I have had 2 appointments with Dr. Murphy. First appointment was strange. I was told he could…read moresqueeze me in within the hour, which was great since I was in extreme pain. When I arrived, I was basically told to go to a different clinic for an xray and that I wouldn't receive treatment until he viewed the xray. He never treated me that day. He did, however, talk for 30 minutes about how he woke up with his daughter in the middle of the night to see a specific recent meteor shower or something similar... this turned into another story about his personal history with ADHD and how he loved his experience with ancentry.com? He went on and on and on for 30 minutes, while I sat there in extreme pain? Little did I know that he would charge me for this appointment later? For what? To listen to him drone on and on about personal stories? I went to get my xray and saw him the next day. He treated me with a traditional alignment, after explaining to me what he saw on my xray... for 20 minutes! This man doesn't know how to stop talking. During the treatment (which took 5 minutes) and for the following additional 20 minutes, he told me stories about seeing a shooting star with his father-in-law while camping in Montana. In the middle of the story, he started yelling about seagulls he could see out his window on the roof across the street at Gateway. He then literally, yelled, "squirrel!" as a reference to a line in the Disney Up movie, referring to a person who is easily distracted. I was ready to go and wanted it to stop when I stood up and politely said I should get going, with my hand on the door knob... he says, "wait! don't you want to hear the end of my story about the shooting star in Montana?" Really? I think this man just likes to hear his own voice. I was finally released and was told, by the receptionist, that I owed for both appointments, even though the previous appointment only consisted of story telling. Never again! I don't doubt that he knows what he's doing, as a chiropractor. When I left, my back ache had improved by almost 70-80%! That IS why I went, after all. I just don't like the charge for a visit without any treatment and the constant talking while I'm sitting there in apparent pain. Very strange experience.
Update: My mom was also a patient here. Although she used Medicare for payment and paid for 2 copays, she received another $200+ bill 8 months after the appointment. After calling and asking for an explanation, she was told this was a separate "initial patient fee" that everyone pays on their first appointment. She questioned why they didn't tell her this upfront so she could pay it 8 months previously or at least be prepared before her appointment. After a few phone discussions, the Dr., himself, told her not to worry about that fee and that he waive it completely. Now, 6 months later, she receives another bill for that $200+ initial patient fee. She called to remind them that the Dr. waived this fee. They are argumentative and do not believe what she is saying and insisting that she pay, so she did. This isn't right. The billing is unorganized and unclear and empty promises are made about waiving fees.
