Portland Dermatologists - Center for Dermatology & Laser Surgery

Reviews 4

CR

Cristian Gonzales

Despite some questionable review on Yelp, I thought Id give this practice a chance since theyd received a decent amount of positive reviews from people and I needed to find a new dermatologist in the area as I seemed to be suffering from a combo of rosacea and acne combined, which had been going on for awhile. The doctor I saw was Dr. Joseph Welch. Relatively speaking a decent doctor, though can be a bit short at times. He ended up prescribing me several topical medicines to use at once, and told me to come back about a month later. Started using the prescriptions and pretty quickly things started to go very wrong. I ended up breaking it out in a horrible rash and the office squeezed me into an emergency appointment with the doctor to get it resolved. He ended up taking me off pretty much everything hed put me on, and put me on oral antibiotics for about a week to calm everything down. When I left that appt I went to the front desk and asked if I needed to pay a co-pay for the last visit. They told me I did not. I asked them if they were absolutely sure (thats me asking them twice), they said, nope, I was good. And I could leave. Due to my insurance plan, I had a deductible to pay. I paid one of the bills, and then spoke to one of the front desk people about the second bill. They told me I only needed to pay $80-something dollars. That the rest of the bill had already been taken care of, and that what I had received in the mail was a mistake. Okay. Went ahead and paid that. I then get a call from the billing dept. a few weeks later saying I owed a balance from the second deductible payment. I told them what the front desk had told me and they said, oh...they made a mistake. Dont listen to them. You actually still owe more on the bill. I was annoyed, but it wasnt that much more extra to pay, so I said fine. Heres my card number to charge it to. Then they told me I owed a co-pay on the last visit. And thats when they crossed the line for me. I told them I specifically asked the front desk if I owed a co-pay. Asked them TWICE. They told me no. If they made a mistake thats the second mistake they made, and I shouldnt be paying a co-pay for an appt. to correct mistakes the doctor had mad anyway. The billing assistant told me that she would ask the doctors if they could make an exception. She called me back a few days later and said the doctors said I needed to pay it. I became livid, explained to her one more time why this was so incredibly unfair, and she said she would ask again. Then I got a call from another billing agent today (after almost a month of not hearing from them) saying I owed the co-pay. I called out that they basically have lied me to twice now. First time they told me I didnt owe any more on the balance. The second time they told me I didnt owe a co-pay, and each time, it turns out it had been a "mistake by the front desk". I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU NEVER COME TO THIS PRACTICE. EVER. The doctor caused me to break out in a terrible rash, and still made me responsible for having it corrected. And the front desk is apparently absolutely inept at providing correct information to their patients. And their billing department has zero consideration for the situation of their patients when the doctors have screwed up.

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KR

Kristina Psaris-Weis

A month or so ago I saw Dr. Gasch and he was nice and helpful then, and he wanted to remove a mole on my toe that was suspicious. I was hesitant to do so because it had been there and looking the same for a while, but he insisted and Im not one to be unafraid of possible cancer. He removed it he ended up having to dig deeper. Everything seemed okay, but when the numbness wore off I noticed that it was quite painful to move my toe at all, which meant it hurt to walk and I limped very noticeably. This lasted for more than two weeks, and it prevented me from doing many things that I normally love to do in the summer. I talked with several other people who had had moles removed and no one had an experience remotely close to this, and they suggested that perhaps I had suffered some nerve damage. It really seemed like Dr. Gash had gone too far or done something wrong, and I couldnt do anything about it. Then I got the bill. Even after my insurance I was charged almost $250 for something I didnt really want, that was a horrible experience and it certainly seemed like a mistake had been made. I also began to think that removing moles may be a lucrative business model because its a pretty simple thing to do and patients are afraid and listen to doctors. I emailed and called them about my experience and got nowhere. They were unwilling to do anything for me, and their office manager didnt even respond to my emails. If I do ever hear back from them I will edit this review. I hope one day they realize that a very dissatisfied patient costs them much more than refunding them what they paid out of pocket.

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BU

Butch Dela Cruz

I have been to the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery for dermatology care several times, and both the St. Vincent (Portland) and Hillsboro locations. The receptionist Melody was very pleasant. I didnt have to wait too long and was seen by the staff promptly. I noticed a person who came in without an appointment and Melody was able to accommodate this person. Dr. Bernard Gasch treated me for a fungal rash I developed under my armpits. He noticed I also had rosacea and he explained the symptoms and recommended treatment. The staff was great in explaining the instructions on how to take the prescribed medication and even called my order at a pharmacy that was convenient for me. Within days, the fungal rash went away and the redness on my face went away. Both locations have free parking. The clinic is clean and there are lots of informational dermatological materials to read about. There are also entertainment magazines to read as well! The staff is very friendly. I have recommended the Center for Dermatology and Laser Surgery to my friends and family. They have similar experiences. Id recommend visiting their website like I did to get a better idea on what services they provide and what insurance to accept, etc. Thats what I did.

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EL

Elge Premeau

I waited 25 minutes to get into the exam room. Then I had to answer all the same questions Id already answered on their paper forms. Then I waited another 10 minutes before the doctor came in. During the 7 minute exam the doctor talked WAY more than she listened; little of it was helpful because she seemed more interested in up-selling me to self-pay cosmetic services. A month later I got a bill for $56. Turns out they charge $242 for a 7 minute annual exam and even after the negotiated rate with my top flight insurance there was a balance due. Im pretty annoyed to get a bill to for listening to a monologue about the services I could pay for out of pocket. I wont be going back. I tried to respond to their response below but its not showing up. I can only guess theyre blocking responses. Im not surprised. In their response to my review, they have the temerity to claim, "Unfortunately there are times when unforeseeable events put us behind." Are you kidding? Youre dermatologists not cardiologists or OBGYNs! While waiting, I watched the doctor talk on the phone for several minutes. Then they invite me to call their office. Why? So they can charge my insurance company - and me - another outrageous sum? No thanks.

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