Dr. Yousef violates VSP in network terms and tries to deceptively get you to pay more. Multiple people at VSP confirmed she is providing false information and violating VSP terms.
Her office suggested what I believe to be insurance fraud.
I grew up in West Lake, went to school here, still live here. Nobody I know goes to Dr Yousef for good reason.
I called beforehand to make sure they knew how to handle medically necessary contacts and to confirm they knew that I was entitled to a year's worth of contacts (any brand/type) under VSP. Two people said yes.
After my appointment, they told me I would owe several hundred dollars because VSP only covers a certain dollar amount. Per VSP, the office is supposed to write off the overage between the cost and what VSP pays. They are not allowed to "balance bill" patients the overage. It's like when medical doctors have a contracted rate with your insurance company. It's the max they can charge.
I called VSP. They stated that Dr Yousef is violating their terms. The terms are clear: 1) the doctor is to provide one year supply of contacts regardless of brand or cost and 2) they cannot charge me any overage from what VSP pays the doctor.
VSP called the office and informed them they could not balance bill.
The office then called me and said I had two choices: 1) they would make a claim for one year supply with VSP, keep the annual allowance VSP pays, but deduct boxes until the cost is under VSP's allowance (this is what I believe is insurance fraud and also, I wouldn't have medically necessary contacts for several months) OR 2) I have to switch to a cheaper brand. In other words, they are not doing what's in the patient's best interest but what's in their financial best interest. I informed Salina at this office that they cannot do this.
I called VSP back. They said the doctor absolutely cannot do this under the VSP terms the doctor agreed to when they became a VSP provider. Salina also sent me an email stating that they were going to balance bill me or I needed to go to cheaper contacts. They then told me to go somewhere else. Basically, they were caught violating the VSP insurance network terms and told me to go away.
I read Salina's email to VSP and they stated it was "completely false information" and I filed a grievance against Dr Yousef with VSP for violating the terms she agreed to when becoming a VSP doctor.
I have had medically necessary contacts for 13 years. Ive never had a problem. My last doctor put me in these specific contacts (brand and type) because we tried many different brands and these were the ones that worked the best for me. I don't know the cost of them since I've never had to pay. My previous doctor was looking out for my best interest. Dr Yousef is not. She's looking out for her financial best interest.
Unfortunately, my previous doctor is in Houston so I was forced to find a doctor in Austin and had the unfortunate experience of going to Dr Yousef.
She also misdiagnosed me before she even looked at my eyes and missed a cataract until I told her. Then she told me her initial diagnosis of my medical condition was wrong. Her diagnosis didn't sound right so I pushed back and then she looked at my eyes. Shouldn't she have looked at my eyes before she went off about some medical diagnosis?
She pressured me to buy glasses from her. Previous doctors have told me that I cannot use glasses because of my condition. They give me huge headaches. I told Dr Yousef this but she was intent on hard selling me glasses because she makes money off the frames.
I do not have a lot of confidence in Dr Yousef's skills or thoroughness as a doctor. She can probably handle easy cases but not anything more than that and definitely not my case. She sent me home with trials that gave me a horrible headache within 2 hours. When I called the next day, she said to try them again. I again got dizzy and had a horrible headache. I was supposed to come back in but because of the misleading and deceptive billing practices, I didn't return.
I called before making an appointment to make sure I wouldn't be in this exact situation but her office (Vicki) assured me they were familiar with medically necessary contacts AND confirmed I would be able to receive a years worth covered by VSP.
They also never issued a refund they promised and I had to dispute it with my credit card. read more