The Dermatology Specialists - Richmond Hill

I had a great experience during my visit. I was greeted right away, and the receptionist was both pleasant and helpful. During my appointment, the PA, Leah, was very knowledgeable and addressed all of my concerns thoroughly. The medical assistant was also friendly and efficient. The office itself was clean and well-kept, and I was in and out in a timely manner. Overall, excellent service from start to finish.

I am writing this review to share my experience with the dermatology office in Jamaica, Queens, specifically regarding their billing and administrative process. My intention is not to criticize the medical care itself, but to make others aware of significant billing and communication issues I encountered. I visited the office approximately three times for treatment. On December 4th, I unexpectedly received an email stating that my credit card would be charged $325 for a visit that took place on May 28th — more than six months earlier. I was surprised, especially because I had been physically present in the office again in July and no one mentioned any outstanding balance at that time. My insurance coverage had not changed. The email was one-way and did not allow for reply or clarification. It only stated that my card would be charged. Because the credit card listed had already been closed due to prior fraud activity, the charge did not go through — but repeated charge attempts continued. My wife contacted the office on my behalf since I was at work. Initially, we were told it might be a billing error. Later, we received another message stating the claim was denied because a referral was required. When I contacted the billing department directly, I was only told that I had signed a financial responsibility agreement and must pay if insurance denies the claim. However, no one could clearly explain why the claim had been denied. I was simply told to contact my insurance company myself. The billing service also stated they are a third-party company and do not know the full details of what the office submits, which made resolution even more difficult. Ultimately, my insurance company informed me that the claim had been submitted under a doctor who was out of network — even though I had previously seen an in-network provider at the same office. I was not informed of any provider change at the time of the visit, and the office still collected my co-payment. Following my insurer’s advice, I asked the office to resubmit the claim under the correct in-network physician. Multiple callbacks and follow-ups were required. Staff members seemed unsure how to handle the situation, and I was even asked what they should do to fix it. Meanwhile, automated payment charge emails continued, even after the claim was reportedly resubmitted. Eventually, the claim was corrected and paid by insurance, but this required significant time, effort, and investigation on our part. At no point did I receive a written apology or acknowledgment of the confusion or inconvenience. Because of the administrative and billing disorganization — not the medical care — I would not recommend this location. Patients should be very careful to confirm that the specific doctor they are seeing is in-network, even if the office itself is listed as in-network. Do not assume the billing will be handled correctly. I hope this feedback encourages improvements in billing transparency and patient communication.