Dentist puts patient at ease with office amenities

Published on November 1, 2009

Angie's List members share the good, the bad and the ugly experiences they've had with health care providers. Here's a sample of our favorite reviews on AngiesList.com:

Carol Benecke of Issaquah, Wash., always leaves Dr. Gary Burt's dental office feeling refreshed.

"Dr. Burt's specialty is cosmetic dentistry and he's a perfectionist — even suggesting the right shape and color for veneers so you still look your age," Benecke says. "Everything's about patient comfort — from the massaging chairs and warm blankets to the jar of chocolate chip cookies on the counter. At the end of each treatment, they even present you with a few flowers."

Kelly Hemmer of Lombard, Ill., was fine with the treatment her son received from Dr. Kumar Raigaga at the Metro Foot and Ankle Center, but less than ecstatic about the billing process.

"Dr. Raigaga examined my son's feet and recommended shoe inserts," Hemmer says. "When I received the explanation of benefits from my insurance, there were two $95 charges for podiatric surgery. My insurance clarified it was for strapping or taping the foot — which the doctor never did. The doctor's office said they'd check into it and call me back. I was never called back. They later submitted a revised bill to the insurance."

Dr. Raigaga says billing errors are infrequent but do occur.

"It does take some time to evaluate the medical records, investigate the error and take corrective action," Dr. Raigaga says. "I apologize for this confusion and this was corrected to the best of our abilities and to the satisfaction of our patient. This isolated incident doesn't take away from the excellent foot and ankle care we provide."

Jennifer Garcia says she's slimmed down thanks to gastric bypass surgery done by Dr. Sayeed Ikramuddin at the Abbott Northwestern Hospital's Bariatric Center in Minneapolis.

"Dr. Ikramuddin is the most experienced laparoscopic surgeon in the area," Garcia says. "He tells it like it is — that the surgery is only 10 percent of the [weight loss] process — and it's up to me to do the rest. No more Doritos and apple juice for me!"

John Anderson can see clearly now that Dr. Karen Heuer of Lasik-Plus in Lakewood, Colo., performed corrective laser eye surgery on him.

"Their clinic had the latest tools for assessing their patients' readiness for surgery," Anderson says. "I stopped in for an unexpected follow-up appointment, and they readily made time for me. Their program also includes a lifetime guarantee."

Dr. Samia J. Khoury of Partners Multiple Sclerosis Center in Brookeline, Mass., comes highly recommended by Sara Silva. "Dr. Khoury knows all there is to know about multiple sclerosis," Silva says. "She's also friendly, easy to talk to and, while I have no idea how she does it, available when you need her."

Chris Johnson of Houston says he wasn't thrilled with the treatment his son received from CareNow in Arlington, Texas.

"My son had flu-like conditions," Johnson says. "The worst part was waiting three hours for X-rays and the radiologist. Then the doctor suggested two shots for my son that another physician later told us were overkill."

Dr. Marc Anduss, medical director for CareNow, says their treatment met the standard of care.

"The doctor's thorough workup, including a chest X-ray, determined his illness was due to pneumonia," Anduss says. "The doctor prescribed an antibiotic injection, which was administered at two sites due to [the child's] size and an oral antibiotic. The total time from check-in to discharge was 2 hours and 11 minutes, not 3 hours. The wait time was longer than usual due to the heavy patient load during the flu season, and the extensive workup on this child was to determine the [cause] for his condition."

— compiled by Jackie Norris