How am I supposed to trust a new doctor to perform surgery on my foot when his office staff has…read morebeen so unprofessional and dismissive?
I am a brand new patient of Dr. Byron Carrasco and have only seen him two times, and I am extremely disappointed with how the office staff has handled a billing dispute.
On July 16, 2026, I was billed for two separate line items: "DUP-SCAN LXTR ART/ARTL BPGS COMPL BI STUDY" (the duplex ultrasound) for $444.33, and "NON-INVAS PHYSIOLOGIC STD EXTREMITY ART 2 LEVEL" for $149.14. I am not disputing the $444.33 ultrasound charge -- that test was performed. I am disputing the $149.14 physiologic study charge. To my knowledge, no blood pressure cuff was ever applied to me -- only the ultrasound wand was used, and the entire visit lasted about 15 minutes. This test is specifically defined by cuff-based pressure measurements, which did not happen.
I called the billing department first, who told me they're a separate company and have no say over the doctor's charges -- I'd need to contact the office directly and ask for "Armi." I called and left a message on August 27th at 11:17 AM, and again on August 28th at 9:39 AM, with no callback either time. I sent a detailed written dispute through MyChart on August 30th, explaining exactly why I believed the charge was wrong, and got no response. I followed up again on MyChart on September 1st. Still nothing.
On September 3rd, I called at 9:06 AM and left another message asking for Armi to call me back. I called again at 11:40 AM and reached a live person, who told me -- relaying a message from Armi -- that both charges were for the ultrasound. I tried to explain that the second procedure was never performed and should not have been billed to me. That's also not accurate; my own Medicare claim records show "DUP-SCAN LXTR ART/ARTL BPGS COMPL BI STUDY" and "NON-INVAS PHYSIOLOGIC STD EXTREMITY ART 2 LEVEL" as two completely separate, separately priced charges. I called back afterward and told her this was going to make my September 10th follow-up appointment very difficult -- that appointment is for my ultrasound and MRI results, to discuss surgically removing a tumor from my foot, and instead of being able to focus on that with my doctor, I'll have to spend it dealing with a billing dispute his own staff wouldn't resolve. I'm supposed to be able to trust my doctor going into surgery, but instead I've spent two weeks fighting his office over a bill. That's when she hung up on me.
I understand billing questions happen, but two weeks of unanswered calls and messages, plus being hung up on by office staff after I explained how much stress this was adding to a serious upcoming medical appointment, is not how any patient should be treated. When does a doctor's office hang up on a patient over a billing question? I have my appointment on September 10th and intend to raise this directly with Dr. Carrasco, but I wanted to share my experience for anyone else considering this office. Julie Panui
Update (9/3/26): Minutes after I posted this review, and after posting a message directly to Dr. Carrasco through MyChart, I finally got a callback from Armi. She asked what I needed, which was surprising given the number of detailed messages I'd already left explaining the exact charge in question. I explained again: the $149.14 physiologic study charge, which I don't believe was performed. She was unable to pull up my bill -- she said she doesn't have access to it -- but told me I could bring it with me and speak to the doctor directly at my September 10th appointment. I confirmed I would. I asked her directly: does staff have nothing to do with billing? She confirmed -- she said billing is done entirely by the doctor himself. I told her I've left Dr. Carrasco several MyChart messages myself, and he has never responded. If he's the one who entered these charges, I'd like to understand why, and I don't think I should have to wait until September 10th -- the same appointment where I'm getting my ultrasound and MRI results -- to get an answer about my bill. When I asked why they suddenly called back now, after all my prior messages, she said they're short-staffed. Two and a half weeks, and the first real response only came right after this review went up.
Julie Panui
