The Dermatology Specialists - Long Island City

Anna Bazhanova

June 5, 2026

I have been a patient of Long Island City Dermatology Specialists for several years, but my recent experience was so disappointing that I will definitely not be returning. I scheduled an urgent appointment through the practice’s online portal. The appointment was confirmed through the website, and on the day of my visit I also received a text message confirming that the office was expecting me. As a single mother with a full-time job, arranging medical appointments requires significant planning. I had to coordinate childcare, work obligations, and travel to the office specifically for this visit. After arriving for my confirmed appointment, I was informed that I would not be seen because the practice claimed I had an outstanding balance of approximately $900. This was the first time I was informed that an alleged balance would prevent me from being seen. Had I been notified beforehand, I would have made alternative arrangements and scheduled with another provider instead of taking time off work and traveling to the office. What made the situation especially frustrating was that the appointment had already been confirmed multiple times. If the office has a policy prohibiting patients from being seen when there is an outstanding balance, that policy should be communicated before confirming appointments and certainly before patients arrive at the office. I asked for an explanation of the charges and was told that part of the balance was related to Botox. That immediately raised concerns because Botox treatments are paid out of pocket at the time of service, and I have always paid for those visits. No detailed breakdown of the charges was provided during my visit. I also requested to speak with a manager regarding the situation. The manager was not available to speak with me directly, and communication was relayed through the front desk staff. I offered to make a partial payment and work with the billing department to resolve any disputed charges after my appointment, but I was told that I could not be seen unless the entire balance was paid in full. The most disappointing part of this experience was not the billing dispute itself—it was the complete lack of communication and flexibility. The office had multiple opportunities to notify me before my appointment that there was an issue with my account. Instead, they confirmed the appointment, allowed me to take time off work and travel to the office, and then turned me away upon arrival. I have always liked the physicians at this practice, which makes this experience even more disappointing. However, the way this situation was handled demonstrated a serious lack of respect for patients’ time and circumstances. Based on this experience, I can no longer recommend this practice. Avoid at all cost, it’s a ripoff and they don’t care!

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David Burstein

June 24, 2026

My visit with dermatologist Dr. Marilyn Wan started normally, but the interaction became uncomfortable as the appointment went on. I had questions about the visit and next steps, and I was trying to better understand the doctor’s recommendations. During that discussion, I was interrupted while asking questions, and while doing so, the doctor acknowledged that she was interrupting me. That made the conversation feel harder to navigate than it needed to be. The most uncomfortable part was the discussion about how a biopsy in a sensitive area would be handled. The conversation became confrontational and aggressive in tone, and after the room went quiet, Dr. Wan asked, “Did I scare you?” I understand that medical discussions can be direct, but I did not feel the bedside manner was appropriate in this situation. Patients should be able to ask questions about sensitive procedures in a calm, respectful, and compassionate environment. Additionally, I specifically asked the receptionist/front desk which lab my fungal swab would be sent to so I could verify whether the lab was in-network. I was told they did not know. When I asked whether they could find out by asking someone in the office, they refused. New York Public Health Law § 24 requires certain lab or pathology provider information to be disclosed when those services are connected with care coordinated by the physician’s office. At minimum, patients should be able to know where their specimen is being sent before it is processed. The office itself was fine, but based on this provider interaction, I would not return, nor would I recommend someone visit this practice.

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Max Fish

June 26, 2026

I’ve been a patient at this practice for about a year and have been here more than 10 times. Unfortunately, after my most recent experience, I won’t be returning. The office recently switched to an AI scheduling system. I had an appointment scheduled for 9:40 AM and texted the AI assistant to reschedule it to 3:10 PM. The AI confirmed that my appointment had been successfully rescheduled. See screenshot. When I arrived at 3:10 PM, I was immediately told by the receptionist (Canela was her name?) that I wasn’t on the schedule because my appointment had been canceled. I tried to explain that the office’s own AI assistant had confirmed my new appointment, but she refused to even look at the text conversation. She repeatedly told me that I wasn’t on the schedule, didn’t have an appointment, and couldn’t be seen. Every time I tried to explain what had happened, she cut me off and insisted that because I wasn’t on the schedule, there was nothing she could do. Look, I understand that new technology can be confusing and that scheduling mistakes happen. That was not the main issue. The main issue was how the situation was handled once I was there. I’m traveling for the next two months and urgently needed a treatment that takes about two minutes. All I was asking was whether someone could relay the situation to my dermatologist, who has treated me many times before. Something as simple as: this patient has been here many times, he was told by our system that he had a 3:10 appointment, he urgently needs a very quick procedure before traveling, and if there is any possible way to squeeze him in, that would be greatly appreciated. If not, no worries. If that message had been relayed and the doctor had said no, I would have completely understood. Instead, the idea of even asking the doctor was immediately shut down. I was just told no, over and over again, with no attempt to understand what had happened, look at the confirmation, or see if there was any possible solution. What made the experience even more frustrating was that I then spoke briefly with my dermatologist’s assistant in the hallway. After I explained what had happened, she told me that of course they could likely fit me in since the treatment would only take a couple of minutes. She asked me to wait in the waiting room while she found an opening. A short time later, the woman at the front desk came back and told me again that I could not be seen. She wouldn’t explain why, other than repeatedly saying that I wasn’t on the schedule. This directly contradicted what the assistant had just told me. I waited another 30 minutes hoping that I might be able to briefly speak with the doctor, but that never happened. Eventually, the office manager Jessica arrived. Rather than looking at the AI confirmation or acknowledging that the scheduling system had clearly failed, she suggested that the issue was how I had used the AI system. The discussion went in circles, and the only response I received was that I would not be seen because the schedule was full. Again, I understand that mistakes happen. But as someone who had been to this practice more than 10 times, I expected at least some effort to resolve the problem. At the very least, I expected someone to look at the confirmation from their own scheduling system and ask the doctor whether there was any flexibility for a two-minute procedure. Instead, I was treated dismissively from the moment I walked in, and my request was never even relayed. I left extremely disappointed and will not be returning.

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Kikoit

March 21, 2026

Coming to the dermatology specialtisy since couple of years and there is not better place . Every single Doctor that I saw are super competent , gentile and very clear on explanation . Tyra at front desk is the nicest person ever met in a office , she has the patient of a saint, super efficient and fast! Plus they provide fresh sparkling water !

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Judy Duffy

June 5, 2026

I went to a single appointment in January and it was fine. I paid my copay, signed the (what I thought) normal medical paperwork and went on my way. The following month, after not speaking to anyone, not buying anything, no follow up appointment, I was charged again. I called to find out why, they refused to answer the simple question and told me I needed to send a letter or something to find out the answer in a number of business days, but the paperwork i signed allowed them to charge me, I tried to find out via my credit card, still no answer but they said they were allowed to charge me. Okay, I thought, maybe I made a mistake, something on my part, fine. That was in Feb. I hadn’t been charged since so I forgot about it. Now, in June, I get a new email, saying that tomorrow I will be charged my balance (FOR WHAT??) of $145 tomorrow. I’m sorry, what? At this point, no clarification from the business, no clarification what the charges are for in the email, I can’t find any paperwork that says anything about continuous charges I agreed to. This now feels predatory. A single appointment 5 months ago and I’ve been charged 3 times for it without a single ounce of understanding as to why. Word to the wise- beware, don’t come here.

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Christine Chen

May 29, 2026

Like others who have left reviews, I also was subject to double-billing and false representations about my bill. I told this location, prior to my appointment, that I would be a self-pay patient. Front desk told me that the doctor or nurse inside would be able to tell me how much anything other than the visit would cost. I see the P.A., who recommended I do a certain medical test. I asked how much it'd cost as a self-pay patient. He didn't know. He said I didn't have to do the test if I didn't want to, but that it could restrict treatment options if I didn't get a positive result. When I pressed him for an estimate of the test costs as a self-pay patient, he said that it would be around $100. In reliance upon this statement, I decided to go for the test. Before I left, I was charged $100 for that test, and $100 for the visit. I paid both. It is a month later, my results have come back, and I have now received a bill for $400 for the test. I have called their billing dept, who told me that they would bill insurance for it, but that's irrelevant to the point of they should not be billing me twice for the same procedure, nor should they be misrepresenting costs upfront. Don't go here. Seriously. The first time I called their billing department (which is centralized), they told me I should call the location directly and gave me the phone number for a completely different practice--one not even affiliated with The Dermatology Specialists. Before I'd realized this, I gave this other practice my information and they said they couldn't find my doctor--of course, because, as I found out, it was the wrong practice. There was a time where I thought I'd have to go talk to their front desk in person because I couldn't find a phone number anywhere.

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Mark N

July 3, 2026

Arrived 20 minutes before my appointment and I was not called in after 30 minutes past my appointment time. Then I waited another 20 minutes in the patient room before the provider came in to examine me. So a total of 1 hour wait time for a 5 minute examination by a physician assistant- not a dermatologist. Stay away- this place overbooks and has no respect for their patients time. Will not be coming back.

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Miharu H (EUC RIDER)

June 20, 2025

The office was very clean, and even though it was my first visit, I was seen right away without any wait. The doctor listened carefully to what I had to say and gave me appropriate advice. I made the appointment through ZOC Dock this time. The clinic is also close to my home, which was very convenient. I’ll definitely recommend it to my husband and friends.

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