Beware of unethical business practices.

Beware of unethical business practices.

I purchased a package of 3 Rejuvenize(SkinMedica) chemcial peels after at $225 a peel ($675 total out of pocket (cash) expense). Upon my apointment, the provider came in for less than a minute, said yes I would respond well to the peel and exited. The peel was done by a medical assistant and total procedure time was 15 minutes (at most). At checkout, I purchased a package of three peels due to being told I would need a series of 3-6 for optimal results. For purchasing 3, I was given a little gift of SkinMedica lotions.

My friend confirmed she is a patient at Ohio Skin and Cancer center and had the same SkinMedica peel for $165. This prompted me to call Downtown Dermatology to see if they would match this competitive pricing - exact same peel by SkinMedica. After 5 business days, the office manager returned my call saying they would not meet the pricing, stating quality of care is superior for the price. I requested a refund for the services not rendered; 2 SkinMedica Rejuvenize Peels at $225 a peel.

The following week the payment was posted back to my charge card, minus $87. Upon calling the office to inquire why I was not reimbursed for the $450 total, I was directed to the office managers voicemail. My call was never returned. I did, however, recieve a letter in the mail another week later with the receipt explaining my refund. The office deducted $50 for the FREE SkinMedica gift bag I was given (which, I work in Pharmaceuticals and was likely provided by SkinMedica free to the office for offering their peels). And $12 and change was listed as deducted as "co-insurance deduction". However, this was a CASH transaction of services, not to be billed through insurance. Secondly, my insurance has no co-payment at my office visits. Sound fishy?

Needless to say, you can get more for your hard earned cash and more attention at other offices. Upon this experience, I have gone to my plastic surgeon to recieve the remainder of the series of chemcial peels, plus Botox, Juvaderm, and the Obagi skin care line. My plastic surgeon took the time to formulate the perfect skin care routine with me for my needs and goals. Sorry Downtown Dermatology, you missed out on a quailty patient by this experience.