I would never recommend this clinic to anyone and I would never return. I honestly don't know how they stay in business.
To start, the check-in procedure at the front desk is chaotic. There is no clear line, so that some people who entered the building after I did got checked in before me. And the staff at the front desk would not look up or offer to help people unless they absolutely had to. I watched this happen to others throughout my wait. There are two sides to the line - one for check-in and one for billing, but there are NO signs telling you where to go.
The nurse who took my information spoke broken English and instead of trying to get a good, solid medical history, she just put things in that sounded right to her - but were not accurate! This was the worst intake interview I've ever had. She did not know how to spell the names of some very common medications that I take and I had to correct her several times. When I told her that the location of my pharmacy was Bolingbrook (Illinois) she selected one in Bowling Green (Kentucky) and then didn't want to fix it. She had trouble using her computer system and I had to help her use it.
The first physician I saw actually did a fairly decent interview and actually seemed to care, but she botched the procedure and I had to return the following week.
The second time I got an awful doctor. He just wanted to examine me and not do the treatment I needed at this visit, even though I made it clear that was what I wanted when I made the appointment. He wanted me to come back later.
He finally agreed to do the procedure that I had scheduled but told me I'd have to pay for it myself. I told him that I'd gladly pay whatever the insurance didn't cover. I asked him how much it would cost and he replied, "I hate doing this," referring to finding out costs. The phone call to the front desk took him less than 30 seconds, so I don't see why that was such an awful thing for him to do.
I spent 12 minutes with this doctor (I timed it because of the numerous prior delays). Then he billed me for a 30 minute visit as a new patient plus a separate charge for the procedure. How can I be a new patient when I was just there with his colleague the week before - and why should I be charged for a 30 minute office visit that lasted 12 minutes? I know they can bill for shorter visits because they billed me less for a 20 minute visit for the previous week, when I actually spent more time with the nurse and the doctor!
The doctor refused to answer any questions I had about the procedure or how I should hold my head. He then positioned my head so that my neck was in a very painful position - then he complained when I asked him to allow me to move it. He told me, "I can only do one thing at a time."
Afterwards, he gloated about what a great job he had done, like an insecure child. When he stopped gloating, he pointed to the door and said, "There's the exit," and refused to answer my questions about what to watch for in terms of infection, etc.. Unfortunately, I did end up with side-effects two days later and had an awful time getting any support from the clinic.
When I left the office, I asked at the front desk if I owed them anything. The clerk told me that they would bill me. Then that night around 7:30 p.m. I got a phone call at home DEMAND payment in full. I actually tried to pay the full amount via credit card just to get them to leave me alone, but then the rep kept putting me on hold so I couldn't pay, so I gave up!
Then they refused to bill my insurance company for the procedure, but I got the ins. company to call them and they finally agreed. The doctor erroneously had written in the record that my procedure was cosmetic, not medical - even though my cornea was being damaged and there was nothing cosmetic about it and even though his colleague had billed me for a medical procedure the previous week. We had talked about doing a different procedure (removal of papilloma on another part of my face) that was indeed cosmetic, but that was not part of the procedure he performed - I think the notes got co-mingled.
Once the clinic reluctantly submitted the claim, my ins. company immediately paid the contracted portion and now I owe only a fraction of what the Wheaton Eye Clinic so rudely demanded from me. I ALWAYS pay my bills and resent the way they treated me.
So folks, find another eye care provider, unless you enjoy insensitive, error-prone, factory-style eye care! I mean, it's not like vision is important, is it? read more