Mary Michal's Online Review Report Card

I saw Dr Samplaski in late January 2021 for what was ultimately diagnosed as a large kidney stone. I was proactive in completing all tests and the CT scan in a very timely manner. My last test was a 24 hour urine test in March. After not receiving the results, I contacted Dr Samplaski via the USC email portal. I received a reply "cc email copy" where she asked someone named "Maria" for the results of my test. After that email, there was no further communication. I've checked the portal email multiple times for any follow up info or test results, but there were none. Currently, searching for a new Urologist who will take my case more seriously and get me the treatment I need.

I absolutely love Dr. Samplaski! She is so warm, friendly and easy to talk to. She's very smart and is truly an expert in her field.She's responsive to messaging via the USC patient portal, which makes communicating with her a simple task.Before I found Dr. Samplaski, I was seeing a urologist who mismanaged my care and was hard to contact - I'm very happy to have found Dr. S!

I feel bad for giving 1 star for this review but it is not toward Dr. Samplaski's surgical care. Dr. Samplaski was wonderful and the surgery went well. This below-par review is to the Keck Hospital of USC and her assistant, Maria G so the new patients are better prepared. After reading some of the reviews about the billing, I thought I did my best by reaching out to her assistant, Maria, in the beginning before my surgery to get the proper out-of-cost estimate with my Anthem insurance coverage. She did forward me an email from Richard P., Keck Medicine of USC University of Southern California, with one line, "Patient estimate for cpt xxxxx is $461.60. This is the 20% co-insurance and insurance will cover 80% of contracted rates." So I thought that was it. However, a month later, I noticed the claims on my Anthem account and found out I had two out of pocket charges: one from the Keck Hospital of USC for $1060.00 (facility services), and another one from USC Care Medical Group for $168.09 (physician services). I was shocked, and reached out to Maria and Richard. I didn't know about another separate cost from the USC Care Medical Group for $168.09. Maria G should have informed me that from the beginning. Regardless, I don't mind that $168.09. Anyway, Richard came back and said he made a mistake by quoting me for a different location for the facilities services. Oh my god, for real? Seriously??? A different in location can cost me more than double for the same surgery operation from the same doctor? How could he made that mistake if Maria should have told him the surgery information (type of surgery and location)? Richard said he would contact the Keck Hospital of USC to see if they could honor his quote, by lowering the $1060 charge. Two weeks went by and I didn't hear back from Richard. I finally got a bill from the Keck Hospital of USC, so I called and explained to them what had happened with Richard's estimate, guess what? They responded, "It was an estimate, you should have confirmed with your insurance. Even though he made a mistake, but at the end, the wording is that it is still an estimate. It's your responsibility to confirm with your insurance." Oh my, I was furious. Wow... Sensing my frustration, the supervisor offered me 30% discount, still came out to be $742. I was able to get a hold of Richard later, he confirmed that his request was not reviewed yet but he said even if it is reviewed, it would be between 5%-30% discount, so he said there was not much he could have done. He apologized for his mistake. These folks need be held to a higher standard, they should not have made a mistake like that. What if the patient is NOT financially sounded? :( Lesson learned from this story is that I should have asked "Please provide me a list of items that will be billed to my insurance for this surgical operation from everything (doctors, facilities, etc...)?" instead of "I would like to find out more about the estimated out-of-pocket cost in addition to my current Anthem medical plan." Then call your insurance to re-confirm. What a horrible experience!!! I hope new patients can benefit from this review.

Dr. Samplaski is very sweet, but she misdiagnosed me with low testosterone and put me on clomiphene, which caused hair loss and heart palpitations. I went to a different urologist who understood how to properly test for low testosterone and he concluded that I definitely wasn't low. It's disturbing to be put on a very powerful drug based on an incorrect diagnosis. I would not recommend her for testosterone issues.

Never Never Never go to USC Medical Group. Apparently they will charges you one fee by the doctor and another fee by the "hospital" which its ridiculous. To start off, so I thought I did a good job doing my homework by looking up my Blue Cross Insurance "Approving or Partnering Urologist Provider" thinking that I will be better and the charges will be most likely cover. So I made an appointment to see her , everything went well, Dr Samplaski spend around 10 minutes with me and referral me to do a ultrasound. Everything seem okay and I eventually did a ultrasound with USC . Nightmare came 2 weeks after, I keep getting different bills from the "hospital" and then from Doctor aside from what my insurance paid. So keep the story short, I owe them over $1500 by just doing 1 doctor visit and 1 ultrasound after insurance paid them over $2500. I transfer to another urologist which only need to pay $105 each time up front which I did over there at USC as well but I don't have to worry about another bill to come after 2 weeks later.

Thank you Dr. for saving my life. I had testi cancer and she was an angel through the whole process. I highly recommend her .

Dr. Samplaski is absolutely the very best. I recommend her very highly. I never thought I would be leaving a review for a Doctor but I was so impressed with my care, surgery and treatment that I must!On an otherwise uncomfortable subject she made me feel relaxed and confident. I wish I had a better way to thank her. No need to search. You found the very best with Dr. Samplaski.

Beware!!!! Dr. Samplaski was a fine doctor and I would be more than happy to go to her again if she didn't practice at the Keck Medical Center. They charged me more than $5000 dollars for a simple office procedure that the doctor did in an exam room in under 30min. My father in law is a urologist too and he said the procedure shouldn't have cost more than $500 dollars. But Keck Medical Center designates themselves a "Hospital", even though nothing about their office looks anything like a hospital , so they charge hospital rates for simple procedures. Plus they never informed me of what the procedure would cost or that it would be at hospital rates!!!! Even though they knew I was a cash patient!!! They are despicable crooks and should be shut down! Avoid at all cost, even if you have insurance you are getting ripped off there.

Dr. Samplaski is the best doctor I have encountered. Her bedside manner and professionalism are second to none. For what is arguably one of the most awkward procedures for a male (vasectomy), she made the whole process seem effortless. She made me feel like I was her only patient and took as much time as needed to explain the procedure and answer my questions without feeling rushed. I had the procedure yesterday (6 Oct @ 4 PM), it only lasted 40 minutes, and I drove myself home (1.5 hrs away). I have only taken 5 total Advil (3 last night at 7 PM, and 2 at 6 AM this morning [12 hrs ago] which I probably didn't need) and put frozen peas on for 1 hour last night. I am almost completely pain free and feel great, which is amazing considering what she did. Dr. Samplaski is one of, if not the absolute best vasectomy doctors in the LA basin! If you were like me searching for the right doctor, I can tell you to look no further, she is the best. You will not be disappointed with her professionalism and amazing surgical skills. Thanks so much Dr. Samplaski, keep being awesome!

I went to Dr. Samplaski for a vasectomy. After researching many doctors in the greater LA area, I decided upon Dr. Samplaski because she is focused on one specific area. At our initial meeting, she walked me through all the steps of the surgery and the recovery. She answered all my questions and explained the whole process to me. We scheduled the surgery for about 30 days after the initial consultation. On the day of the surgery, I was a little nervous. About an hour before surgery I took the prescribed medications to calm me down. The surgery itself went smoothly. Topical anesthetic eased any pain, and Dr. Samplaski was generous with additional anesthesia if I felt anything. The surgery took about an hour. I spent the next two days resting myself and applying the "bag of frozen peas."I really didn't feel much pain - a little discomfort, sure. All in all, if you want to get a vasectomy, I whole heartedly recommend Dr. Samplaski.