TLDR:
Pros: Dr. Halem and staff have a generally pleasant…read moredemeanor, minimal waiting time (seems to be a big improvement vs. older reviews), was easily accessible via phone when I reacted unfavorably to an antibiotic
Cons: Dr. does not take any accountability for miscommunication in her office and is no longer an in-network provider for *any* insurance, so a visit will cost you $400 minus whatever your insurance reimburses for out-of-network. I also should have listened to the low reviews on Zocdoc - she will only advise her own skincare line along with EltaMD and prescription medications. Her prescribed regimen consisted of 7 items (1 EltaMD sunscreen and 6 products in her own skincare line) which in total cost $456. 3 of her products are basic oil-free moisturizer, salicylic acid face wash, and benzoyl peroxide body wash which really could have drugstore alternatives. To her credit, the EltaMD sunscreen was not up-charged more than what it goes for outside the office.
I initially called Dr. Halem's office as it's currently one of three in-network dermatologists with Anthem in Manhattan. Her front office staff confirmed that they do take insurance, but since December 2021, have instituted a new policy wherein patients pay up front for the visit and insurance will reimburse. I said as long as they definitely take Anthem, that was fine and proceeded to book the appointment.
On the day of, I waited less than 10 minutes after my appointment time. Dr. Halem energetically introduced herself and asked how I found her, so I said she's one of the few Anthem providers in Manhattan. At this, she said "Did the front desk tell you we've changed the billing policy?" to which I said yes. She proceeded to listen to my concerns and history and then let me know she was going to have me stop my own routine and recommend a full regimen. This lasted about 10-15 mins and then Dr. Halem left. I heard her outside, relaying the regimen to her medical assistant or medical aesthetician, who came back with a written copy and 6 products (and 2 prescriptions that I needed to fill). When I asked about the application and order of a couple products, the MA confused the topical and oral, and when that was cleared up, did not seem to understand that the topical was not meant for my face, but for my back concerns.
At the front desk, I was told $400 for the visit and $456 for the products. Semi-shocked that the products were more expensive than the visit, I asked for a breakdown along with alternatives for any of the items - the receptionist responded that she would not be able to give me a breakdown for the items, that I would have to wait for billing who would mail me a receipt, and that the only item that was not Dr. Monica Halem's personal skincare brand was the sunscreen, which is the only thing I could get outside of the office. When I pressed about alternatives for the other items, the receptionist offered no solution or even a "you'll need to ask Dr. Halem." At this point, I felt like maybe I needed to just commit to this full regimen to see if my acne could be resolved, so I paid the full $856.
2 weeks later, after phone calls with Angela, the billing administrator, and Dr. Halem, I was told that in fact, Dr. Halem's office has 1 provider who takes insurance, who is not Dr Halem but Dr. Chang (? not sure if this the right sp, this provider is not listed on her website), and if I wanted an in-network doctor, I could not see Dr. Halem but I could see the other doctor. After letting her know that I specifically told her staff that I wanted an appointment only if it was in-network, Dr. Halem repeatedly said that she and her staff had told me that the billing policy had changed and that she was not in-network. Absolutely, they let me know the billing policy had changed to be up-front payment, but I was *NOT* told that my visit would be with a provider who didn't take my insurance? Why would I agree to that?! Dr. Halem said that she specifically wanted to provide "quality care," and letting insurance companies pay "whatever they want" to her was not letting her spend time with patients and provide the care they needed. While I understand that, I confirmed that I was never told that my visit with her was *out of network* and asked about a middle-ground solution for the miscommunication that the front office had told me they DO take insurance but still booked me with Dr. Halem. Dr. Halem was "unable to do anything" or offer any middle ground resolution for the $400 dollars for the office visit, as opposed to the $40 co-pay it would have been.
Truly disappointed that she speaks about providing high quality care, but doesn't spend more than 15 minutes with a patient, insinuated I lied about "knowing" she was out-of-network, her MA is not knowledgable, and that there aren't affordable alternatives she can recommend to her most basic products (not even my usage of Cetaphil and Cerave, which other derms recommend)
