Advanced Physical Medicine

Reviews 3

EU

Eulojio Ortega

I understand there are some positive reviews  and, but after what my wife and I went through, on every level, I would warn those needing quality and professional therapy that they might want to look elsewhere.  If there is insurance coverage or an insurance settlement involved, expect the prices to be tremendously increased from what a cash pay client can expect -It may seem harmless to you, since insurance is paying, but its that much less settlement you get, that much faster you reach the limit, and that much more you have to pay if insurance won’t cover for any reason. We went there looking for treatment and pain relief following a terrible rear end collision, and instead walked out with an enormously inflated bill of over $15,000 - about double the initial quote, plus some additional pain. The $15,000 therapy fell quite short of success as my wife still cant turn her neck past a certain point and she developed a new pain in her chest that she felt may have been related to the adjustments. She brought up the issue of the new pain, but it was swept aside and ignored. She still feels pain in her chest. Dr. Berkey seemed like a really nice guy at first, and he assured us that he understood the limitations of the insurance coverage and would work to keep the cost within those limitations (we have this in writing), but when the treatment was over, the final bill was double the estimated quote intended to stay within the insurance budget. Instead of working to keep the cost within affordability, Dr. Berkey seemed to add very dubious charges at every opportunity. We found that five short  conversations during the scheduled Physical Therapy visit (also billed separately) were charged at $190 each as "Consultations". She did not make an appointment for these billable “consultations” - they were happening without her knowledge. Reusable ice packs placed on our necks were billed at $35 every time.  If you walk in off the street for a massage it would cost you $35, but in our “insured” case, Dr. Berkey ramped it up to $210. Thirty seconds of adjustments at $60 each, aside from which, to this day there are also "Manual Therapy" charges at $60 each that were never explained.  These higher alternate prices were never disclosed to us when we began treatment.   From my experience, the therapy itself seems nothing more than a standard cookie cutter routine with very little effort on their part. You go through simple exercises on your own while they do other things. It was the same for both me and my wife, despite the fact that we had different injuries. I had a very specific area of pain, but nothing targeted was ever done to help it and it did not improve.  They popped our neck and back exactly the same each time, and I have to assume that everyone else gets the same undifferentiated treatment.  Most of the excercises are so basic you can look them up online and do them yourself. We have tried to speak to Dr. Berkey to get an explanation about the enormous bill and were completely stonewalled in ridiculous runarounds of logic. When he eventually began responding to our emails, it was pretty hostile.  When we asked to come in and speak to him, we were told that they had invested enough time in us already. The office does not return our calls, and we were told that requests for records are billed at $25 each. It has become such a lousy situation.  We went to Advanced Physical Medicine looking for treatment and pain relief, but Dr. Berkey sees it as an opportunity for a cash grab. It’s just a bad bad experience. So understand that at the very least, Advanced Physical Medicine has two sets of prices and they differ greatly. If you go there, especially in an insurance situation, demand to know exactly how much every single thing costs. From before the second you walk in, do not take any conversations for granted as free, and analyze every single charge. We are currently in the process of filing complaints to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

TO

Tom Ranger

Advanced Physical Medicine has provided superb medical care for me. I originally came to them with herniated discs in my neck. I had the problem for about 5 years and it was progressively getting worse. It was causing neck pain, headaches, and pain with numbness/tingling into my arm. My arm and grip strength was getting weaker and weaker. My primary care doctor sent me to a surgeon. The surgeon told me that I wasnt a surgical candidate (and I didnt want surgery anyway). I was then referred to Advanced Physical medicine. I felt comfortable as soon as I walked in. They are a large reception area and they were very welcoming. I first met with Dr. Malik (medical doctor) who has a great bedside manner and is very knowledgeable. She spent a lot of time with me and answered all of my questions without rushing me out the door. She ordered a nerve test that was performed by Dr. Berkey. He did the EMG/NCV nerve test which helped him to diagnose that I had nerve damage from my disc herniation. Dr. Berkey looks very young. It took me by surprise at first. He was very caring and like Dr. Malik, spent a lot of time with me reviewing the testing results and giving me treatment options. After discussing all of my treatment options and the costs of those options, I decided to do chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage therapy, and non-surgical spinal decompression. The results were amazing. I felt significantly better after about 2 weeks of treatment. My arm pain and numbness/tingling were gone. The total treatment took about 2.5 months. I am about 95% improved. I cannot believe that I wasted 5 years in pain! If I had known that I could have felt this good in such a short time....I just wish I would have found Dr. Berkey and Dr. Malik sooner. The clinic was very upfront about their fees and my insurance reimbursement. Everything was explained to me in great detail. I have been to a lot of places searching for an answer and Dr. Berkey and Dr. Malik gave me everything I was looking for (and more). I now use Dr. Malik as my primary care physician. I also follow up with Dr. Berkey for check-ups to make sure that I dont regress back to where I was. I do my home therapy program as well. If you are suffering and looking for quality care, knowledgeable physicians, and caring hands, I HIGHLY recommend this place!

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Anita Eversole

I needed to loose weight but was in severe pain most of the time in all of my joints. APMY was there to help. When I called - Jen answered the phone - she was so positive and welcoming, that I felt comfortable right away. In less than 3 months under the care of the doctors and staff of APMY, I had lost almost 50 pounds and was finally not taking medications for pain. I could walk, bend, sit, stand, work and play without the discomfort and pain that had almost completely debilitated me. At 55 years old, I feel better than I have in 20 years. Dr. Malik and her staff and Dr. Burkey , Joe, Natalie, and Leslie worked up a plan of care that both helped me to rehabilitate and loose weight - it was fun and effective. The staff is professional and very attentive to all aspects of care. They all worked together to design a program that was manageable both in the clinic as well as gave me instruction so that I could continue to maintain and progress at home. Pat, the business manager worked with me so that I knew what would be covered by insurance and what would not - when I had questions she was there to help - and always with a smile. A year after this huge success, I had found myself busy and because of my schedule I had begun to somewhat ignore my exercise and diet. I called APMY. I was experiencing a return of pain and pounds and was becoming more and more discouraged - they took me right in and set me on a plan of care to get me back on track. They always make me feel positive and give me the encouragement and education that I need to keep on track. I will add that during both periods of times that I have been in the clinic - I have personally witnessed this staff completely transforming various patients. We patients all work out in the same room and get to know each other and we share our stories - there are several that came in crying out in pain and left weeks later completely rehabilitated and praising the skill and knowledge of the Doctors and staff.