was lovely, but the doctor was unprofessional, kinda messy, and had a bad attitude. Upon reflection, I briefly considered paying someone to make that same noise she was annoyed with earlier, the bouncy ball or whatever, and just play it on repeat outside the office as a kind of revenge for ostensibly stealing my $149. But instead I decided to share my experience here, buy better sunglasses, and wait until November 4th.
Onwards and upwards. Also, karma is a thing, just saying.
