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Women's Health Specialists
Rating Details »
Category: Obstetricians and Gynecologists [Edit]
2299 Mowry Ave Ste 3CFremont, CA 94538
(510) 796-7057
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
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- Location:
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10 reviews for Women's Health Specialists
I'm a fan of Dr. Aleman but not of the office staff who have managed to screw up my bills big time. Being told that my fee was $580 and then receiving bills for over a thousand bucks is quite stressful let me tell you!
Yet I still say I am a fan, because I came here for a 2nd opinion after another M.D. totally failed to address my health concern.
Dr. Aleman immediately guessed the issue and did an ultrasound to confirm, offered a solution, spent time explaining it all to me, and let me make a choice on my own time.
Post outpatient surgery, problem is totally gone, I am a happy camper. Husband is NOT a happy camper wrangling with the idiocy of the billing and insurance departments; but I got the resolution to my issue here and Dr. Aleman was always quite good at explaining things to be carefully.
Last time I went the office was in total chaos due to massive re modeling. Receptionists were talking about their dating lives which was pretty unprofessional, if harmless. They are switching to electronic records...maybe that will be an improvement for the future.
This review is for their office staff -- I wrote a prior review for Dr. Calhoun, who has been my Ob/Gyn and has always been awesome, as have been all the doctors I've seen there. I should also say that her assistant has always been great too.
I got a card from the office saying I'm due for my annual and to please schedule. Okay, I take this at face value and make my appointment about a month later. Everything is fine until I get the nearly $200 bill because my insurance won't cover. Huh? That's odd. Call their billing office (who I guess is now new as of last November) and they say I got another annual less than a year ago, so they only cover one a year.
So the insurance part makes sense as to why they won't cover. As a healthcare professional myself and the mother of four, I am well aware that the practices of most offices (including this one prior) had always been to be careful of scheduling physicals or these annuals too soon to avoid mistakes like this. ALL of the other offices I deal with tell me what the insurance covers, or whether it is too soon to get an appointment without having to pay and leave me an informed customer. I guess they have dropped this courtesy here and instead, try to get as many out of pocket visits from each patient who follows instructions blindly.
So the billing office says they'll talk to the office manager to see what she would like to do about this (meantime I get a second card saying "our records show you are due for your annual").
Weeks pass, and all I get is another bill. So I call again and they can't remember what they did. So they follow the same spiel. I get yet another "reminder" to make my annual appointment. Finally Rebecca from the billing office calls to say that the decision of the office manager is, although the patient is ultimately responsible, she is going to be generous and will drop the bill to $90.
So their screw-up is my fault, apparently. I guess I should not have listened to their friendly multiple reminder cards to make this appointment that in actuality was really not the case. I can't afford to keep screwing up like this, so since it doesn't seem like their practices are going to change for the better, I'd better change practices so I don't continue to lose money for the mistakes I make if I continue to stay.
Be warned, if you get directives from the office staff, don't forget to read the fine print (that isn't really there) and not actually read the black and white print that they give you -- they really don't mean what they say.
Dr. Calhoun was the only reason I stayed with Hill Physicians and Women's Health Specialists. The rest of my family has been at PAMF. I will greatly miss you, Dr. Calhoun, and please know I wouldn't have left if it weren't for such crappy office staff practices.
Sad to say times have definitely changed. I had been a patient of this office LONG before (pre 1990) it even became Women's Health Specialists with one of the doctor's who started this office. All of the original partners were and are still the best. When my doctor left the practice I came back to WHS and saw Dr Kirkjian whom I've never and still don't have a complaint.
The billing office has grown very inaccurate, irresponsible and difficult to deal with. I had my annual exam in April 2007 after arguing with the scheduler that I had originally had an appt for March but they insisted I wait until April for insurance reasons. My insurance did not have this stipulation. Needless to say, appointment went well except that they failed to bill my insurance and the next thing I heard of my account was AUGUST 2008 where they tried to clear up their mess. My insurance denied claims due to late filing. My over $600 bill kept coming to me as Patient Portion owing $50......remaining fees excluded or accepted as Insurance write off. I called in Oct, submitted additional paperwork to their office, tried to pay the $50 by Credit Card in January 2009, but every phone number I called and was referred to.........the answer was the same......"We don't have your file".....call the Main Office...............Long story short.......my $50 turned to $245 this Sept and is at a collection agency. Collection agency had me discuss it further with the office and no help there........they no longer have my file......too old !!
Well I'm sadly paying the collection agency just to have this matter go away and not harm my credit. There has been considerable turn over in the billing company's that they use.........I have 3 seperate numbers, all with the same story (dont have your file). So I am leaving (rather they sent me a letter that they are dumping ME)........as a very disappointed over 20yr old customer.
Just watch your numbers!!! The doctors are great.
I want to say that I absolutely despise this place. I had a different Dr. who referred me to Dr. Kurkjin for surgery to remove a tumor. She did not have all information but was 100% possitive it was benign. She was suppose to be the dr. that was suppose to perform surgery on me and I would have expected her to call me with the bad news, but instead she left it to someone else to deal with it. Another Dr. was suppose to be there at the time of surgery and he didn't even get notified that it was cancelled, he only realized it when i showed up at his office in los altos... 2 hrs after my scheduled appt.
Not only did I have a horrible experience but I was charged for this medical operation I did not have!
I've been with WHS for almost three years. I started off seeing Dr. Kramer after an ovarian cyst ruptured. He took care of my after care and then became my gynecologist for my annuals. I found him to be very nice and his manners were very professional.
I got pregnant last year and because Dr. Kramer no longer does obstetrics, I switched to his colleague Dr. MacDonald. I've had nothing but good experiences with her during my pregnancy. I also got to meet MJ, the practice's midwife. Because the OBs (all female) have a rotation schedule, Dr. MacDonald didn't actually deliver my daughter but Dr. Kurkjian did. She was also nice and professional and took great care of me. Dr. MacDonald came in the next morning to see how I was doing which was nice.After my post-partum check with MJ the midwife, I returned to Dr. Kramer's care.
If you're really attached to have ONE and ONLY ONE doctor manage your care, WHS may not be the practice for you if you're pregnant because there's really no way of knowing who will be on call when you deliver. But I had the utmost confidence in their practice and was not disappointed.
I chose WHS because they were the only clinic in the area to offer the Essure procedure. My regular GYN is affilliated with a Christian hospital and cannot perform any sterilization procedures. Well Kaiser offers Essure but I am not a Kaiser member. I have a Blue Cross PPO plan.
Anyway my doctor at WHS was Dr. Scott Kramer. He is a pleasant and calm doctor and he answered all of my questions. When the time came to schedule the appointment I was confident with my decision.
Dr Kramer called me to follow up after the procedure and also checked to make sure I had the follow up tests (months later) in order to be certain that the procedure was effective. I don't know that I would have gotten that care from just any doctor.
I didn't care for a couple people on the office staff - the office is very busy and when the employees don't feel like being busy they tend to take it out on the patients.
Also the billing department is run by people who hope you don't know basic math and aren't willing to stand up for yourself. I was overcharged for the procedure and it took several months to get the money back (five hundred dollars by the way) but I did get it back after several phone calls with the billing person (who works out of her home so when you call she's just like, "hello," rather than "xxx billing department,") and the clinic manager, Jennifer.
Don't hold the billing bullshit against Dr Kramer though. He's a gem and will give you high quality care.
This office is pretty good. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I went to 3 other OB/GYN. but this was my last stop! Dr. Slack was my Ob. and shes great. although she was busy and didnt make it to some of the appointments, the other staff there was really good. Nurse MJ is awesome, and she always remembered me unlike some other doctors offices and the only problem here was that one of the assistants forgot to turn in my gbs test and i had to do it again. But overall, great practice
All the staff I have encountered here have been very polite and courteous *NOT true anymore- see below*. They have been professional and helpful. Last week was my first visit, and my first impression was not that great- not because of the staff, but because the office smelled heavily of perfume, which was offensive and made my allergies flare up. My companion noticed it too. I also thought that the waiting room was not set up to offer the highest degree of confidentiality- something which is extremely important. This was also true in the back office. After being called back, I was brought into a tiny area that served as a medical station and a lab- something which is a no-no for healthcare safety issues... I was told to step onto the scale, and when I asked the MA where I could put my things, she pointed to the counter, where several open cups of urine (samples from patients) were sitting. I said "Uh, I'd rather not. Is there somewhere else?" And she looked a little annoyed, but took my things and held them until I was done on the scale. This was not a good start to my first visit, and made me feel uneasy. I was concerned by this unsanitary practice of having urine samples comingling with people's personal effects... out in the open. Plus, being a healthcare worker myself, I know that it is not in accordance with state law.
Though my first impression was not a good one, the rest of my visit went well. The doctor was very pleasant (Dr. Slack) and fast, which was good and bad. Good, because some procedures hurt (ladies, you know what I mean), and you want them over ASAP! Bad, because I would have liked more time with her to discuss my history and any questions, but I felt a little rushed. But that's how it goes with doctors. After my visit, they sent me a thank you card in the mail- unheard of nowadays, especially from a doctor!! It was handwritten! I could hardly believe it. It made me feel good about my choice to go here.
Overall, I would recommend this office because the staff is friendly, and they offer a wide variety of services, just for women... and are willing to work with your schedule and budget. Dr. Slack is very polite and helpful, although she could spend 5 more minutes reviewing her patient's histories and getting to know them before diving right into the exam. You can also visit WHS's website for more info.
Update to my first review above:
That was after my first visit. Now that I've been there a few times, here's how I feel...
I go to Dr. Slack, and I think she is pretty good. The office could use some work, however. The lobby usually smells heavily of perfume which makes my allergies go nuts, and the carpet is filthy. Last time I was there I had to wait for over an hour to see my doctor, with no updates or offers to reschedule from the front desk- totally unacceptable. The exam rooms are very small, and the weighing station is in the same room as their makeshift lab. I was asked to set my purse next to several urine samples, which is just disgusting! When I refused, I got a dirty look. Dr. Slack's medical assistant is horrible at giving her my messages (I don't think she even checks her voicemail half the time), and she returns my calls about 50% of the time, if at all. I don't feel like a high priority when I go there (or any kind of priority, for that matter). Whenever I call the office and ask to speak with Dr. Slack's assistant, they send me straight to voicemail without even asking...and then I almost never hear back. I don't know if they are too busy or too unorganized or what...but that is just very inconsiderate and UNprofessional. If my level of care by the doctor wasn't what it is, I would NOT continue going there. Because of all this, I am lowering my rating from 3 stars to 2. I think the doctors here are good, but they need to train the other staff a little better and give the office a good cleaning!
As for their billing department- good luck if you have to deal with them! Make sure you review your bill carefully! They overcharged me and made no attempt to fix it until I bugged them about it. I had to call them several times just to get a call back. This office is just horrible at returning calls! I like the doctor, but the other staff (including billing) just plain suck.
I have been to many docs in this practice. Believe it or not Fremont does not have many great ob/gyns. By "great" I mean-- who listen to their patients and involve the patients actively in their own "health-care". Overall, they "rush" you through the brisk visit. I have tried two other very popular offices too and found that they are not ob's. The doctors here have some sort of attitude because they know that you have fewer choices in Fremont. I finally chose a doctor in Santa Clara.
Good bedside manners, friendly front-office staff, even friendlier physician's assistants and compassionate, knowledgeable doctors: what more can you ask for in an OB/GYN? I've been seeing Dr. Siobhan Calhoun for the past 6 years and she's the best! She remembers me every time I see her for my annual visit and doesn't get annoyed with my hypochondriacal concerns. The other doctors and nurse practitioners are also great, although I feel that the male doctors are not as compassionate as the female doctors (but that's just me). I never feel rushed and I'm always comfortable. Too bad I can't find a regular PCP that fits the bill like Women's Health Specialists.
