Give us your cash, don't ask questions, and you can have whatever pills you want.
I honestly really liked Dr. Lai at first, but after only a few visits I realized that this office is basically glorified drug dealing for the privileged.
The office is CASH ONLY because of bounced checks and fees for credit cards. Every other doctor I see takes credit cards, so they are clearly just being cheap and trying to take as much cash as they can.
They charge an absurd amount of money per visit. First visit was $300 and then subsequent visits are $200. You would think they would put some effort into the office with their cash flow, but it's literally an empty office with a desk for the receptionist and one couch. And a bug zapper that goes off while you wait. It is totally empty and creepy. It looks like they could pick up at a moment's notice if they needed to...
You can only see her if you get a referral too, making what they are doing even more apparent.
The receptionist is obnoxious and racist. She rushes you off the phone and talks to you like you're an idiot. She referred to the recent civil unrest and protests as end times making a joke out of it while talking about her cop boyfriend. She also doesn't think covid is real and did not wear a mask either time I saw her. She misses going to the gym, that she made VERY clear.
I honestly let this go because I was finally getting the medication I needed and I did like Dr. Lai.
My breaking point:
I was unable to make my appointment because I was feeling sick. I called day of to say I wasn't feeling better and wasn't sure if I should come in due to the pandemic. The receptionist threatened to charge me and said nothing about me feeling ill. Finally, Dr. Lai called back. We talked for a few minutes and I let her know everything was working properly. She said she would write a new prescription for me and to make an appointment when I needed it. Perfect! Or so I thought...
I got a call a month and a half later from the receptionist saying, "you know your prescription has been sitting up here for over a month" in a very judgmental voice. I didn't know why a piece of paper was effecting her so much. I said I would make an appointment when I needed it, and she replied saying, "well then you are going to be charged $200 twice". That's when I realized Dr. Lai had counted those few minutes as an actual session.
I said I was not going to pay for a visit that never happened and that no one told me a 2 minute call qualified as a $200 session. THEN the receptionist threatened to add the missed appointment fee back on!! Dr. Lai would not come to the phone and instead just said, "I made it very clear to her". What the fuck?! I guess she already got $500 from me so she was over it?
Then the receptionist threatened to VOID out the prescription if I wasn't going to pay in cash for it. This is how they treat patients. Give us your cash, don't ask questions, and you can have whatever pills you want. I heard a few patients say they would just come in, pay cash, get their prescription, and leave without an actual visit.
I called my real doctor and got the prescription I needed in no time. Lesson learned. I am learning more and more about doctors like this taking advantage of people who need things like opioids and controlled substances. Truly deplorable. read more