This review is long overdue. I was a patient of Dr. Termine's for approximately two years before he abruptly decided to discontinue accepting UnitedHealthcare/Optum. Throughout the pandemic, he would schedule phone appointments with me every other month, which lasted fewer than 5 minutes. He would then bill my insurance company $675, and after the plan discount and my copay, took home $227.
That's $227 for 3 minutes of interacting with the patient. When Dr. Termine told me he was no longer accepting UnitedHealthcare, he said "UnitedHealthcare isn't very psychiatrist friendly." Apparently $227 for 3 minutes isn't enough for him.
Additionally, he informed me of this change during one of our appointments and did not schedule a follow up or provide a referral. This was in June 2021. Several months later, I received a letter in the mail from my insurance company stating that Dr. Termine's contract would be ending with UHC in September 2021... This man could have continued providing me care for three additional months while I searched for a new doctor, but did not give me that option so that he would have space for a new patient that he could collect more money from.
Also, there was a time that I was prescribed a muscle relaxer for lower back pain and I read online that there was an interaction with the antidepressant Dr. Termine prescribed for me. I called Dr. Termine to ask about the potential consequences of an interaction and what I should look out for in case of a negative interaction, and he said "Let me look that up for you." Two minutes later, he says "Yes, I see that there is an interaction." I thought umm, duh... I learned that from a simple Google search. I was looking for a little more guidance from a physician who should be able to explain the pharmacology to me beyond what I can ascertain from a search engine.
Dr. Termine was basically a glorified drug dealer. If you're looking for a doctor who isn't going to spend much time with you, doesn't seem to bring much expertise to the table beyond basic psychiatry, and all you want is easy access to prescriptions, this is your guy. If you want more thorough care, I'd suggest finding someone else. I now see a wonderful physician at ColumbiaDoctors psychiatry. read more