Dermatology At Mercy Medical Center

I’m not even a patient and I had a bad experience, so definitely listen to the other reviewers. I called to get a new patient dermatology appointment. When the girl answered the phone she already seemed like she hates her job by the way she greeted with an attitude. I asked if they are accepting new patients with MPC. She said yes but I need a referral. While she is typically correct on that, with my specific state insurance I do not need one nor have I ever in the 4 years I’ve had it. I literally just went and saw an ocularneurologist, a special type of neurologist, last month without a referral and it was completely covered.. because I don’t need a referral. She wouldn’t listen though, she just kept saying she wouldn’t help me without one. I then explained I had also seen a dermatologist multiple times in the past without a referral because once again, I DONT NEED ONE. She refused to listen still, wouldn’t stop huffing while I was trying to talk, then started talking slowly to me like I’m dumb. I hung up because that’s not how you treat someone when they’re trying to tell you something. Sometimes you’re wrong, and that’s okay. All she had to do was call and ask MPC, and then they’ll tell her I don’t need one just like I did. But that would be common sense, which not everyone has evidently.

I went in to get a mole checked. It was not a scheduled procedure. no one asked me if I wanted/needed to check with an insurance before they cut it off, which was offered right there and then in the room. they charged me $1,000 for getting a single mole removed. they didn't discuss with me the "facility fee" I could face but assumed I would read through an entire document of legal mumbo jumbo to find this hidden charge. this is thievery. it was literally a 5 minute procedure. then the office secretary just tried to wipe their hands clean by pointing to my signature when I called about it. totally dishonest. they showed NO concern or surprise when I told them about the size of the bill for my procedure, which makes me wonder if they ripping off and squeezing patients as a matter of normal business practice.

Dr Beuthe has been very thorough and kind at the appointment. However it is very difficult to get an appointment. He has removed 2 small growths, one was suspicious from my husband. He scheduled a follow up in 6 months and asked my husband to call if there were any areas of concern before that time. He found a very suspicious growth and called mid August to get an appointment, but couldn’t get 1 before follow up on Sept 11. Luckily family dr squeezed him in and took a biopsy on Sept 1. Growth was cancerous and it was removed a week later by plastic surgeon. Meanwhile checkup appointment with Dr Beuthe scheduled for Sept 11 was cancelled by his office and couldn’t be rescheduled until November 10- even knowing about the diagnosis. So I’m not sure why Dr Beuthe tells his patients to call if they see something suspicious - it doesn’t really matter to his office!

From the dermatologists I've seen at Hopkins, UMB and Mercy, Dr. Douglas Buethe is the most arrogant and rudest of all. He entered the room apoplectic because I had a conference call at the time of my appointment. He yelled at me, saying that I was "incredibly disrespectful." Of course, I didn't plan this call at the time of my appointment to upset him; sometimes my boss just calls. We then had a disagreement over the treatment, as I have been treated for my condition before and the course he was suggesting has never worked. So he dismissed me and told me to go find a different doctor. I'm very happy to have any dermatologist except him as my physician and will unlikely return to Mercy.

Avoid at all costs. They charged me nearly $5,000 for a 30-minute appointment and ONE biopsy that came back completely negative. That means the doctor charges roughly $2500 an hour for that simple procedure which is absolutely ridiculous. Avoid.