TL;DR: I have been to see Dr. Verebelyi at Colorado Skin and Vein before and found his ego to be oversized and his bedside manner sorely lacking. My most recent experience with him, however, blew all others out of the water.
I have been receiving treatment for a hemangioma above my eye that keeps coming back. This time around, I went in for the consultation, met with Christina Jordan, NP. Our consultation was very brief, but it was determined that my hemangioma could be shut down completely, but it could take up to six treatments ($195 each) to do so. Fine. Additionally, during that time I was prescribed a cream to be used in conjunction with my laser treatment, to prevent melasma from the intensity of the laser, as I am already prone to it. I did not ask for it, but it was seemingly just part of the usual care for someone prone to melasma. I paid for my consultation, $125, and was told that that amount would go toward my first treatment. I then scheduled the first three appointments.
I returned for my first appointment a few weeks later, and all went as expected. The nurse, Kyndall, and Christina, NP got everything prepped, and then Dr. Verebelyi came in, did the laser portion, and left. I asked about the prescription cream and where to put it. I felt comfortable leaving the office. I went to the front desk to pay, and holding an ice pack to my eye, and still being given instructions by the nurse, I handed the receptionist my card without hearing what I was being charged. Sure enough, it was the full amount, not the difference from what I’d paid for the consultation, as it was supposed to be. I figured I’d just deal with it next time. Nope.
At my next appointment, six weeks later, a different NP, Kaylin, prepped me for my treatment. She was very pleasant, and we had a good rapport going until Dr. Verebelyi came into the room. He asked how I thought things were progressing, and I said that I thought that it was healing well, but that I did have a question about the cream that I was using at the site. He said “What cream?” I responded that I wasn’t sure what the name was, but that it was the cream that had been prescribed by the office. This is where the train went off the rails. He responded that he was here to talk about my hemangioma and laser ablation, not a cream. I responded that the cream was prescribed to me for the laser treatment to prevent melasma, and that I felt like he was being very condescending in the way he was speaking to me. He then started yelling about how he was seeing me in between two surgeries, and he has no F@cking clue what cream I’m talking about or who F@cking prescribed that because there’s no association between a laser treatment and a cream to treat melasma, and my cream to treat melasma has nothing to do with him and why he’s in the room right now. I kept my cool and explained to him that I didn’t come to the clinic at any time for treatment for melasma. I was there only for my hemangioma, and that if he had questions about who prescribed it, he should ask the lovely woman who was sitting at the front desk when I came in. He yells, “That’s my wife!” I said, “And that’s who prescribed the cream.” He flings open the door, yells that he needs her in the room right now, and then tells her that I’m upset because we’re not understanding one another. I correct him by saying, “No, sir, I am upset because of the way that you are speaking to me.” He proceeds to tell her that I’m confused about this cream I’ve been prescribed for melasma, because that’s useless with laser treatment and they don’t prescribe it that way…to which Christina responds, “I do.” They converse about this, he leaves, exasperated, she tells Kaylin that she’ll take over, and I’m left dumbfounded by what has just happened, now in tears, in this room with the wife and partner of a man who has just insulted me as a person and a patient, and thrown his wife and partner under the bus. A few minutes later he opens the door, does not look at me or say anything to me, but says he needs to see her in the hallway. She leaves, comes back less than a minute later, and says that today’s services will be free of charge.
Does my story end there? Of course not! I go back and forth about posting a review. Everyone has a bad day, they were short-staffed, maybe he’ll apologize at my next appointment. Also, when I look for other reviews, there’s a noticeable lack of ANY reviews, good or bad? I can see a disciplinary slap on the wrist from the medical board that can’t be hidden, but has everything else been hidden? I need one more treatment and to work out my overpayment from the first visit. I’ll leave it alone for now.
So today is the day of my appointment, 11am. My last, I’ve determined. My husband is planning to come, just as a reminder to Dr. Verebelyi to mind his manners. At 8:50 am I get a call from an unknown number that I let go to voicemail. It’s the nurse, Kyndall, letting me know that my appointment has been canceled and that I’m no longer a patient of Dr. Verebelyi or Colorado Skin and Vein.
What. A. Coward.
So here’s my review. And I’m going to put it everywhere I can so that everyone knows the ego they’ll be dealing with if they go to Colorado Skin and Vein.
As an aside, I’m an RN. I know what it’s like behind the scenes. I know the stress of running behind schedule, being short-staffed, non-compliant patients, needy patients, no-show patients, supply shortages, and general low-morale from two and a half years of taking a beating from every direction. But that does not, and never will, excuse the poor treatment of one human being by another. It is a privilege to be chosen as a health care provider. One that should not be taken for granted in a world with so many options.
by Natalie
xxx.xxx.119.240
July 05, 2022
