I generally do not like giving bad reviews, but I had a bad experience here last week that I feel deserves to be shared as a warning to prospective patients.
The visit started off well. They were able to squeeze me in for a same day appt, and everyone was very nice. I have Kaiser, but I also have a secondary insurance that sometimes covers a portion of acupuncture visits. I wanted to try to submit the claim on the secondary insurance. The lady who handles billing kept telling me Kaiser won't pay for it (which I already knew); she did not understand that I wanted to try to submit on my secondary insurance.
Dr. Kim was professional and straight to the point. I felt comfortable during the intake that a woman was present in the room. The intake was quick (15-20 mins tops) and he suggested treatment with herbs for 3 months, no need for acupuncture.
During checkout, I was prepared to pay for the visit and herbs. Before scheduling the visit, I asked and was told that each visit was $60, which was very reasonable to me. The woman who had been in the room for the visit then told me that the herbs were $100 for a 15-day supply. I told her that sounded a bit steep to me (I have seen three acupuncturists in the past, and I have never been charged more than $30 for herbs for a 2 week supply). The woman laughed gently and said no, I misheard, it was not $100, but $400 for a 15-day supply. FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS. I was shocked!
I told her I can't afford to pay $400 for a 15 day supply - that is $2,400 for the full 3 months' supply, which is outrageous. That type of exorbitant cost is not listed anywhere on the website and was not told to me in advance. I feel it is something people should know before scheduling the appointment! I understand that he uses high quality herbs, and she told me that he custom blends the formula - but so did my previous acupuncturists!
In the end, I did not buy the herbs, and she told me I had to pay $60 for the visit. She initially apologized and said maybe they could waive the visit fee, but then she asked the doctor and he said I had to pay. I work in health care myself and understand that provider time is valuable. However, I find it ridiculous that I had to pay $60 for a 20 minute visit in which I received no acupuncture treatment, advice, or ultimately, herbs.
I feel the fair thing would have been to waive the fee. I would not have left a bad review had they waived it, even though my time was totally wasted. I suspect that Dr. Kim figured the insurance would cover it; however, my insurance often rejects claims, so I'm pretty sure this was my loss of $60. I left the place in tears, feeling so angry that they wasted my money. I waited a few days to write this review so that I could try to provide as impartial a review as possible. He may have been an amazing acupuncturist, but I'll never know. My advice is to avoid this place for herbs unless you are made of money. In my experience, they care more about money than being fair. read more
