Let me start this review by saying that this office used to be run by Dr. Nadar. I started seeing Dr. Nadar in 2008. He was the best doctor and the office had the best staff. Since Dr. Nikolakeas started taking over the office, most of the original staff members have either quit or have been moved to back office positions. The office is now just a shell of what it used to be.
For example, I needed Dr. Nikolakeas to fill out some forms for me on one of my appointments. Dr. Nadar used to fill out the forms with me during my appointment. It took him less than 5 minutes. Dr. Nikolakeas gave the forms to Amanda (the receptionist) & told her to copy the information from the old forms in my file to the new forms. The forms were just simple multiple choice questions with check marks next to the appropriate answers. The forms also needed to be signed by Dr. Nikolakeas.
Instead of having the forms ready for me after my appointment, Amanda told me that it would take her a few days & I would have to come back & pick them up. She knew that I lived 45 minutes away.
She called me a few days later & I went back to pick up the forms. I then had to wait for Amanda to make copies of the original forms to leave in my file. I looked over the forms to make sure they were completely filled out before I left the office. I noticed that the doctor's signature was missing on a form. I showed it to Amanda & she said she would get a signature as soon as Dr. Nikolakeas finished with a patient. I waited for over two hours for Amanda to get a signature. My whole day was wasted between my drive there and back and waiting over two hours to get the forms back. If Amanda had done her job, the forms would have been completed, signed, & copied before I even got there.
Then again, if Dr. Nikolakeas had done her job, I would have had those forms filled out & given back to me even before my appointment was over.
Another example. When Dr. Nikolakeas wanted me to get a bone density test, Amanda told me that I needed to call all of the MRI offices near me to see if they did bone density testing & if they accepted my insurance. After I found an MRI office near me, I was to call her back & give her the phone number of the MRI office so that she could call them to request my bone density test.
I found out that the place that had been doing my mammograms for the past 8 years also did bone density tests. Amanda should have given me the choice to get my bone density test done there instead of sending me on a wild goose chase.
After getting my bone density test results, Dr. Nikolakeas recommended a Prolia injection for me because she said that I had osteopenia (the stage before osteoporosis) in my left hip. She said that my insurance should approve the shot. She said that she would get the approval and then make arrangements for me to get the shot.
A few weeks later, she gave my contact information to another doctor's office & they called me to schedule the appointment. I assumed that she had gotten approval from the insurance company before giving out my contact information so I made the appointment and got the injection. About three weeks later, I received a bill from the other doctor because the injection was never approved by my insurance.
When I complained to Dr. Nikolakeas and showed her the bill, she told me that the Prolia rep was coming to her office later that day & she would talk to them & the other doctor about the cost of the shot. I then received a second notice from the other doctor. I asked Dr. Nikolakeas to file an appeal with my insurance company and she ignored my request.
Because Dr. Nikolakeas didn't get pre-approval and refused to file an appeal, one shot has cost me $1,080.00 out of my pocket.
I've since found out that, in order to be effective, a Prolia injection is needed every six months & insurance doesn't cover it unless you have a bone density test that shows you have osteoporosis.
Needless to say, I've since found a new doctor that I can trust to do what's best for me, who follows through, and keeps their word. read more
