Reviews
It is absolutely ridiculous how many bills I have received from this doctor just for a 10 minute consultation appointment. I thought I was only going to pay a co-pay, but then for the past couple of months, I have received 3 bills of around $200 each asking me to pay them back out of pocket. It honestly feels like I am being scammed at this point. Suffice to say, I will never be returning here again. This has never happened to me with other doctors before.
I am so thankful that I got to see Dr. Badame! He and his team have provided EXCELLENT care to me! It turns out that I have a serious issue going on. He addressed my concern immediately and was fast and diligent in scheduling my follow up appointments and helping me get set up with additional specialists I will need to see. In my past, I had seen other dermatologists who did not take my concerns seriously, so I was not sure what to expect here. Dr. Badame truly surpassed my expectations!! I appreciate Dr. Badame’s expert knowledge and professionalism and I highly recommend him to others. If it had not been for Dr. Badame addressing my skin issue, I could have been facing some dire consequences. I am truly grateful for this awesome doctor and his wonderful staff!
I am not saying he is a bad doctor, maybe he is good at treating warts and cancerous skin issues, but I would not recommend him at all for cosmetic skin or non-dangerous skin consultations like acne, hair fall, hair removal etc. Here are my 2 cents- I don't like that they ask you to pay before the visit. The doctor was in and out of the room within 5 minutes. I was dealing with hair loss issues, he didn't check, he didn't ask questions, just wrote a letter for some blood tests and that was it. I tried asking a few more questions but he didn't answer anything. He seemed in a hurry to be out and onto his next appointment which I felt was very unprofessional. He asked me to followup in a month with test results. I was hoping this would be the "real" consultation, but I was annoyed to learn I would have to pay co-pay again. So then what did I pay the first time for? He literally did nothing.
In 2020 I visited this office, and made very clear I'd never been to a dermatologist before, but was worried about a mole. I got booked for a "tissue sample/biopsy", which was not explained to me to be full excision plus stitches with 4 weeks of no exercise until I was prepped in their office chair white coat syndrome exists, and any longterm provider should know better. I now have a very unappealing large scar on my chest, however, I am still thankful it wasn't cancer. At my check-up, this 4 weeks was now told to me to be 6 more weeks. As an active person, I would have appreciated actually being able to prepare for this, as it greatly impacted plans that had already existed. Additionally, the follow-up was meant to be a chance to go over my results. However, it wasn't until the Dr opened my chart in the room he admitted I had no results yet so extra appt built in due to this lack of detail. After my biopsy results did come in, the person who called tried to force me into an additional tissue excision despite my results "not being a concern". When I asked for an explanation, she pressured I should just make an appt because she couldn't say more over the phone. Then came the bills---all were paid in full with an out of pocket discount, however, a later mystery one one kept getting mailed to me months after it was paid. After multiple weeks attempting to speak to billing and a game of back and forth with Dr. Badame, this was finally resolved in Feb 2021 according to my email records as a supposed "system error" due to miscommunication between the payment being acknowledged, the billing office, and automated mailing. And yet, today, in 2022, I received a collections notice for the same amount, despite attempting contact immediately after receiving this error bill yet again a month ago. I'm frustrated by the predatory attempts to book more surgeries/appts and the follow-up for payment from a patient who handled all billing in bulk and out of pocket. I regret choosing this office for my mole concerns, as it now seems this isn't going to end anytime soon. For clarity, I did attempt to call directly again today, but no one answered any of the multiple line options and the billing mailbox was full. Just a very exhausting and unprofessional experience now stretching over 2 years. March Update: called again and got ahold of someone who was understanding and didn't seem surprised this happened, so I'm hoping to have this resolved soon and then I'll update this review. I have asked for emails to confirm these phone conversations, but no one did despite agreeing on the phone. Update 2: after 2 more weeks of phone calls, follow-up, and finding billing statements to re-prove to the separate billing office that I paid for the service rendered in 2020, I have been told my balance is zero and the collections notices will stop. It is still unclear why this came up in 2021 and again for 2022, but I sincerely hope I do not hear from them again in 2023 over the same issue. The only excuses I was given were one: after paying out of pocket Dr. Badame/his office must have billed insurance anyway why this happened when a bill was paid is unknown. Or two: the system had an issue showing any record of payment again, unclear why this seems to restart each year. Overall, this has been a very exhausting and distressing process that I hope has officially ended this time. Update 3: it is now June, and I just got another collections notice, so apparently I get to start this process over again. I am truly at a complete loss as to how this continues to happen. Update 4: After leaving this review, Dr. Badame reached out to explain the billing error and realized upon review they actually owed me $180.25, despite the mistaken collections notices being sent my way. He sent this amount to me as well as the pathology reports I never received due to delayed results and the issues mentioned above that made me not wish to visit the office again. Today July 20 Dr. Badame asked that I revisit my review after his email in June, so I have updated.
I went in to see Dr. Badame again for another cyst removal. My experience was painless, it was over quickly, and he did a thorough job. None of my previous cysts have returned because he does such excellent work. I go back to him when I need to because he knows his stuff.
Dr Badame and his team work very efficiently and take care of their patients very well! I was able to get an appointment sooner than I thought it would be. Dr Badame prescribed me very good medicine and helped my skin a lot! They always answer their phone very politely and provide as much help as they can. I got my prescriptions filled very quickly. They even called in my pharmacy for changes of prescription many times and made sure I got my medication on time. Dr Badame and his team are definitely one of the best in the business!
My wife, son and I have been a patient of Dr. Badame for 20+ years and I must say, he's the BEST! He's removed several cancer appearances on my skin and did it flawlessly . I love his entire staff and appreciate his level of enthusiasm and passion for what he does. If you're looking for a great dermatologist, look know further and make an appointment with Dr. Badame!!
If there was an option, i’d have given negative rating to the doctor. He overbooks time slot, sees patient for 5 mins and dont even listens to the whole issue. I went there for multiple issues i have been facing, doctor made me wait for 30 mins i was fine with waiting, then he walked into the room in hurry to leave. He literally left within 7 mins of coming. Dont visit him if you want proper solution for your issue.
If you're looking for the best in dermatology, look no further. You have found it in Dr. Badame. This is a very good doctor. He's bright, caring, and highly skilled. And while I'm throwing adjectives around, the same applies to his staff. The front-office staff are so helpful with schedule and insurance issues. His medical assistants appear to effortlessly anticipate the doctor's needs for any visit I've had with the doctor. This is a well-run office headed by an exceptionally qualified physician.
Please avoid. Very lazy doctor kept me waiting and then spent 5 minutes only to tell me that the bumps I was concerned with was not cancer just by looking at them. He seems more concerned with billing then his patients.