Dr Reed Flaschen, MD

So, I was careless and missed one of my appointments with Dr. Flaschen. One. Appointment. When he called me to reschedule, he informed me that I’d have to pay a $ 250 rescheduling fee for missing the appointment. When I reminded him that I was a poor student, that my bills till that point had been covered by my insurance plan, and that didn’t have that kind of money at my disposal, his response was: «Well, you signed an agreement.»
Given how often psychiatric patients skip appointments due to uncontrollable circumstances, it’s unreasonable to strong-​arm patients into paying this exorbitant cancellation fee — essentially telling them that if they don’t pay the fee, they’ll no longer have access to psychological counseling or medication — if they miss an appointment. This is extortion.
Dr. Flaschen’s unwillingness to consider alternatives essentially forced me to quit therapy because I don’t have the money to pay an outrageous $ 250 cancellation fee. He could have waived this fee if he’d wanted, but he didn’t, and now I’m forced to find another doctor to prescribe me a psychologically necessary medications.
I can’t imagine what someone would do if they didn’t have immediate access to another psychiatrist. (I fortunately do, but Dr. Flaschen can’t have known that, and given the difficulty of finding prompt therapy in NYC, it would be foolish of him to assume I did.) What if I were schizophrenic, and Dr. Flaschen forced me to go off my meds because I couldn’t pay $ 250? What if going off my medications led to self-​harming or violent behavior? What if abruptly stopping my medication caused dangerous withdrawal symptoms? I believe Dr. Flaschen is morally responsible for the consequences of his indifference and mindless rule-​toting, and for that reason, I urge anyone seeking a compassionate and responsible psychiatrist to avoid this man at all costs.
This was to be my second appointment with Dr. Flaschen. During the first appointment, he was peremptory, didn’t seem all that interested in why I was taking medication, and dismissed me before my time was up. In all, I am appalled by his unprofessional behavior, and am grateful that my eye-​opening experience came early, before I wasted any more time and energy on him.