Trustees Of Columbia In The City Of New York

I’ve been a loyal Columbia Doctors patient since 1999 and have always had positive experiences — until recently. I had a colonoscopy with Dr. Fay Kastrinos, whom I met for the first time on the day of the procedure. She briefly introduced herself (maybe 1–2 minutes), and after the procedure, while I was still groggy from anesthesia, she quickly said everything went well and that I’d need another screening in 3 years. That was the extent of our interaction. To my surprise, I later received a bill with a high charge that didn’t reflect the minimal time or communication I had with her. When I called her billing office, I was told the billing code came directly from the doctor. Since then, I’ve emailed and called multiple times for clarification — no response. In this experience, I felt it was more like a billing opportunity to Dr. Fay Kastrinos than actual patient care. Lesson learned: always confirm billing and insurance details before any procedure. Sadly, I would not recommend Dr. Kastrinos based on this experience. If I could give zero stars, I would.

My father was a patient at this hospital before he passed away, and if I could give it zero stars, I absolutely would. The staff at the Herbert Irving Pavilion where he received chemotherapy were consistently rude and unprofessional. On one occasion, upon checking in at the front desk, a staff member yelled at us to "get back" because she wasn't ready to see us. To put this into perspective, she was busy laughing with her coworkers and made no effort to conceal her unprofessionalism. It is not like she was helping another patient or was doing work on her computer, she simply valued her social time while being on the clock. My father had recently undergone significant leg surgery and was unable to stand, yet she offered no option for us to sit while we waited for her convenience. When you work at a cancer center, compassion and sympathy should be the absolute minimum. If you hate your job, you should not be working with sick people. I could continue to detail numerous instances of the staff's appalling behavior at this center. I urge everyone to avoid it at all costs. They are truly the worst.