I've never left a negative review online for any business. I'm the type of person who instead of writing a negative review, would normally choose to simply not return to a business again if I was unhappy, and move on with life. But in this case, I feel like it's only fair to warn others about my experience with this business, since I was swayed by some of these 5-star reviews prior to visiting Gold Leaf.
I would agree with the other reviews that the facility is very clean and nice. And the PT I met with was very friendly and professional. The PT did not "fix" my issue (it resolved on it's own) but I felt confident about the PT's abilities. My compliments would end there. Because at the end of the day it comes down to integrity and value of services provided, and this where, in my opinion, Gold Leaf has fallen very, very short.
I was charged $1,111.85 for two very basic appointments. That's right, $1,111.85 - no typos.
No x-rays were taken, no adjustments were made, no massages given, etc.
The first appointment was basically "when did you hurt it? how did you hurt it? does it hurt when you raise your arm like this or like that?", etc. The PT put some tape on my shoulder similar to what an athletic trainer might do, showed me a stretch that might help and said let's get you in again soon. Nothing surprising about this, first appointments are often simply information gathering sessions.
For this, they came up with this list of charges:
- PT Eval Level 2 $254.00
- Manual Therapy Technique $168.00
- Neuromuscular Reeducation $84.00
- Therapeutic Procedure 1 $78.75
- Therapeutic Activities $100.80
Total: $685.55
Yes, to be fair an initial appointment should be more expensive because they need to set up a new patient file, etc and administrative staff need to get paid, too. I get all that. And I might agree with the first charge for the evaluation because that was basically what it was - an initial evaluation. But the rest? Really?
For my second appointment, I informed the PT that I had rested my shoulder and that it was feeling better. The PT suggested that we review some basic rubber band/bodyweight/range of motion exercises. And that is what we did - nothing else. The PT showed me a few exercises (most of which I already knew and did regularly) and watched as I repeated them.
For that visit, they came up with this list of charges:
- Manual Therapy Technique $84.00
- Neuromuscular Reeducation $84.00
- Therapeutic Procedure 1 $157.50
- Therapeutic Activities $100.80
Total: $426.30
Again, this was for what were, in my opinion, very basic/minimal services. $1,111.85. After insurance, I owed $589.73 out of pocket. I have never felt so ripped off in my life.
Something that further adds to my frustration is that I asked about a possible estimate before treatment and was stonewalled - they simply would not discuss billing with me. I asked about it again at my second visit and was again stonewalled. This seemed shady to me so I expected to be surprised by the bill, but nothing could have prepared me for the bill I received.
When I inquired about the billing after receiving the bill, I was told something to the effect of they don't set the rates, the insurance company does. I contacted my insurance company about this and they told me that is not true. Additionally, I reviewed the charges with insurance to learn exactly what they were - more bad news. According to my insurance, "Manual Therapy Technique" is basically a massage - I did not receive any sort of massage or adjustment from Gold Leaf, yet it appears that I was charged for two of them. So many things just don't add up here. And at the end of the day - plain and simple - how would you feel if you had two very basic appointments and ended up with a $1,111.85 bill?
So, after a few weeks of good old-fashioned rest, my shoulder is back to normal - no thanks to Gold Leaf. Unfortunately, my bank account balance certainly isn't what it used to be - all thanks to Gold Leaf. read more
