Lakeway Psychiatry and Behavioral Health P.L.L.C.

Since ⁴⁄₂₀₁₄ I have been seeing Dr. Rezaee. I have been over 35 times and not once has she or her staff been anything more than kind. I have had inconsistencies with my previous treatment providers and always solved by more meds. Never has her only solution been meds. She respects my opinions and explains why her changes in treatment. I have also rejected meds or any changes at all. Even though she always ends up being right, she has patience.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Rezaee for the over an year now. She is an amazing doctor! She is incredibly compassionate and knowledgeable. She is also extremely professional and has this way of always making me feel as ease when I’m speaking with her. Being in her care has helped me so tremendously. In my opinion, she is one of the top doctors in her field in the Austin area. I would highly recommend her service to anyone that needs it!

I was disappointed with my overall experience with this clinic. In November, I called and setup an appointment. It’s difficult to find anyone accepting new patients in Austin so it was great to hear they had availability. The gentleman I spoke with was very polite and explained that they were not currently in-​network with my provider but they hoped to be within six weeks and then I’d be able to submit the bill to my provider for reimbursement. This was very important to me as I would not have scheduled the appointment had I known I would ultimately end up paying over four times my copay.
The visit with the doctor was fine. I do not have any complaints at all about my visit with the doctor or the office manager who helped me with the initial in office setup. Before my appointment, I provided them with my contact information and a credit card number and we agreed that I would pay 50.00 at that time and then be charged once a month until my bill was settled or, what I thought was more likely based on what I’d understood from their explanation, they were able to get in network with my insurance provider. Yesterday, three and a half months later, I received a voice mail from the psychiatrist herself on my work phone. In much detail, she explained that they were closing out their year and I still owed the full amount of my bill after multiple attempts of trying to contact me. She firmly stated that it was important that I pay the full amount by the end of the month or they would fine me and turn my bill over to collections. Imagine my surprise since I had not heard from them since November. Additionally, medical care providers need written permission to leave voice mails and I had never given this permission.
From the beginning of the conversation with the doctor I felt that she had written me off as someone who attempts to cheat companies into giving them free services. She explained that my credit card didn’t go through and I still owed the full amount of the visit. I still have the same card so it seems likely office manager might have simply written the number incorrectly. The doctor seemed to assume I had no intention of paying my bill even after I tried to explain I did but just felt I’d been misled (intentionally or not) when I setup the appointment. I called my insurance provider after her initial voice mail and was told it wasn’t possible to be reimbursed since the appointment took place when the clinic was out-​of-​network. The doctor seemed unwilling to listen and was incredibly defensive. After the conversation escalated, she told me the office manager would be in touch as he was more familiar with possible options.
The office manager was very pleasant and I felt he listened to my concerns without becoming defensive; he did seem to have a bit of trouble hearing me a few times when we spoke. I explained that I would like to pay them that day, but asked that they cut the payment down from the original amount. He agreed to cut the payment in half and I thanked him for his kindness and patience. I apologized for losing my cool initially but that I felt very attacked by the doctor, a mental health care provider.
I accept that ultimately it is my responsibility to pay the bill, however I was looking for some understanding because a) I have no written, digital or phone record from them trying to get in touch with me and b) I felt their office had provided me with incorrect information/​explained their current situation with my provider inaccurately.
Shortly after finishing with the office manager, I received a voice mail from the doctor who thanked me for taking care of the amount I owed them and said «I understand there was some confusion about it and I’m sorry if you had a misunderstanding» but that their intention was not to confuse me. That is all fine, however she never accepted any part in the «confusion» or even acknowledged that it was possible there was simply a miscommunication. While I am sure the doctor’s intentions for calling me the second time were genuine, I felt it was more insulting than beneficial considering the tone of our previous phone call. Aside from leaving a detailed message on my office phone without written approval, I do not think this clinic did anything illegal, but I do think their approach to handling my situation was inappropriate and unprofessional. There are always two sides to every story so I acknowledge that my side likely varies from theirs, but I think it would be smarter and avoid «confusion» if they did not rely on email or even the telephone to let a client know they have an outstanding payment but rather sent hard copies through the mail.
Again, I thought the visit itself was fine and do not have anything negative to say about the appointment with the doctor or the office manager. However, I wish I had gotten all communication in writing and obtained hard copies of the paperwork during my initial visit.