This operation used to be first class with qualified medical services. In the past a sincere effort was made to validate customer concerns. Gary Valesky (sp?) was great but new woman is terrible. Spent less than 2 minutes looking at a spot of no consequence on my back and looked at my ear and a touch of nitrogen was administered. Billled $348 for office visit @$197 and additional $151 for skin surgery ($348) total to insurance with my portion being over $121. Called billing to dispute this on 9/15 and explain ridiculousness of the charge. NO EXPLANATION SINCE and same amount rebilled and received today 11/7. TERRIBLE and will not use ever again! Caveat Emptor! read more

The office is very poorly organized. It is very difficult to reach them, and they don't return calls to set up an appointment. I was asked twice for the same insurance information, but after my visit, I received a bill for the full amount with no insurance coverage. Trying to follow up, I was sent in circles (the billing company they referred me to said they do not handle Encinitas West Dermatology billing), and I finally reached someone who said they would take care of it. Today I received a revised bill for my ten-minute office visit, for the $179 portion of the bill not covered by insurance. My one star rating of this operation was raised to two stars, as the actual provider, Gary Vanetsky was very nice and seemed competent. read more

The clinic smelled like old food. The receptionist was not pleasant and I stood there thinking she was gathering papers or something for me to fill out so I just stool there she did not say thank you you can have a seat and they will call you shortly... she said nothing then she said rolling her eyes did you need something? I sat down got called in by the MA who was very sweet and professional then who I thought was the Dr came in looked at my spider veins and said oh I know someone very good for you to see and gave the MA a hand written Dr name and number. I'm confused I thought this was the reason I was here to have these looked at and injected? And why did I pay copay? To be referred to someone else? Also I've to say this place needs to be upgraded the rooms and front are horrible . Not to mention what the mayo stands look like..I was pretty grossed out. 2 stars cause the MA was super nice and PA was nice too read more

West Dermatology - Mayo stand - Dermatologists Near Me - Encinitas, California

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The office smells like food. Not just once. They also seem very disorganized and rushed on visit.

Horrendous. We've left at least six messages regarding the prescription they wrote and have yet to receive a call back. The front office staff is absolutely rude. Find another dermatologist. read more

I have been a client of this business for 17 years. I've always had a great experience. My Go-To for Botox is Brittany. I love her. She is now on maternity leave and so I saw Jessica Riley, DO for botox about a month ago. I waited a full 2 weeks before calling after I found the botox to be insufficient on my forehead. I've never had any issue before this visit. I went in today to have a "touch up", assuming it would be comped. Afterwards was told I would be charged $60. I was shocked. I told them I didn't think it was fair to charge me for a touch up. No place I've had botox does this. NO exceptions! I went to pay and was told then it was $75 for 5 units of botox. Here we go again. I am very disappointed in them. Bonnie Hooper would not have done this, nor I feel would Brittany. I will probably find another place after being satisfied with them for over 17 years. I read other poor reviews and now sense the business has gone down hill from the Stellar business they used to be. It seems rather short sighted business wise to nit pick over a client being dissatisfied with their treatment. Gain a little more $ and lose a client. read more

I can not say enough great things about Gary Vanetsky at West Dermatology, Encinitas. His knowledge and expertise in the realm of dermatology is unsurpassed! Gary always takes time to explain procedures in a way that is easy to understand. He is incredibly patient, friendly and truly cares about his patients. He always recommends just the right amount of product or procedure to achieve natural, beautiful results. His honesty and professionalism set him apart, and I trust him completely with my skincare needs. I highly recommend Gary Vanetsky. West Dermatology is very luck to have him. Susan, office manager, and her team are helpful, flexible, Knowledgeable And friendly. Susan is a pro in office management... she goes the extra mile for all patients. Thank You!! Kathie read more

In the thirty minutes while I waited in the waiting room for my appointment - two patients came in for their appointments only to be told their doctor no longer worked at this location and so the appointment didn't actually exist. Front desk person was like a deer in headlights - could hardly manage to spit out a "sorry". One patient had driven an hour to the appointment. Finally they offered to try to squeeze them in with a different doctor. My own doctor was twenty-five minutes late and I decided to leave rather than wait for another second in this incompetent, unprofessional office. Avoid West Dermatology at all costs. read more

Dr. Gary and his team are the absolute best! Seriously, they've gone above and beyond to take care of me. I live close to LA half the year and I happily make the trip just to see them because they're that fantastic. The dermatologists assistants are amazing. They're consistently cheerful and incredibly caring, which makes you feel completely at ease before seeing the derm. read more

I've only been here twice and it's my first time seeing any dermatologist. I found everyone very nice. Sadly, I don't know their names, but the Dr. was a young woman, very nice and efficient. The young man was Asian and very polite. So, I guess I could say that I had a good experience and have already scheduled a future appointment. read more

Pros: 1st appointment: I saw Gary Vanetsky. He was thorough, took my full history, looked closely at my concern(s), offered me treatments that are covered by insurance, didn't try to upsell me on anything (in fact, I left with a free sample of an OTC at my second appointment which helped me follow his advice without having to make another stop). None of this happened at the dermatology office I went to; he was my second opinion and I'm so glad I went. 2nd appointment: I went back for a full body check and he was incredibly thoughtful, ethical, and made me feel at ease. I initially was set up by the assistant, and I wasn't fully covered up. When he entered the room he immediately turned this into a teaching moment for the assistant telling her how to make sure I was more covered so I could feel more comfortable. This happened without me saying anything about it or expressing any concern, he did it without a second thought. His teaching also sounded kind, which was really nice to hear. All around a really positive experience and I have my third appointment with him coming up. I plan to keep coming back for sure. read more

I wish I read the Reviews, I was in the parking lot eight minutes after my scheduled appointment and they canceled me and said I had to come back then hung up. Don't do business with people like this they don't respect your time. Both of the receptionist were rude and are killing the business. I posted a screenshot showing the time they called. I'm guessing it's not the first time and not the last time they will do this to someone. At least let people know if you are more than 8 minutes late they will cancel you. Took me an hour back and forth and took time off of work. read more

West Dermatology - Dermatologists Near Me - Encinitas, California

They don't actually have a dermatologist. When you call and make an appointment, know that while your referral may enable you to see a licensed, certified dermatologist, they don't actually have one. "Dr. Gary" is a PA. And, hey, I LOVE PA's. They're amazing. I see several for other things. But, call me crazy, I think that I should be able to see a dermatologist if I have a referral for a dermatologist. And I think that if your "dermatologist" is actually a PA, then you should tell me as much - and not just talk about "Dr. Gary". When I called to book an appointment with an actual dermatologist and refused to see a PA or "Dr. Gary" as he was called, I was told that, "...our dermatologist is from Texas and they're aren't certified in California yet..." - WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? Find another dermatologist. Find them quickly and avoid this practice. read more

I would NEVER schedule another appointment with this group because of their phone system. You wait forever to get a live person and most of the time you have to leave a voicemail and they will return your call by the end of the NEXT business day. read more

Got referred here from my primary took a few weeks to get in. I went in for a spot on my neck that my PCP wanted biopsied. When Gary came in he looked at the spot and asked me who told you to have this biopsied. I told him my primary care doctor. He looked at it and told me it was small and looked normal/slightly irregular. He then asked me again who said to have this biopsied? At this point it seemed to Me he was in a hurry and didn't want to do it. Fast forward to 16 days later I got a call from a medical assistant that I have melanoma. I was shocked that #1 a medical assistant was calling with a cancer diagnosis #2 The guy who called didn't give me any reassurance and made me even more scared. This could have been avoided by a provider calling as anyone who is given a melanoma diagnosis would be scared. I am a medical assistant and I've never in my career have called a patient with a melanoma or any other cancer diagnosis. It's above my scope. I am not trained or educated to Answer the questions patients will have..Seems like this place is too busy to really care and take the time for their patients. For this reason I have moved on to another dermatology office.I no longer trust them. Also, I was never told by this office I would need a mohs procedure. Thankfully I know enough about medical to know this but for a person who doesn't know that would be some important information to give someone. My whole experience here gave me a bad taste in my mouth. Also when he called to ask surgical questions I told them I have a blood disorder.. I have a feeling that wasn't even added to my chart as it seemed that he was asking the questions cause he had too not that he cared for the answers ugh! It was really rushed. Please train your employees on patient care. In the end I'm so thankful I advocated for myself and pushed to have this done. I will now have a mohs elsewhere to have this melanoma removed. Avoid this place. They are also impossible to get ahold of :( read more

I would give zero stars if I could. This place is awful and extremely unprofessional and does not care about the well being of their patients. There is only one doctor at this location who was not available for appointments until March. I was told to see a nurse practitioner. I had a bunch of rashes on my skin that were getting infected. I saw a NP and she took a sample of my skin to send to a lab and put me on antibiotics. A few days later a girl from the Dr office called me and said that I needed to stop taking the current meds and start the new one. She did not have the answer to any of my questions. I was told that if I have questions about the meds I was prescribed i would need to make an appointment and that none were available until January. I told them that was ridiculous since I was just seen and would like to have my lab results explained to me. I was told that Brittany Polizzi would call me in the afternoon, and no one called. I was also told that the lab results would be loaded in my portal, and they are not. This is extremely irresponsible that no one in the Encinitas location cares about their patient's well being. read more

It feels like the only thing this business cares about is $$. Not cooperative at all. The front desk is rude to patients. You can't get an appointment forever. Go to a different dermatologist office if you want a good experience. read more

Hit or miss with this place. Gary stitched up an incision for me on an atypical cell removal and it looked like a two year old did the sutures (a comment made by someone else in the profession when they saw the sutures) and left me with large scar. Waited for months for results on a scratch test which were lost by the lab...it took West Derm a while to follow up. Long hold times when calling. But they get patients in right away which is nice. Thorough skin screenings. read more

Please know, this is NOT a review of the practice as a whole. Only the FRONT DESK STAFF. I am not a patient here, but am always open to a new "Botox doctor" and have stopped in here twice after another dr. appt. (1.5 years apart) in the same building to "inquire inside" about Botox Week, as instructed on the giant sign outside and have been met with the rudest, most unwelcome, gaping stares that dared me to ask a question. When asking for pricing, I'm told, "I mean, I can look it up but......". Basically, "just go to the website, you idiot." I always leave after my 30 second interaction feeling horrible about myself, like how dare I bother them? Oh and to the redhead, you may want "inquire inside" about some Botox specials yourself. Other rude girl working around 4pm on Tuesday afternoon, I hear Emsculpt is great. How do you like that taste of your own medicine? read more

I have made ten phone calls over eight days trying to make a appointment. No one picks up the phone , so; I leave messages, to date have not received a call back! Very frustrating! I might now drive to office for a response? read more

Absolutely unprofessional and unacceptable experience today. I had an appointment scheduled early this morning and was under a tight timetable because I had a work commitment right after this appointment. When I showed up a few minutes early for my appointment, there were a few people in the waiting room and one woman was called in before me. This caused me to sit in the waiting room for 20 minutes and when she left, she thanked the staff for "squeezing me in last minute" and the staff said "no problem, our pleasure" right in front of me. If the staff would have honored my SCHEDULED appointment, I would have been able to complete my appointment and still make my work commitment. Instead, I had to leave and wasted a 40+ minute commute plus the 30 minutes I stood in the waiting room. read more

Do NOT go here! Find another dermatologist! Even if it's the only place your insurance will cover I caution you! They could not be more rude, unprofessional and disrespectful! I have never experienced such blatant disrespect from a medical office. I suppose I should have read their reviews prior to scheduling. Apparently they are grossly over priced as well. They do not deserve a star at all. read more

The PA doesn't have a clue about treating an allergic rash! Absolutely did not know even after I told him... finally got it confirmed via allergist. read more

I scheduled a full body check here and wanted to establish at a new dermatologist. My experience was not great. The Encinitas office is was small and cluttered. I was called back 15 minutes later than my appointment. I request a female doctor but a male PA was in the office the entire time I got my full body check. I felt super odd about this. I wanted to talk to the doctor about some concerns and had some questions regarding my skin and wanted to ask about some Botox services I was interested but before you know it my skin check was just (5 mins) and the doctor was saying goodbye. Super impersonal I will not be returning to this practice. read more

The Dermatologist I saw was wonderful. She was professional and personable during a stressful procedure. I would highly recommend Dr. Gladsjo. And I would be leaving 5 stars for this firm if it wasn't for their back office procedures. After my procedure, I came back to West Dermatology for a few follow-up appointments. Less than one year later when we tried to refinance our house, I was told there was a collection agency mark from West Dermatology on my credit report for one unpaid $120 bill. I immediately called the agency and paid the bill. When I called back West Dermatology and asked them why they didn't try and contact me, they said they mailed me notices. I asked about the address and the one they used was incorrect. They never called, they just mailed my bill to an incorrect address AND AFTER 6 MONTHS passed this $120 bill on to the collection agency. They honestly seemed disinterested with my concern so I just moved on and vowed never to go back. Luckily, I was able to challenge this mark to my credit report and get it removed somewhat quickly but it could have been disastrous. I would see this Dr. again but only if she moved to another firm with more ethical back office practices. read more

The actual work the doctors do is fantastic, the one star I gave is for the billing department. I would give them negative 5 stars if possible. I was told $500 to remove a cyst from my head, which they did a great job of. Paid the bill and made a return appointment to get the stitches removed. After the stitches were removed, I asked twice if there was any additional money owed and they said "no, you are all paid up - nothing else is owed". A month later I started getting bills from them starting at $145 (with a description of a procedure for women - I'm a guy) that showed 120 days past due. After numerous calls with the billing department they said it was taken care of. Then I start getting bills for $75, also saying 120 days past due. This has been going on for a year now and I refuse to pay random bills that they just make up for no reason. As I said, the doctors are great, but unless you want billing issues that go on for years over amounts that they just create out of nowhere, avoid this place. read more

I went to the office with an acne problem and was prescribed Acutane. The physician was perfectly nice though seemed to be in a hurry. I was very excited to begin the medication because I have been battling rosacea-acne for years and had tried every alternative with no success. Getting on Acutane requires bloodwork and I went to get it done right after my appointment. I then waited a couple of days to hear back if the results of the bloodwork cleared me to get on the medication. I then waited another couple of days and then another couple of days. I finally called the office only to discover that no one had even checked on the results so that they could call in the prescription. I was then told that I needed to fill out a form to begin the medication and that it should arrive by email. I waited a day, and then another and then a week. Nothing. Over a period of several days, I left three voicemails so that someone would contact me about why the email had not been sent. Having heard nothing and at my wits end, I left a fourth voicemail threatening to go stand in the office all day until I was helped. I also filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Apparently, it took all that to get their attention because they finally did call me back. By that point, however, I had lost all faith in their competency and will be taking my business elsewhere--which will be another delay of a month to get an appointment and start the medication. This was a waste of my time and certainly a waste of my money. Absolutely unprofessional and unacceptable. read more

The good news is that I got very good care from Dr Riley and staff. Everyone was very friendly and professional. And I was seen promptly. The not so good news is that I was billed an extra $117 a month after my service even though i had paid the agreed-upon amount in full on the day of service. Not the end of the world, mistakes happen. But now 5 months later, I continue to receive erroneous bills and recently text messages. Yes I've called. I've spoken to Mica, Martha, Susan, Noel and at least one other person. All promised to take care of it. But no. The last comment I got today was that if I get contacted by a collection agency (!) I should call West Dermatology back and they will immediately take care of that. What!?! How about just fixing the mistake now instead? Feb 3 update: Just received another invoice in the mail. read more

DO NOT GO HERE! Money Scammers! Unorganized, unprofessional and undereducated billing dept! Their billing dept has continuously billed incorrect codes which led to 3 months of battling claims with insurance. Additionally, they offer services and under deliver intentionally to rake in more money. A service which was promised as one visit was then broken into 3 visits. Money scammers! read more

Dr. Riley is amazing, but the front desk customer service is horrible. I always give the benefit of the doubt if I've had a bad experience 1-2 times but this makes about the fourth time this has happened. At my appointment last month I stressed that I wanted my next procedure to be before my sisters wedding and Dr. Riley said that was no problem and that I could be double booked if needed. Then at check out they said that is not possible. Now here I am a month later, my insurance is ending in two weeks, the wedding is next week, I have a called a few times and they have been no help with expediting my referral or listening to my concerns. Consistently cut off and talked over on the phone. Higher customer service was to be expected as I've always loved this practice but will now have to find another dermatologist. . read more

I don't want to write a bad review but I feel that it's needed to warn others. The reception has not been helpful since I've had my first and only visit here. I was told to pay a total amount for services I agreed to pay for. Low and behold I receive a letter of outstanding balance due which I thought at first okay I'll call them and everything will be taken care of. It's been now 5 months and I'm still getting a bill from them! I've been wasting my time trying to reach out to them explaining already over 3 times about this and I don't know what else to do at this point. The only reason I haven't dismissed this is because I don't want a surprise on my credit report because someone can't do there job. I'm hoping the owner reads my review and takes care of this ASAP. read more

It was my first time here! Everyone on staff is extremely pleasant, and they were able to give me a last-minute same-day appointment within just a few hours, which I really appreciated. I saw Gary V, and he was extremely kind, knowledgeable and thorough. The visit was also reasonably priced, which I definitely was happy about! And of course, who doesn't want to be in Encinitas? read more

We were there a few months ago and realized was never posted. We liked the doctor a lot. The problem is the practice and some of the staff. Family member had melanoma removed but never actually spoke to a medical person. They just randomly call to schedule wide excision without us ever having seen the pathology. We would have liked to have spoken to the doc, but at least someone with some medical training. The nurse who started the post removal was great, but another nurse dismissed him for lunch and just got to cleaning the room while we had an open wound needing to be finished up. We don't remember her washing her hands. She might have...she was abrupt and was not friendly. Seemed more interested in tidying and administrative stuff. Again when we learn there is some infection a health professional doesn't call - we get an admin person who isn't able to answer questions. it seems wrong to have non medical staff deliver news like melanoma and staff infection. Never experienced anything like that before. Again, love the doctor. This is just absurd. And don't bother leaving messages with the service. They don't get returned. Better to keep calling the office and leave a message that way if you can get an answer. read more

I recently visited this practice and since I've been a patient here,-- never been disappointed with either treatment or customer service. Dr Gary (as I call him) is very attentive to your concerns and is an expert at what he does. Will never go anywhere else for my dermatology needs.! read more

Dermatology skin checks are never fun, but Dr. Riley totally put me at ease. She was very thorough, asked me a lot of questions about my skin regime and gave some great recommendations. I'm so happy I found Dr. Riley! read more

What a refreshing medical visit I had today. I feel like many times in the past my issues have been downplayed when I go to the doctor and it results in a multiple visits until someone listens but not here!!! Dr. Gary Venetsky listens and explains and is amazing!!! He truly cared and was super gentle with the needle which was a plus! Highly recommend. read more

Been coming here for a long while now & I love it :-) Love my doctor Gary V. He is so caring and listens to & solves all my problems . & Everybody who works here is super nice . Highly suggest ! read more

Been reading a lot of the reviews and was extremely surprised at the few negative ones. I've been coming to West Dermatology or more specifically Gary for the past 10+ years. He's outstanding. Once I had a small something on my eyelid that the doc did not want to touch because the eyelid is a paper thin muscle. One mistake and you could permanently damage it. Gary knew it bothered me and felt he could remove it. He did and it was a masterful job. That sold me on him. His skill and knowledge is unmatched in my experience. If you are looking for competent dermatology in North County, look no further than West! read more

I received a written response from Mary M. Regarding my previous review. Even after a phone call discussing this in detail she failed to acknowledge the poor customer experience and supported the staff. It's extremely unfortunate but apparently based solely on their written response they feel this level of service is acceptable. It's easy to understand why so many patients are unhappy there. She clearly didn't listen to the main complaints and of course this is the main reason for their many failures. If you don't listen you can't fix what's broken. It's sad she has time to write a 2 page letter but not enough time to listen carefully and address the proper issue. I must assume this issue was not important enough for them to take action and this poor customer service will continue. Proof big is not always better and that large medical corporations will comtine to fail its patients. read more

Came back to see Dr. V for an excision of an abnormal mole. He was so cool. Really enjoy his personality and the way he interacts with his patients. My son was there and he was engaging. He did his thing, very easy, sewed me up with a smile and off I went. I hope to keep him as my Derm for a long time. I really enjoy him, his front staff is ok. read more