Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology

09/03/09

Thanks for the reviews

by chadeuce at Citysearch

I have not been to these doctors,but after reading everyone's comments, I have decided to forego this clown bunch.

When I called to make an appointment, I was told they needed a referral from another doctor with all paper work. That's one big hoop to jump through, even though my insurance does not require a referral. Then I was told I would see a nurse for the first time and not a doctor.I asked the staff when would I see a doctor and was told that the office works like this: Every two visits you will see a nurse and and the third visit you will see the doctor. I asked the staff, just what does the doctor do? No comment!!!!

Each time you only see a nurse ( I don't care how much certification she/he has or education) you are charged the same as seeing a doctor.I am a R.N. worked on a diabetic floor and worked in dialysis and I don't want to see only a nurse.For that matter, I have the experience to know almost as much as the nurse does.

This is a factory mentality - move in em...move em out ....conveyor belt style.Quantity over Quality. Sounds like pure Greed on the doctor's part to me and I will not risk my life with such a group of non-caring doctors and staff. When I go see a doctor, I want to see a doctor, not a nurse.The nurse can gain valuable info to give the doc, but I want to see a doctor every time I step into their office.

P.S. I bet everytime they bill your insurance, it is billed such that it looks like you have visited a physician.That could be illegal.

• Cons: Conveyor belt and factory style mentality

11/19/09

Abysmally bad service from manager

by jasoncrouch2 at Citysearch

This is my wife's experience with this business:

"If I could give less than one star to these unfeeling, rude people, I would. These guys took $50 from us for a "missed appointment." It was unfair, and they boldy refused to return it, clearly indicating they didn't care about losing our future business or the business of anyone who reads this.

Here's the story: My mother injured herself severely in March of '07. She stayed in bed quite a bit, barely able to get to dialysis to keep herself alive. Because of a household mishap, she injured herself even worse in August of '07. That's when I took her to the hospital for surgery. She was on a lot of painkillers for her constant, excruciating pain, which made her delirious. By October of '07, she was so delirious, she needed to be hospitalized, because everyone thought she had had a stroke!

Unfortunately, during this time, she missed an appointment at Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology. Nobody knew where her calendar was, or that she had an appointment, so we had no chance of making it to the appointment. They charged us a $50 no-show fee, which my grandmother paid, because she didn't want to fight them. I held on to their letter, however, because I didn't think it was just.

I realize that waiting a long time to ask for a refund is inconvenient for businesses. However, this is a special case, I think. My mother was delirious; she did get better later, but the painkillers had a terrible effect on her. Also, during the time between now and then, I have been occupied taking care of my mom, my three kids, my illness, and my then-unborn child. Also, another reason I'm trying to collect this right now is that I'm now the executor of my mom's estate.

My mother was victimized by many people during her final days, and I thought that Texas Diabetes & Endocrinology would see that they had not treated us rightly, and try to rectify the situation. They did not. Their statement was that "It's only fifty dollars," but if it's such a small amount, then why not return it? When doing business with them, ensure that you do not overpay, and that you watch how much you really need to pay them, or the same thing may happen to you. They were willing to make life-long enemies of our family over fifty dollars, which is a small sum to them, by their statement. They hung up on me, twice. That is how much they value their customers. Do they not understand that, in today's economy, $50 is a significant sum to some families?"

• Cons: Bad billing practices

09/26/09

Very bad service. They don't help

by chiuchiutai at Citysearch

Went there from a referral...

1. They took my healthcare information, but did not check with coverage.

2. The doctor, Esxxxxxxx also did not confirm with insurance plan. She ordered a bunch of lab work, some of which was unnecessary.

3. My insurance did not cover what she coded and they charged me a great amount which was completely out of my clues.

4. It took forever to schedule an appointment with them, like 2-3 months after my referral.

5. The staff was very rude. They complained about my insurance plan but not themselves and made me to take care of a couple of thousand bill with one doctor's visit only ordering lab work.

6. They even switched to another physician on my lab reports to take care of my case...

Nothing wrong with me. I got a hube bill from these guys.

Don't go there! Go to other clinics for your diabetic or endocrine problems!!

09/16/09

Patient Mill

by tante m at Citysearch

This place does not cater to people or patient needs. They are a mill set up to generate revenue off of diabetics. First of all, I was not even allowed to see the doctor for the first month. I was sent to a very nice nurse who told me I ate too much and should not have more than 30 carbs per meal including vegetables (I am over 5'10" and a vegetarian, so this meant I was starving for several weeks.) Then, only three weeks after going there my nurse tells me she is moving out of state and I have to get a new nurse. A week later I meet my doctor, who spends 15 minutes with me, five of them on the phone with someone else, and tells me I am doing my insulin all wrong before he even looks at my log book. And he and everyone else I spoke to there argued with me that I should be on a pump because it is popular now and very convenient, not caring when I told them I was not interested in carrying my disease around on my belt. In addition, the practice would not help me work with my pharmacy when they got my prescriptions incorrect because I use a mail in pharmacy and they said they simply didn't have time to deal with that. Then, I was told I was billed incorrectly and slapped with $20 fees for ever time I had walked into the office. This place is not about people, I'm not even sure it is about diabetes. My dentist was more helpful with advice than they were.

• Pros: Location
• Cons: Setup, Doctors, administrators, everything else

09/03/09

Awesome group of doctors and staff!

by teeveemom at Citysearch

I drive 5 hours one way for my appointment at TDE and have been doing so for 3 years. No, I don't live in the sticks and there are diabetes physicians both in my city and within a shorter driving period. When I first started going to TDE their Diabetes Educator had been voted as the "TX Diabetes Educator of the Year". I have always been treated with complete respect and professionalism by everyone, from the front desk to the nurses in the back, the techs, to the doctors and PA's. I have both diabetes and a goiter on my thyroid. After 11 years and 4 diabetes doctors, no one had checked into my goiter until I came to TDE. The meds I had been taking throughout the 11 years had not helped and TDE both changed and updated me to a better diabetes management program. During these 3 years I have been very sick and had surgeries and they kept up with me during those situations. I highly recommend TDE and encourage anyone with diabetes and/or endocrinology problems to go there. I feel that TDE saved my life and I will recommend them to everyone!

• Pros: professional, caring, up to date
• Cons: a little tricky finding the building

08/27/09

Some Good, Some Bad

by touchpas at Citysearch

I was seen by Dr. Blevins after the initial PA visit routine. He is very thorough and spends a lot of time with you when you do get to seen him. He was very helpful with my thyroid problem. Otherwise, you have to see one of the PA's and I would just rather not bother with them. I'm not impressed with anything they do and many times Dr. Blevins changes what they suggest. If you could just deal with Dr. Blevins, everything would be so much better. Maybe this clinic/practice is just getting too big?!? Also, its a good way to get some exercise. You walk up to the window and check in and they have you sit in the waiting room; they call you into a room to get your temp and BP and then have you sit back down in the waiting room; then you get called back for any tests you need and then they put you back in the waiting room and finally, you get called to see the doctor or PA.

07/17/09

No answers and didn't help me

by lp1136 at Citysearch

I have a pituitary tumor and it has ruined the last year of my life. I had a doctor spend 3 minutes with me at Tx D&E. I told him how my mental and physical health had been declining over the past 6 months and I was at my end. All he told me was that I had a tumor, but my labs were normal and to just come back in 6 months. I left in tears. What kind of doctor shows you the door after you tell him you have been suffering for months??!

• Pros: easy to find location
• Cons: everything else

07/15/09

Dr Blevins wonderful physician

by fowlerman13 at Citysearch

I have seen Dr Blevins on each of my visits to this practice. Each time he has given me his full and thoughtful attention.

I have had ultrasound and biopsy procedures performed in the office. The staff have always been competent and caring.

• Pros: Excellent doctor; very competent staff
• Cons: Slow elevator :-)

06/18/09

GOOD EXPERIENCE FOR ME

by JCSouth at Citysearch

Well, I've also had a good experience with this facility. I did have to wait about 6 weeks to get an appointment, but I was looking for a new doctor to treat a long-term thyroid and hormonal problem, so it wasn't a life-or-death situation for me.

I've never had a problem with the staff at all. They always seem nice to me, and my insurance doesn't really pay out all that well to specialists, so I know it's not a money-driven/reimbursement motivation. I'm guessing the other reviewers must have met the 1 or 2 people on staff I have yet to meet (every office has them!) Also, I was able to see a Doctor on my first visit, but followed up with a PA. This makes sense to me, b/c the PA is basically reporting to the Doctor on the followup and the doctor will call if the patient needs to be seen again or more tests need to be run. Seems efficient to me.

I asked for Dr. Blevins but was told he wasn't taking any new patients, so I ended up seeing Dr. Espinoza, and I'm really glad I did!!! She not only was very receptive to everything I was saying about my symptoms, she asked lots of questions and actually had a real CONVERSATION with me and treated me like I actually know what I'm talking about when it comes to my own body and what it's telling me. That is priceless in the world of doctors. I'm so used to doctors just sort of going on autopilot and looking for a keyword here or there to make some diagnosis so they can get you out of the office and reimbursed, but Dr. Espinoza actually seems to think critically about everything you tell her--a rarity in the medical field.

Just recently, I had a seizure and came in to see her, and I could see how concerned she was for me and the emotional insecurity this new development was causing for me. She sat there with me and actually brainstormed about all of the things (endocrine-related) that could lead to seizure and made sure I had told her everything I could about the incident so she knew what to test for. She takes a very aggressive and comprehensive approach to diagnostics, which in my case, has been a very positive thing.

All in all, I think she is a very thorough, caring, and communicative doctor who treats you with respect and dignity.

• Pros: Efficient & Communicative
• Cons: A tad bit rushed

03/26/09

Bad, Bad, Bad

by slapdash at Citysearch

Yes, the staff is rude, but what I found even more troublesome was that the doctors were horrible too. I never truely understood what was wrong with me until I switched doctors. My last visit there, I was actually in tears because it was so horrible.

• Pros: Fancy Office
• Cons: Rude Staff, Rude Doctors