Berman Skin Institute | Medical & Cosmetic Dermatology — Local services in San Francisco

I was shocked to learn that after spending more than 10 minutes filling out in detail my medical history, list of allergies, dermatological concerns, and past surgeries before my appointment, the medical assistant who led me to the examination room did not read the forms I filled out, and when I suggested she do so before she asked me again what was the purpose of my visit, she left the room and returned with the dermatologist who had already been 15 minutes late for my appointment, the dermatologist huffily informing me that his medical assistant said I refused to talk with her an that I had wanted to see him. "What can I do for you? Why are you here?" he had brusquely asked. I said, "As I said to your medical assistant, please read the medical history I filled out at the registration desk." Astonishingly, the dermatologist quite proudly announced that he had not read the forms I submitted, had no knowledge of my medical history and even though I stated on the form my reasons for making the appointment, he wanted me to accept that I had not only wasted my time filling out in detail the medical information that had been asked of me but as well wanted me to repeat everything I had spent more than ten minutes writing down before my appointment. How totally disrespectful and unprofessional! The medical assistant continued to remain in the room while I spoke with the dermatologist, and I asked the doctor what the purpose was for the medical assistant to be in the same consultation/examination room with me. He said she was there as a witness. A witness? Was this a legal matter? Surveillance? He misinterpreted my desire for private consultation with him as my feeling ashamed of taking off my clothes, exposing cysts on my skin I had hoped he might treat. He examined my skin and told me he could do little to help me except provide a referral for surgery at UCSF! Meanwhile the medical assistant literally stood at the back of the room, her back against the wall, just listening. While he told me he could do nothing himself, he volunteered to give me a steroidal injection in my back for an area of my skin that itched badly. How did the dermatologist determine that it was safe for him to inject me with a steroid when he knew nothing of my medical history, my health history, my allergies, what medications made me ill? Hmmmm? He knew nothing about me or my medical background and history, said he could do little to treat the cysts I had, but yet felt completely confident to inject this patient who was a stranger with steroids! This is what you get. I realized later, when a medical clinic operates as a DEI business. What you get is a doctor who isn't the least curious about his patient, doesn't care to be informed about the patient before seeing the patient, and perfectly capable of showing you that he can be as unhelpful and as indifferent to a patient as any drug pusher standing on the dirty, cluttered corner of the sidewalk in the Tenderloin District of...

The Berman Skin Institute San Francisco Office is getting one star because Yelp doesn't allow 0 stars. The Berman Skin Institute has given me the worst possible experience I've ever had. On my first visit, I came in for a general check-up, and the entire time the doctor just tried to sell me on botox and laser hair removal and then forced me into scheduling my next check-up in the new year. A few months later I went back to Berman Skin Institute for an alternate health reason, but went to a new doctor, hoping they would be better. This new doctor was equally awful. She didn't give me any helpful information, didn't listen to the explanations/information I gave, and made me repeat the problem I was having multiple times. Eventually, I was told there was nothing they could do to help me at that time, and was sent home. I returned after my issue got worse and, eventually, they agreed to do a skin biopsy. I was told the results of my biopsy would come in 10-14 days however, after 14 days, I had heard nothing of my results. After 14 days I began calling them to see if I could get any updates, but all I got was that they would look into it, and never got a callback. On my 4th call, I was finally able to get my results, in which no helpful information was disclosed. However, I was told that since the issue had gone away (in the two months it took for this process to come to a close) everything was fine. To close this out, I have received a bill from the pathology lab they sent the biopsy to, which is normal, however, they sent it under the wrong insurance, insurance I haven't had in half a year. I called Berman Skin Institute to correct this, and their billing department told me that they don't know how this mistake happened because they had noted my change in insurance and it must have been something I did for them to charge the wrong one. To correct their error, I had to call the lab to get my insurance sorted out. Please, no one go here. This is a horribly run office with doctors that are just looking to make money and don't care about...

I have been a loyal patient at Berman Skin Institute for years and have always appreciated the quality of medical care provided. However, my recent experience with their billing practices has been extremely disappointing and has caused me to question whether I can continue trusting this practice.

Before my last appointment, I was charged a $150 deposit with the assurance that it would be refunded after insurance processed the claim. Ten months later, I still hadn’t received my refund and had to call the office to get it resolved. Upon investigation, I discovered that I should have only been charged $84, with the rest refunded. While the billing department apologized and claimed this was an error, I find this explanation hard to accept since the exact same issue happened to my wife.

This repeated issue suggests a systemic flaw in their billing process that needs urgent attention. How many other patients are experiencing this same frustration without realizing they are owed a refund? I’m sharing this because as a long-time patient, I truly want to see Berman Skin Institute succeed, but this is unacceptable and must be corrected.

Trust is the foundation of any patient-provider relationship, and these types of mistakes are damaging. I urge the management team to review and reform their billing practices to ensure refunds are processed automatically and in a timely manner. I hope to see meaningful changes soon because I want to continue being a patient here—but only if this issue...