Blue Ridge Dermatology Assoc. P.A.

I saw Dr. O’Rourke several years ago. I complained several times about a red spot on my nose. She gave me some cream and downplayed the seriousness of the spot and said it was just dry skin from sun damage. Well the spot didn’t go away. I asked again. She even questioned if it was the same spot. More cream. I had had this spot for several years at this point. Then it started bleeding. I went back and she immediately became alarmed and said I needed a biopsy. It was basel cell cancer. She sent me to Cary Skin Center for the MOH’s procedure. I ended up with a hole in my nose the size of a dime because they had trouble getting all of the cancer. I ended up having plastic surgery to fix the hole. The plastic surgeon I used was a miracle worker. He used a 100 hundred stitches to help with scarring. Dr. O’Rourke should have done a biopsy from day one. My sister and my friend have had similar experiences like this.

My family and I have been patients here for over 10 years and had numerous procedures done over the years, both medical and cosmetic. Unfortunately this practice has absolutely no care for patient loyalty. They were unwilling to work with me this spring to schedule a single 30 minute in-​office procedure. After numerous phone calls, voicemail messages and back-​and-​forth with their front office staff, I was able to get through to someone to schedule the appointment, only to be told that because I cannot come in during a 4-​hour window on 1 specific day of the week, I am better off leaving this practice and getting a new doctor. When I then asked them for a referral to a new doctor, the person on the phone scoffed at me and acted like I was requesting something unusual.
In the end, I’m so glad that I ended up having to find a new dermatologist because it turns out that Blue Ridge misdiagnosed a skin condition I went to them for last year. My new dermatologist recognized right away that what Blue Ridge told me was nothing, was in fact a tumor. I think that says it all.

Avoid this practice at all costs. I had a precancerous spot removed from my leg. It became infected because they did not use proper antibacterial precautions. Every time I went back I was prescribed an even more expensive cream, none of which worked. I was finally sent to the Rex Wound Care Clinic. I was told my records would be faxed there. When I got to the wound care clinic they knew nothing about my treatment at all. Inefficiency all around. As a result of the carelessness at Blue Ridge dermatology, I now have a permanent depression on my leg and a sizable ugly mark that will never go away.

What an extremely unprofessional business and physicians practice. I would highly recommend avoiding this practice if you are concerned at all about your health. I work in the technology industry and we are more responsive to low priority technical issues than this company is to life threatening issues. It’s extremely disappointing and very sad to see they conduct business in such a poor manor.

It has been a few years since I have visited BRD. We’ve moved twice, didn’t have my old records & have changed insurance twice, too. Called today to get an appointment, I had a lot of questions for them & I was flustered & confused about a few things, including the location (I thought they had two). Receptionist thought she had put me on hold, but didn’t. I heard «This b**ch doesn’t want to come to Raleigh.» My family is never going back.

I liked the doctor I saw, Dr. Lolkitz, but the officeis very poorly run. It seems that no one really answers the phone or responds to a voicemail in a timely manner. I had a suspicious mole removed and was told I’d receive biopsy results by phone the following week. Two weeks later and still no call… and no response to my voicemail either.

I’ve been a patient at Blue Ridge Dermatology for about 6 or 7 years. In the past, I had similar experiences to the older 1-​star reviews I just read here on Unilocal — excessive waits for my appointments, very brief time with the doctor, and a rather cold & dismissive doctor. As such, I had no confidence in my clean «Mole Patrol» results each year.
I had basically given up until about a month ago. A friend of mine discovered a concerning mole, had it checked (cancerous), and then had it removed. She had great things to say about her doctor. I told her I was unhappy with my dermatology practice and asked her where she went — Blue Ridge Dermatology, same as me! I was stunned that she had such an opposite experience. So — I decided to give it one more shot and scheduled a body scan and requested to have a different doctor than I had previously seen.
Today I had my appointment with the new-​to-​me doctor, Dr. Hash. I admittedly walked in there with a little skepticism and a bit of a chip on my shoulder after waiting at least 30 minutes for my appointment. The result? Dr. Hash was GREAT! She clearly was listening to my concerns, answered my questions in both technical detail as well as laymans terms (thank goodness!), and definitely set me at ease. Yes — it was a rather quick appointment and I spent at least twice as much time in the waiting room as I did in the exam room. However, I left feeling confident about my skin health and with good solid answers to about 100 skin-​related questions I’d been saving up since my last visit. Thank you for humoring me with all the answers, Dr. Hash! LOL!
Today’s visit deserves 4 stars. I’m only rating it at 3 stars because of prior bad experiences a few years back. If my next visit goes as well as today did, I’d happily kick it up a star. ;)
*On a side note — the wait time was long but MOST doctors’ offices I go to tend to drag out the wait time and send the message that their time is more important than mine. It is certainly not exclusive to Blue Ridge Dermatology… Just an additional two cents.

I have been going to Dr. Carrie Alspaugh at Blue Ridge Dermatology for over 15 years. Dr. Alspaugh is the most competent, thorough and kind dermatologist I have ever encountered. The staff at Blue Ridge Dermatology is professional and courteous. As a melanoma survivor of 21 years, I can’t afford to mess around. This office has my back — and my loyal patronage.

I called this practice with an urgent need for a mole check. The person at the appointment line’s response? We book mole check appointments six months out.
Me: «So…if I have an urgent need to see a doctor about a mole, what would you recommend I do?»
Appointment person: «Go to an urgent care or see if you can get an appointment somewhere else.»
I’m pretty sure cancer won’t wait 6 months. Will not be calling back.

My husband has been a patient of Blue Ridge Dermatology for more than a year, and has stuck with them for skin checks just because it’s a hassle to switch practices, not because they are particularly impressive. They won’t schedule a procedure such as a mole removal on the same day as a full-​body skin check, for example. Inconvenient. The staff is minimally friendly, and the doctor just mediocre.
Today was extremely disappointing. We scheduled and waited months for an appointment to have a re-​excision of a mole that was initially removed by Dr. Alspaugh. She was 30 minutes late, and when the nurse finally called him back, she said «Oh, I’m sorry, but Dr. Alspaugh no longer does excisions. Do you still want to see her today?» I’m not sure when she stopped offering this treatment, but it would have been good for someone to check her schedule and call the folks who were slated to have them done. He saw the doctor anyway to ask two questions about other skin spots. Waste of time and a copay. We will look elsewhere for a better practice.

I’ve never been to a dermatologist in NC and it was like going to a 7 – 11. I was in and out in 10 minutes but waited 40 minutes to see a meth like doctor named hash who spit some ungodly price to remove a small skin tag and to burn a dot on my face. I’ve paid half the price in Miami for the same treatment. IDK I don’t like nor trust when a doctor rushes in and out and does a 5 minute thing on you then leaves. I’d rather go elsewhere and see a doctor who takes the time to explain things and offer variable options. Go elsewhere