The Dermatology Specialists - Greenwich Village, New York NY

UPDATE: I will report this place’s unprofessional behavior to Health Care Bureau if my issue is not resolved by end of November. I have called more than a dozen times over the past few weeks but they still have not returned me my overcharge. No one ever called me back despite promising to do so. No practical way to reach the manager assigned to this matter who does not have a direct line or an email, does not return voicemails, does not work on weekend and leaves early on weekdays.

********* original review below
I had a cyst removed by Dr. Nia, who had a great team. This review has nothing to do with them but to alert everyone that the admin of the derm specs is A MESS.

First, they OVERCHARGED me. Before the surgery I did a consultation, which costed $250, to determine the price of the surgery. I was told by two staff (and I confirmed this when I checked out) that the $250 consultation fee would be credited towards my final surgery fee, which ended up being $1200. However, I was hit by a bill of $1450 for the surgery. I had to call more than 5 times to ask for a refund of the $250 overpayment and still have not got it yet. The billing department said that whatever the site told me, they did not put that in the notes they sent to the billing dept. So the billing team would have to speak to the site to get this clarified. Till today, I see no refund and no one EVER gives me a call back or replies my email. When I called billing department a third time this week, they asked me talk to the manager of Greenwich Village site. Then I called the site manager and was hit with answering machine.

Second, they messed up my bills for pre-surgery appointments. I had to speak to way too many different representatives on that issue (who do not compare notes, so every time I called I needed to repeat everything again), yet the issue is still not resolved. When I called the first time, a representative on the general line was able to confirm that I had made all the required payments, but she said one of the payments I made had not been applied to my balance yet. She said I had to call their billing dept to have that payment applied. When I did that, the billing dept representative told me that the particular payment I made of $254 was not in their system or their record (how? Why? Thank god I asked for receipts when I paid that; btw they did not give my any receipts if I did not ask). So I had to email over my receipts and my credit card statements. I got no response. I called the second day to check if the email went through at all, and my call was basically dismissed outright. The person answered my phone was cold and kinda blamed me for not waiting three days before calling back, as if it is my fault that they messed up my bills and was slow to deal with it. Till today, no one replies to my email.

Lastly, there is no good way for patients to find out whether a site / a particular doctor is actually in network or not. I visited a location that showed up as in-network only to be told that they did not accept my insurance. Then I went to a different site that did take my insurance, but they did not provide surgery and had to transfer me to another site. I confirmed a week before my surgery appointment that this particular site/doctor takes my insurance, and had built that into my calendar, asked for sick leave at work etc. But the night before my scheduled surgery they called me to say nope your insurance did not work with that doctor.

What a pleasant experience! I would not hesitate to recommend anyone I hate to make appointments with the dermatologist specialist!:)

Derm specialists has been a superb dermatological experience. They’re efficient, handson, and responsive with billing questions. You can always get an appointment and the practitioners are top notch!

Dr. Lauren Sachs is great! She has been great for treating my acne. She is very knowledgeable and answers all my questions.

Kemberly and Sophia at the front desk of the Greenwich Village location are two of the nicest, kindest problem solvers I’ve encountered! They gracefully helped me navigate a billing issue and I couldn’t be more grateful.

And Dr. Andrew Peranteau is equally as kind and amazingly skilled at correcting any skin related issues.

Thank you Dr. John Nia. My son was very comfortable with the surgery process, also the assistant had great service and the front desk ladies as well. We would recommend you to everyone. Dr. John is very professional God bless you.

I have had the worst experiences during my last two visits. The most recent one was with Lauren Sachs, and it’s hard to find the words to describe how unprofessional it was. She was unfriendly throughout the entire appointment, with her hands in her pockets most of the time. When she did take her hands out, she touched my face in an unprofessional manner, and her nails even scratched my skin. To make matters worse, she gave me expired samples. When I got home, I checked the expiry date for the sample she had provided, which she had made fun of earlier, suggesting it wouldn't be covered by my insurance. When I asked her questions and referenced articles I had read, she belittled me, questioning whether they were approved by a dermatologist or were scientifically sound. She even made fun of my level of education and knowledge. I chose not to engage with her, as I felt she wasn't deserving of my time. Unfortunately, based on my experience and my knowledge in this field, it seems she knows very little about her job. She even admitted, 'I don't know what to prescribe you, and I don't know how sensitive your face is. '

In the visit before this one, I was originally scheduled to see Dr. Bobby but was instead transferred to one of his PAs without my knowledge. When I inquired at the front desk, they responded defensively, assuring me that I would see Dr. Bobby after the PA's evaluation. However, this never happened, and the PA, Mohyi Syed, was exceedingly rude and impatient. I had to request to speak with Joanna, the regional manager. Joanna is the only redeeming aspect of this location, and possibly the entire facility. She brought the PA back to the room, although the PA was clearly unhappy about it and didn't even allow me to complete a sentence before rushing to leave.

I strongly advise you to save your money and avoid seeing these two providers!

Amazing visit. I was in this office the very first time but all the paperwork and waiting time took only about 15 mins in total and I was invited inside to see the doctor. Dr. Buka came in shortly with his trainee (Dr. Buka is a great educator btw, I liked the way he was teaching), they did their assessment of the skin lesion and came up with the treatment plan, the results of which I can see already today, on the second day of treatment. I’m a nurse myself and can say that the whole visit went in a very professional, attentive and time saving way, just amazing. Thank you!

I’ve been to multiple Dermatologist but Dr. Peranteau is my favorite just amazing, such human touch so humble, he explains everything and is very reassuring.
The nurses and staff are so nice the gentleman in front desk is amazing as well It’s a Blessing to have found this facility.
AMAZING STAFF

Very friendly, but professional atmosphere.
Dr Hashim and his team explained everything before, during and after Mohs surgery. The procedure was completely pain AND stress free.
I would not hesitate to recommend the Dermatology Specialists.

Thank you Dr. Nia for the unmatched professionalism, skills, talent and bed side manners. I am grateful and thankful for finding you and your professional team
God bless you.

I was so nervous before arriving to be treated by Dr. John Nia. Everything changed the minute I was greeted by staff& promptly on time I was checked by Dr. Nia and his knowledge & care were outstanding! So thanks!

It's like family
I have known Bobby since he opened at the Seaport
My experience on Sullivan has the same great family connection
Bravo

This is probably the worst doctor let alone derm office I have ever been to in my life. My dermatologist Dr. Riddy is the biggest quack out there who has no idea what he’s talking about & just wastes your time. Save yourself every bit of time & money & do not go here. They do not answer their phone, the wait time in at least an hour with an appointment, & no one communicates with each other.

Checked in an hour ago and still haven’t been seen. Watched 3 people who came after me be called to be seen while I’m still here waiting. Even when called they have you wait in a room for another hour before you’re seen because they double book appointments for the same slot. You’re better off scheduling 2 hours before you expect to be seen, going out for lunch after checking in and coming back, Even better avoid all branches and only go here if you need an appointment asap and don’t mind 5 hour wait times.

Everything went smooth: from the consultation with Dr. Ashton in the Harlem location to the procedure with Dr. Hashim in the Greenwich Village location. I felt well taken care of.

Very positive experience. Dr. Peranteau & Dr. Nia were wonderful as well as the accompanying staff as I unexpectedly had surgery. Everyone was supportive and it was incredibly pain free! Dr. Nia’s skill is amazing! I was very impressed and grateful!

Beautiful place and staff but with horrible customer information. The place and location is truly beautiful and the front desk staff were nice and welcoming, however the service was horrible. Had to wait more than 25 minutes for the doctor to come in and draw with a marker on my body. Was supposed to get a surgery that I was told was covered by insurance and they came with a bill of $1,200. Keep in mind this was a tiny surgery that would involve removing a piece of skin. Neither I, nor anyone was warned about this bill as they said it would be covered by insurance. Additionally, after we backed out and left, a month later we received another bill of $250 as a “consultation” which was once again told to us that it was covered entirely by insurance. Customers need to know why, when, and what they are being charged for PRIOR to everything, not during or after. Needs change.

I had such an amazing experience. From the moment I came in I felt the staff did everything to make me feel welcome. Even when I was getting my procedure done the doctors and nurses made me feel comfortable and laugh a few times. I would definitely recommend this clinic!