ENT & Allergy Associates - Upper East Side — Local services in New York

The review is for the establishment and not the doctors, hence I am leaving the review here versus on Zocdoc. The office manager has an attitude, is dismissive and rude.

IMP: PLEASE CHECK THEIR YELP REVIEW FOR E86TH LOCATION

Whom does the review cover: Especially the office manager at front desk who was on duty on 2/28, front desk staff. I wish I had seen the reviews before I booked my appointment but I did not. So hopefully you will make a better decision.

My recommendation to patients: If you have a high deductible or if you are paying out of pocket, do not feel conscious or ashamed to ask the cost of every service they will be providing. It is possible that if your situation/condition is not severe, you might only need a doctor's consultation. They will put the audio exam on you. Without any consultation with the doctor, they will take you to the audiologist. I understand that gives more information, but sometimes the issue can be addressed in a consultation. You might end up with $800+ bill for basically NO health issue detected.

My recommendation to ENTandAllergy: You clearly have standard complaints on the attitude of your employees and your rates. As a business (because you clearly are one) you can choose to ignore these or carry out some trainings to instill basic compassion in your staff - especially your office manager. I earn a decent salary and work in the service industry. I do not think I have ever made anyone feel less because they are asking basic questions on cost. Your office manager was a 5/5 on not addressing my issues, not even interfacing with me face to face and being very dismissive. If these are the values you run the establishment on - great! If not, please address them - these are easily addressable. I would not lead the way you do. Your doctor on call was the saving grace. No matter how much money someone earns or does not earn, it is hard earned. No matter whether someone asks cost questions or not - they are deserving of respect. If nothing, just please treat your office manager, who is essentially supposed to be a leader for the floor staff. Basic communication skills go a long way. If you need recommendations, message me, my firm made me take a ton of communication and client oriented skills training.

Situation: I was experiencing dizziness and booked an appointment through Zocdoc. I had some $500+ left on my insurance. I asked the front desk for information on the cost of audio test and the balance test (both recommended to me when I booked the appointment). No one could give me an answer. The front desk staff was still trying to help by asking the office manager, who 'please note' was sitting right behind them. The officer manager asked one of the front desk folks to hand me a pamphlet that basically explained zilch and on which cost of services varied from $300-$800. That is a HUGE variation. The office manager, who was sitting right behind and could hear my questions did not attempt once to interface with me or exhibit any level of compassion in the conversation. My questions were very simple and should be answerable by ANY organization that is providing services - whether consulting or diagnostic.

What was my question or request - Can you please tell me the cost of the service you are giving me before you give it to me? If you run an audio test, can you tell me how much it costs?

Answers I received: You will be surprised at the inconsistency Office manager, who was too busy to acknowledge me, shouted $250 The front desk staff handed me a pamphlet that said $108 The audiologist was clueless.

As a business, if someone is asking for the cost of service you are going to provide them in the next 5 minutes, without any explanation of why they even need the test, you NEED to be able to answer the question. The variation cannot be $300-$800.

If I was to come back for a follow-up, it would be because the doctor was compassionate and solution oriented. Even then I might look for...

Tldr: AVOID this practice. Full context: this is the first Google review I have ever felt compelled to write, and I'm really not someone who asks for the proverbial manager. But if you are considering an appointment at this location of ENT Allergy & Associates, DON'T. At the very least, read this (and many other reviews) before booking. After years of ENT and Allergy Associates visits in another city, I have had two appointments with two different doctors at this location (Dr. Lin and Dr. Markowitz). Both physicians were, generally speaking, fine. No revelatory insights offered, but practical consultation provided. Neither doctor is exactly flush with bedside manner, but neither was particularly rude (though I should mention that each appointment was 5 minutes or less in duration). The problem, as many others have pointed out, is that I was billed for a surgical endoscopy after BOTH visits, a procedure I was not advised of, did not consent to, and which the vast majority of insurance plans will NOT cover. After the first appointment, which in hindsight was a slightly more thorough evaluation than the sinus infection I came in with called for, I bit the $400+ bullet (after insurance) and convinced myself that peace of mind is priceless. After a return visit earlier this month, to treat strep throat (note: not located in the nasal pathway or sinus cavities), I was billed yet again for a surgical nasal endoscopy, this time being charged nearly $800 for the procedure. After insurance (new provider, by the way) picked up what they were willing to, it was brought down to a still-staggering $449: a pretty steep price to pay for a script for antibiotics. To add insult to injury, I don't believe the second endoscopy was even performed. My appointment lasted, no exaggeration, about 120 seconds and the only "take a look" moment was a routine otoscope shine into the throat and ears. I'm at a loss for how this practice continues to have patients or good standing with insurers, as the ol' bill-em-for-an-endoscopy trick is mentioned in roughly half of the reviews here and is pretty clearly their standard procedure, whether warranted or not; whether performed or not. Save yourself a grand and see another - any...

One of the most underhanded places I went to. I had an appointment with Dr. Green for wax removal. He was very polite and determined that it was not necessary. Dr. Green is a very polite and well spoken person and I'm sure his reputation precedes him. As we were talking, he noticed I was suffering from allergies and asked "hey, I have something that can clear those sinuses, you want to try?" I said "sure." He inserted a small tube into my nostrils and just blew some air into it, the entire process took less than 10 seconds. 2 Weeks later I started getting several bills from this office. Initially charging $500 to the insurance for a "Nasal Endoscopy," after the insurance and a negotiated discount, I it was reduced to $256. So, I called the ENT and allergy associates billing department and explained that the doctor never mentioned the hefty price for this "treatment" (a treatment that gave me 5 minutes of relief) and I was under the impression that Dr. Green was just being nice and that I was never made aware that I would be charged for it. The bill agent, she unequivocally and vigorously defended the Dr and explained that he does not concern himself with a patient's bill or insurance. So, earlier today I get a collections call demanding I pay this doctors office. I am in awe, in all the wrong ways. This is disgraceful and unbecoming of a professional or even a doctor's office. I will have to figure out how to submit an official complaint.

Update: ENT reached out to me and agreed to waive the bill because I was "unhappy." I also mentioned that I did not actually receive an actual nasal endoscopy, for which I was charged for. Regardless, thank you for reaching out and I...