I've never felt the need to review any establishment until my experience with the shenanigans at La Peau Dermatology. My time at La Peau was easily the worst medical experience of my life, and I've had acanthamoeba keratitis (don't look it up if you don't want to lose your lunch).
I came in with a referral from my family doctor for a simple mole check and potential removal. My doctor had described the mole as "potentially a very serious melanoma" and wanted me to get to a dermatologist right away. She referred me to La Peau and I regret taking that recommendation every day.
I came to the office, sat in a packed waiting room that was still freezing cold somehow. The wait wasn't long, but once I was called into an exam room, it was just as freezing. I waited for some time until I was greeted by two anonymous people (they neglected to introduce themselves or their titles) and proceeded to quiz me on everything I had already written down on my paperwork. They asked if I had questions, and at that point I had no idea if perhaps one of them was the doctor, so I started bringing up my concerns. The conversation went like this:
"I was wondering if this marking on my face from acne is hyperpigmentation and what can be done about it?"
"Insurance won't cover a chemical peel because it's cosmetic".
"So is it hyperpigmentation? Is a chemical peel the only solution?"
"I can get information about pricing if you're interested."
At that point it was clear that neither of them were doctors, but it would have been helpful to know that before I wasted my time trying to get useful information from them.
When they finally left, I ended up seeing a PA. I told her about my mole, and she took a look at the splotch coming out of it and said "Well, that's just a blood vessel. It's fine." Feeling some relief but also incredulousness, I asked "Really? That's great! How can you tell it's just a blood vessel?"
She turned to me, sneered, and said "Uh, how it looks."
I have never really received that kind of mean-spirited treatment from a healthcare professional, so I kind of shut down at that point. I should have spoken up for myself, but I wasn't sure it would be a good idea to sass someone who might be cutting me open in a few minutes, especially when they've already busted out lines like that.
So I said, "Ok, well, should I be removing it? Or is it ok not to?" She said "We can take it off if it's gonna make you feel better I guess, but it would probably be fine." With my family doctor's words echoing, I had the mole removed.
I wish that it ended there!!!!
Despite NEVER seeing a doctor the entire time, I was still charged the full specialist copay on top of a deductible!! I actually paid $150 to be verbally abused and the abuser didn't even have an MD. And they wanted me to come back for another appointment (read: pay them another $50) just to hear them read the results off of a sheet of paper. That's a classic move, so I cancelled that follow up appointment before I fell into the trap.
If you have an FSA, AVOID AT ALL COSTS. I had to return IN PERSON to this godforsaken place TWICE because they refuse to provide financial documentation for FSA reimbursement. I had to sign paper after paper allowing for the release of information TO MYSELF, and every document they provided blatantly lacked the details any basic FSA requires. I had to call and call until they stopped picking up my number, then get my mother to call until they finally caved. If you can't handle FSAs, maybe tell people up front before they have to deal with the headache. It's a pretty common insurance option, so people are going to assume that you can accommodate them and know how they work. read more
