Texas Thyroid And Endocrine Center's Online Review Report Card

I went for one of my yearly appointments and once I received my EOB noticed my insurance showed I owed less money. I then called the office to inform them of my overpayment and needed a refund. My appointment was in May I notified them in June and needless to say, I had to send a certified letter with copies of everything and a letter. I waited an extra month and half (August) and it’s sad that they would not send it sooner. They even went so far as to say that my insurance company contacted them about their coverage and was reviewing it. Doctor Stephan even tried to tell me the insurance company was reviewing the amount they paid. I immediately called my insurance company and they told me there was no such thing. Once a claim has been paid it will not go back and change the amount to pay less. DO NOT TRUST THESE PEOPLE.

I was told by Stephen Elias that I need to get checked for potential diabetes which is fine but what was odd was that while ordering my blood test for thyroid levels he wanted me to schedule with another doctor he recommended just to get a blood test for A1C when he could have very well just added that test to the same thyroid test he issued. Despite being a doctor that works with diabetics he felt instead of adding the A1C test to my thyroid blood test that he instead would have me pay copay to the doctor he referred and get pricked again with insurance billed for no reason? Even the other doctor he referred commented it was crazy that he didn’t do all the tests at once but rather had to send me elsewhere just to get billed and pricked again.

I called to schedule a first time appointment with the Thyroid doctor. If you have insurance the doctor here will charge the insurance any where from $230 a visit with Aetna or $194 with Blue Shield. But if you do not have insurance, then the self pay is $650. That is outrageous. And when I asked the receptionist why the doctor is penalizing people who do not have insurance, she responded “because he can”. It is not regulated how much doctors are allowed to charge people with out insurance

By reading the other reviews, most either love or hate being a patient of Dr Stephan. I have my elderly father in his care, and anticipate my brothers and I will soon follow because we are all diabetics and lean towards low thyroid challenges. I agree that the office staff is curt and at times hard to deal with, but the Doctor’s care cannot be surpassed. He’s patient, listens well, has a great bedside manner, and always calls back if my Dad has a question after his appointment. Bottom line, he’s a great doctor. I trust my family’s health with him, so that should be much more of an endorsement than any number of stars. 😀

Excellent doctor, very patient and thorough with up to date knowledge. I was impressed by his understanding to my condition and treatment.

Office staff is terrible. Rude and non professional.

I called as a new patient, shared all of private information, and was told to call back a day later to confirm whether the doctor approved my appointment. Upon that call, the receptionist was very rude and mean, asking blunt questions, quickly placing me on hold, and eventually said "okay, thank you" and hung up, because I explained that I had already shared my information the day before. I called back to speak to a manager, and she kept the same attitude, stating "We don't have a manager, and I TOLD YOU....." I continued to ask for someone higher up to speak with, in which she transferred me to the doctor's main line. He never picked up, and I was unable to leave a voicemail. I will make it a point to have her reprimanded for her discourteous, impatient, and ugly attitude for a new patient who is coming it to spend on their services. I was completely turned off, and felt mishandled.

Not impressed with my visits to his office. Then they want to charge you an arm and a leg for a copy of your records and wont even send them to the PCP free as a courtesy like other Dr's offices do. I was told I would be getting referrals for many tests and the office never got back to me. I am going to a Dr closer to my home with a much better rating. I was never provided diagnostic tests or anything....just scripts for meds.

Great Doctor I have been seeing Dr. Stephan for around 7 years now and I do not wish to see anyone else. He is very thorough with all his patients. The office wait does not bother me because he spends the time with each patient and takes care of them as well as get to know them. The staff is great and I just love his nurses. People often get in a rush and just plain old refuse to be patient affording the doctor and staff the time to do their jobs. When I go I plan to stay awhile because I want the best care possible and Dr. Stephan and his staff do just that!

At every appointment, we waited for over an hour in the waiting room, and then another 20-30 minutes in the exam room before seeing Dr. Stephan. The staff was often very curt and not always helpful in refilling prescriptions or answering questions. The diabetes specialist was the most helpful and informative staff member but she was not always there when we would have appointments. Trying to set up appointments was very difficult because there were limited dates and times that certain types of patients could be seen. The office also has short hours, closes at noon on fridays, and is closed daily for an hour lunch break. All these conditions make setting an appointment during the work day very difficult. The doctor's bed side manner was acceptable but he did not always seem to understand our questions or concerns or give much information to help us. A few weeks ago, we received a letter in the mail from Dr Stephan that he would no longer act as our endocrinologist because he felt we did not come in for appointments often enough. We were not informed of this beforehand so this was quite shocking to us. We are quite confused about this policy and wonder why the office staff did not ask when were in the office or call us to set appointments if they required more. Overall, not a great experience for us.