This business is a complete scam, 1 star is far too many. I called the office before scheduling the appointment to ask if I needed a referral from my primary care physician before coming in. After asking what insurance carrier I had and taking the ID number, I was told that no referral was needed. I scheduled an appointment and went in, hoping to get some help in my weight loss journey. I went into the office and it seemed like a normal doctor’s visit. Prior to my visit I printed the paperwork from online to expedite my visit. I was taken to an area to be weighed just like in a regular doctor’s office. I was instructed to step onto what looked like a fancy scale and the scale took my body weight and other measurements such as body fat, and printed out what seemed to be a very excessive report. After this I spoke to the doctor for a few minutes and she asked a bunch of questions about my lifestyle and background. She then told me that it would be best if she prescribed an appetite suppressant and restricted my diet to 800 calories a day. I found this very concerning because it seemed very unhealthy and she assured me that I would not feel hungry because of the appetite suppressants and that it was the only way I would see results. She also suggested that I purchases the meal replacements that they sold there. I also was sure to ask if I would still be able to work out and I explained that my workouts were very intense kickboxing sessions where I was probably burning at least 800 calories. She informed me that I would be fine with regular activities. She then said that I needed an EKG in order to get the prescription for the appetite suppressant and she proceeded to hook me up to the EKG machine in the office. After the test was complete, she wrote me a prescription for the appetite suppressant and told me to come back in in 3-4 days to see how it was going. When I went to the reception desk to pay my $10 copay, I was told that the total was $50 for the visit. I questioned this because it my copay was only $10 for specialist visits. I was told that there was an extra $40 for the scale for all first time visits and it would be $20 for every other visit. I found this to be crazy because no one ever informed me of this before I ever stepped onto the scale. This is something that should be made clear to all patients before even going into the office so they can make an informed decision. I was told this was how they did it and that I had to pay for it. I unfortunately had to pay $50 and I made the decision to never go back again because it seemed like just a way for them to make money. From the scale to food they sold it all seemed to be a scam. If anyone ate 800 calories a day they would lose weight and it is extremely unhealthy. I did not want an eating disorder, I wanted a healthy way to lose excess pounds. After a few months, I received a statement from the doctor’s office saying I owed $148 due to the insurance not paying because there was no referral. I was immediately upset because I called before ever making the appointment. When I called the doctor’s office to ask about the statement the lady said “I don’t know why they are asking for a referral, we don’t normally need one”. I called the insurance company to file an appeal and it was denied. When I went back to the office, I was only told that they always tell the customers about the referrals and the price of scale, which is not true. Then I was told that it is very uncommon for primary care physicians to even give a referral and that most patients pay out of pocket because insurance does not pay. This should been told to me before coming in the office so that I could have chosen never to make the appointment. So now for my one time visit, I am being billed a total of nearly $200. This is the most ridiculous and unprofessional doctor’s office I have ever been to and they are stealing money from patients and tricking them into an eating disorder. Also Sonya is one of the most rude people I have ever spoken to, completely disrespectful.
All USA
This business is a complete scam, 1 star is far too many. I called the office before scheduling the appointment to ask if I needed a referral from my primary care physician before coming in. After asking what insurance carrier I had and taking the ID number, I was told that no referral was needed. I scheduled an appointment and went in, hoping to get some help in my weight loss journey. I went into the office and it seemed like a normal doctor’s visit. Prior to my visit I printed the paperwork from online to expedite my visit. I was taken to an area to be weighed just like in a regular doctor’s office. I was instructed to step onto what looked like a fancy scale and the scale took my body weight and other measurements such as body fat, and printed out what seemed to be a very excessive report. After this I spoke to the doctor for a few minutes and she asked a bunch of questions about my lifestyle and background. She then told me that it would be best if she prescribed an appetite suppressant and restricted my diet to 800 calories a day. I found this very concerning because it seemed very unhealthy and she assured me that I would not feel hungry because of the appetite suppressants and that it was the only way I would see results. She also suggested that I purchases the meal replacements that they sold there. I also was sure to ask if I would still be able to work out and I explained that my workouts were very intense kickboxing sessions where I was probably burning at least 800 calories. She informed me that I would be fine with regular activities. She then said that I needed an EKG in order to get the prescription for the appetite suppressant and she proceeded to hook me up to the EKG machine in the office. After the test was complete, she wrote me a prescription for the appetite suppressant and told me to come back in in 3-4 days to see how it was going. When I went to the reception desk to pay my $10 copay, I was told that the total was $50 for the visit. I questioned this because it my copay was only $10 for specialist visits. I was told that there was an extra $40 for the scale for all first time visits and it would be $20 for every other visit. I found this to be crazy because no one ever informed me of this before I ever stepped onto the scale. This is something that should be made clear to all patients before even going into the office so they can make an informed decision. I was told this was how they did it and that I had to pay for it. I unfortunately had to pay $50 and I made the decision to never go back again because it seemed like just a way for them to make money. From the scale to food they sold it all seemed to be a scam. If anyone ate 800 calories a day they would lose weight and it is extremely unhealthy. I did not want an eating disorder, I wanted a healthy way to lose excess pounds. After a few months, I received a statement from the doctor’s office saying I owed $148 due to the insurance not paying because there was no referral. I was immediately upset because I called before ever making the appointment. When I called the doctor’s office to ask about the statement the lady said “I don’t know why they are asking for a referral, we don’t normally need one”. I called the insurance company to file an appeal and it was denied. When I went back to the office, I was only told that they always tell the customers about the referrals and the price of scale, which is not true. Then I was told that it is very uncommon for primary care physicians to even give a referral and that most patients pay out of pocket because insurance does not pay. This should been told to me before coming in the office so that I could have chosen never to make the appointment. So now for my one time visit, I am being billed a total of nearly $200. This is the most ridiculous and unprofessional doctor’s office I have ever been to and they are stealing money from patients and tricking them into an eating disorder. Also Sonya is one of the most rude people I have ever spoken to, completely disrespectful.