Palm Beach Rejuvenation Of Sarasota - Robert G. Carlson MD ripoff Unethical billing Sarasota Florida
After reading Suzanne Somers book "Ageless" I made an appointment with Dr. Robert G. Carlson at the Palm Beach rejuvenation of sarasota, as he was listed in the referral section at the back of the book. I thought his fee of 300.00 each for my husband and me but that was his fee, so be it. He spent a lot of time with us so it wasn't really bad. It got bad when we paid for 2 months worth of hormones through him (you can only go through him) and then found out that he has a 327% markup on the prescriptions. After talking to a compounding pharm, I discovered that I paid him 180.00 for a 55.00 prescription. He continues to "earn" himself a nice monthly income on his patients by padding their script. Then requires repeat consultations at 95.00 a pop. You can't get refills without the followups. The Bio-Identical hormones are wonderful, but don't use this Doctor to get them.
Susan
Oviedo, Florida
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Randomwag
Green Bay,Wisconsin,
U.S.A.
Palm Beach Rejuvenation a value
#3Consumer Comment
Sun, July 13, 2008
I am a patient of Dr Carlson at Palm Beach Rejuvenation. The value in his initial consultation is incredible. He takes more time talking with you about your concerns than any doctor I've ever visited. He is thorough and incredibly knowledgable. Dr. Carlson does not accept insurance and therein lies the problem. People who are covered by some sort of insurance plan often don't even look to see the true cost of care by their physician or the cost of their prescriptions. In any industry, if you order something through a third party, there is going to be substantial mark-up. Shop around. You'll find that Dr. Carlson is a leader in anti-aging and his prices extremely competitive.
Bryan
Sarasota,Florida,
U.S.A.
You get what you pay for
#3UPDATE Employee
Tue, June 10, 2008
1. Doctors give prescriptions for medication. Patients can shop around for medications if they want or ask the doctor for a suggestion.
3. Bi-annual checkups are part of Dr Carlson's hormone therapy treatment plans. The full treatment plan is explained to each patient during their multiple-hour-long initial consultation.
2. When it comes to the price of medications, you get what you pay for in compounded medicine. Compounded medications are not of uniform quality.
From "2006 FDA Survey of Compounded Drug Products":
125 Active Ingredients (to be used in compounded medication) Tested:
125 Active Ingredients Passed
73 Compounded Finished Products Tested:
16 were expired
21 had unusable samples
12 failed due to sub/super-potency or lack of uniformity
24 passed
"Potency ranged from 67.5% to 268.4% of the amount of drug declared on the product labeling."
"From 1990 to 2005, FDA learned of at least 240 serious illnesses and deaths associated with improperly compounded products."
Though we are less than thrilled with some of the activities of the FDA in regards to compounded medicine, the concern here is valid. Compounded medication is not regulated, so when you are shopping for compounded medication, make sure you are buying it from a pharmacy you can trust.
Dr Carlson strongly suggests that his patients order from a pharmacy he has worked with because the quality of the medications are high and reliable. You get what you pay for.