US HealthWorks

I'm 62 years old with no health insurance. I went to the Redmond US Healthworks on 11/3/11 to get a prescription refil for my thyroid, blood pressure, anti depresant, and an anxiety drug that I occassionally take. I called first to find out how much the visit would cost as I've never been there before. I was told $130 unless you have tests done. At the clinic they took the $130 in advance of seeing the doctor. That should have been a red flag. Then after spending 5 minutes with doctor C. Nistor answering her questions about why and how long I'd been taking these meds, she spent 30 seconds looking at a spot on my back which as I thought was nothing. Then she sat in her chair and looked in her lap and said "unfortunately we talked about more than one thing so you are going to have to pay more." It looked so practiced and sure took her no time to spit it out. She hadn't even written the prescriptions yes. I argued with her that the receptionist had not said "if you talk about more than one thing". Who goes to the doctor with just one question???? I told her that was a perfect example of bait and switch or racketeering. She told me she couldn't discriminate against others who also had to pay more. So I asked her about the sign in the lobby that says "No insurance? No problem. Low cost health care available." I asked her if that meant that some do indeed pay less. She blew me off. I was extremely frustrated at this obvious scam. I told her to write the prescriptions and I'd leave. She came back into the room with the prescriptions written for a 30 day supply with no refill to assure that I would have to pay to see a doctor again in 30 days. When I questioned her about the short term of the prescriptions she said you need to be cared for by a doctor. I told her I take my own blood pressure and do not need a doctor to tell me when my meds are not working. She said you need blood tests for high blood pressure. What a scam!!! In the 25 years I've taken blood pressure med I've never been told that I need blood tests. I will definitely file a racketeering complaint about that chain. If you read other reviews about the chain from other cities, even in the Northwest, you'll find many many many other complaints about billing and about very poor healthcare coming from that chain. Do not go there!!!! There are other places that charge less for a visit for people who have no insurance. Find one!