Excel Psychiatric Associates

Excel Psychiatric Associates, PA (EPA) office is shared by Tiffany Buie (Social Worker) and Dr. Chepke (Psychiatrist). Charity is their at-home Assistant/on-call person. On 12/18/2013 I left a message on the voicemail of Charity, Assistant, that indicated that I would like to reschedule the 12/20/13 appointment with Tiffany. On 12/26/13 I received a bill in the amount of $75.00 for a “missed” 12/20/13 appointment. I immediately called the office on 12/26/13 and spoke with Charity. Charity immediately insisted that I pay the $75.00 fee or she would not even be able to confirm my appointment with Dr. Chepke on Jan 2 at 1:30pm. I asked to speak with Dr. Chepke, due to the fact that I already met with him on 12/16/2013. I never received a call back from Tiffany or Dr. Chepke. My husband then called and spoke to Charity. Charity was evasive, would not tell him when someone would call back or even something as simple as office hours and then she abruptly ended the call. Due to the fact Tiffany and Dr. Chepke were not responsive, we were still in the holiday season, and my appointment was Jan 2, we had to go to ridiculous lengths to get such a tiny issue resolved. On 12/27/13 I called the main # again, which was forwarded to Dr. Chepke's "confidential" voicemail. Tiffany retrieved that voicemail and called me back. Confidentiality broken. She said I had to make an appointment with her before I could see Dr. Chepke. Tiffany refused to assure me of my appointment with Dr. Chepke. I made an appointment with her for 12/30/13. In order for Tiffany to do her job and waive the $75 charge, it took, on my part: 9 phone calls between 12/18 and 12/26; 1 hand-delivered letter on 12/27; 5 emails sent to the office on the 12/27, a detailed call log from Sprint showing I called the office; and, 1 breach of confidentiality. On the morning of 12/30/13 I still received a bill via email for the 12/20/13 appointment. My husband was so shocked at the chaos and the fact that Dr. Chepke never called me back, he attended the appointment with me that afternoon. Our intention was to clear the issue up, have the bill corrected for insurance purposes, and have an intake done. This issues were never cleared up, Tiffany did not acknowledge the bill or the fact that confidentiality was broken. She said if I did not like the way the office ran, I should look elsewhere. I had no choice but to leave. Clients should know that this office does not have a landline, only cell phones, which are not a reliable source of communication for a business. It is inconsistent as to which cell phone your call will be forwarded to, as in my case. You may get different voicemail each time you call. There is no front-desk person. They only accept cash or check with no receipt upon payment. Dr. Chepke’s confidential voicemail is not confidential. You never know who is writing you back via email. Their business practices are extremely disorganized and unprofessional and dubious. Dr. Chepke insists you meet with Tiffany for a second intake. This not only takes more money out of the client’s pocket, but In the insurance world, this could be considered double-billing. There is a complete absence of communication, not only between the staff itself, but with me as a client. Charity is very rude. Tiffany, ironically, did not strive to empathize with me, was quick to argue, lacks problem-solving skills, and business skills, Dr. Chepke, well, he just never called back. This also shows a lack of caring, is extremely irresponsible on his part with regards to medications and the welfare of his clients in general.