First off, what a nightmare. I fully agree with the other review that says they would give this…read moreplace 0 starts if they could--I should've done my research.
Let me preface this by saying this review is entirely based on my personal experience with the staff responsible for booking and billing at this office.
As a shy/introverted woman, it takes a lot for me to feel disrespected enough to voice frustration, but here I am. I called on 9/23 to schedule a cleaning and consultation since I was having slight discomfort in my tooth. The appointment was scheduled for 11/14, which was fine with me as I wasn't in pain at the time really. Unfortunately, on 10/17, I noticed an abscess in my gum. Since Dr. Shain's office is an hour away and I felt this could be time-sensitive, I called another dentist closer to me who said I should come in immediately. After seeing me for an emergency visit, they referred me to an endodontist, whom I saw on 10/18.
I called Dr. Shain's office to update them on the situation before my scheduled 11/14 appointment and confirm I was set for both the cleaning and consultation. I felt the receptionist was dismissive, which my husband--who was sitting in the car with me--also noticed. To my surprise, I was told the appointment had been booked for a cleaning only. I explained that I thought there had been a misunderstanding, as I had mentioned my tooth concerns during the original call on 9/23. Given my current circumstances, I felt disappointed that no one offered any help or resolution, but I decided to keep the cleaning appointment regardless, as I was due for one. I remember getting off the phone and telling my husband, "well, that will be the last time I go there" as feeling cared for by my provider's staff is very important to me.
When I arrived on 11/14, Dr. Shain kindly came in and asked me to clarify the situation with my tooth. I was surprised because I had been told this was a cleaning-only appointment and didn't expect to be able to discuss the issue. By this point, I had already decided to follow up on my tooth issue with the other practice and I was honest about that, so I explained the situation and requested to proceed with the cleaning only.
Then the receptionist came into the room and informed me that because they hadn't heard anything about my seeing another dentist in the meantime, the cleaning (initially covered by insurance) would now need to be paid out-of-pocket. The reason given was that they couldn't confirm whether the other practice had been paid by the insurance carrier yet. From my perspective, this felt unfair, as I had called to update them and even asked if the other office had contacted them and if I needed to reach back out to them for anything. It seemed to me that this information should have been noted, but now I was feeling blamed for the situation I was in.
I work in health insurance claim processing, and while I understand practices may have different protocols, I've never encountered a situation where benefits couldn't be used until confirming another provider had been paid. In my opinion, a call to the carrier or checking the claim status would have been a better resolution. That said, I was willing to pay out-of-pocket if necessary... I'll likely finish my entire treatment out-of-pocket at the other practice! What truly upset me was the tone used by the receptionist at times, which I found unprofessional, and the lack of empathy or ownership of the situation as we discussed next steps. It felt as though the entire blame for the miscommunication was being placed on me, even though I had made efforts to keep them informed as things were happening.
Eventually, I was asked if I wanted to proceed with the cleaning or not. At that point, I was feeling extremely uncomfortable just being there and would have preferred not to, but I was told that if I chose not to, I would need to pay a no-show fee (which I found extremely offensive and disrespectful). I felt cornered in my options and ended up deciding to move forward with the cleaning.
For clarification, in the end, they were able to confirm with the other provider, so I didn't have to pay out-of-pocket after all (we'll see if I get a bill later even though they said I will not). However, for me, this isn't about that. So, based on my experience, I wouldn't recommend this office and, needless to say, both my husband and I are taking our business elsewhere.
