Westchester Eye Surgeons SC

Of all places to experience poor customer service, a health care specialist should not be one of them.
Recently informed of a retinal hole in my right eye, I was referred to westchester eye center for more advanced imaging. Upon making my appointment, I was not informed that 6pm was after hours, that there would be overtime fees for anyone working with me during that time, or that the person who validates insurance would not be there and I would have to pay out of pocket if I didn’t provide my information before my appointment.
So, as the concern of my retina is fairly urgent, the office appropriately recommended a few options. 1– pay for the appointment out of pocket. The appointment is 250 or 350, not including any tests or imaging. 2– pay by check, they can hold the check until tomorrow when the woman who can check insurance is back 3– reschedule.
Not only that, but the person helping me questioned how long this has been going on for, as if I had not been attentive to my own medical issues.
The doctor never ended up interacting with me. However he did so kindly provide a recommendation to a retinal specialist, because (this message was relayed to me), if action did need to be taken he’d have to refer me there anyway.
What is particularly disturbing about this is that the doctor was 100% ready to accept hundreds of dollars knowing that if there is a resolution needed, he would need to send me somewhere else.
This was by far one of the most unprofessional and alarming experiences I have ever experienced with an office branded as a medical specialist. That’s simply not the way you treat customers, let alone patients who are scared of something that is taking a toll on a vital organ.
As it seemed that there was a general distaste to resolve the issue in person, and you charge patients for the workers overtime, I imagine this review will not carry much weight with your team.
However– other potential patients should see it!
Go to a real specialist, and cut out the middle man. That’s what the docs at Westchester told me to do :)

Stay away from this place if you have any eye condition you need help with.
First visit I had I was waiting in the waiting room for about a half an hour even though I checked in early for my appointment time. Got the whole eye exam which was good enough, not even by the doctor at this point mind you. The doctor came in, took a detailed look at my eye and sent me off to get a Eye CT scan to confirm I had keratuconus, again, by the nurse. After the CT scan showed I had thinning in the cornea the doctor came back and she told me I’d need hard contact lenses for my eyes and they should come in at about a weeks time or so, and that most insurances pay for the contacts completely because it’s a medical need, (I know for a fact my insurance pays for medically needed contacts 100%) but that sometimes they bill the patient first in case they get lost or something and insurance reimburses them or something.
After 12 days of hearing nothing I called the office to ask if my contacts were in, no one answered the phone because they were on lunch, no worries. They called me back and left a message as if they literally just got the lenses in and that I had to make a separate appointment to get them fitted. When I called back to ask If I really needed an appointment for this, I get an older gentleman on the phone who kind of sounds like he didn’t know what he was doing and puts me on hold for 10 minutes, and then I get hung up on. I immediately call back and stated I was hung up on and am still waiting for an answer to my question, he very bluntly goes «what’s the name?». At this point I’m extremely aggravated. After being told I need to come in for the appointment (and another co pay) to see the doctor that does the fittings I’m a little aggravated, but I agreed and tried to set something up around my work schedule, lo and behold, the doctor is only available three days a week, and all the days she’s working, I’m also working so I had to push off my appointment for another week.
Finally, the day comes where I can come in and get fitted for the contact lenses. Again, walk in 5 minutes early for my appointment and don’t get seen for another 20 minutes. I get seen by the nurse again and I’m taught how to put the hard lenses in, they go in fine. The doctor comes in after they settle in and examines them making sure they fit, they do and I get taught how to take them out and clean them. I’m about to leave when the lady at the front desk starts to set up the next appointment and then casually throws in «okay… So the contacts are $ 240 to take home.». So I stated my insurance covers medically needed contacts and I got the response, «well, we don’t bill insurance for contacts…». I’m like you have got to be kidding me at this point, I just drove 30 miles for an appointment to get fitted with contacts that they won’t let me take home. After pleading with her see if they can do some sort of payment plan, or call my insurance I get a «we can’t do that, but we can hold onto the contacts until you get the $ 240 to pay for them, then you get a bill that you can then submit to insurance.». This whole experience is utter crap, I wasted a lot of time here and I don’t plan on ever coming back, whether or not I have keratuconus that I need corrected. Terrible practice.

I have been a patient of westchester eye for more than 10 years and have always had a pleasant experience at my appointment. Both Drs. Kinnas and Siavelis and their staff have always been very accommodating, friendly and knowledgeable.
I recommend this office without hesitation. You will not be disappointed.

I would give zero; if I could. The doctor is fine and seems like a nice, competent man, but his staff is horrible! Expect a bad attitude — especially from the woman who handles the insurance claims. She needs to focus more on doing her job better than lip service. Case in point: though I have health insurance, they demanded I pay my entire deductible — $ 300 — before I see the doctor. Because it was an emergency, I did. Then I find out they didn t submit the insurance claim until I had to pester them about it a couple of times. Today, because my insurance covered the entire claim, I am now fighting with them to get a refund. My credit card company is on the case, but I will contact the Attorney General if necessary. At best, this is gross incompetence and rude behavior. At worst, they are running a scam.