Pines Spine and Sport

My family and I are here on vacation and my 15 year old daughter woke up with a stiff neck. I called around and Dr. Kustin gave me a great deal for an adjustment that included therapy. The staff was very accommodating and made us feel welcomed. The therapist was awesome and explained everything that he did and what to expect. Doctor even offered by the next day if she wasn’t feeling better that he would see her again at no extra charge. I’m glad I found this location. I don’t know what happened in the past with the negative reviews but my visit was awesome and would definitely recommend this place.

Wow. I’m surprised the business owner of this place responded 8 months later. Just like he did before to other comments from other users. This tells me he’s not in touch with customers, nor he follows up, and he doesn’t keep up to date with his business via social media. Unfortunately, several attempts to reach out to me like he said are NOT TRUE. If he can’t find my first name in his database in his clinic then that goes to show you the filing system in place is either outdated or it may be disorganized. I doubt there are several Ibis going to his clinic. How hard can it be to find my first name and last name starting with a C. But enough with this BS… anyway, I am not interested in being contacted by Dr. Kustin. My surgery was right after I wrote my review here. There was no way I was going to go back to his clinic for therapy. I went to physical therapy at Memorial Miramar Hospital. It was very successful and my shoulder is in great shape. It was the best decision. Two thumbs down for Pines Spine and Sport.

The Truth speaks for itself.

I called Dr. Kustin (prior to coming in) to inquire as to whether or not massage was included in the per visit fee. He assured me that it was included and there would be no extra charge for the massage provided prior to adjustments in his office. Later, they tried to charge me extra for massage. His office also charged me for copays even though my health insurance plan did not require a copay for chiropractic treatment.
Also, there is very little privacy while in treatment rooms (no doors to rooms, just curtains that are not always closed completely and open ceiling so everyone can hear everything you discuss with the doctor).
There is an evaluation visit and sales presentation visit that must be endured prior to treatment being offered (third visit). At the second visit I was presented with the results of the evaluation and the recommended treatment protocol. The sales techniques used during this visit made me feel scared, intimidated and pressured into making a quick decision. «You are at about 30% of your „potential“ (points to mark on line graph) and if you don’t get this treatment, you will get worse.» When I asked questions about the $ 3,000 proposed treatment, I was met with belittling and dismissive responses like, «I am the expert, not you and I say this is what you need.» Finally, I was presented with «an option» to pay everything in advance (right then) and get an «administrative discount» for doing so. I felt that the sales strategies are inappropriate for people in pain seeking medical relief. When I asked if I could just pay «the copay» and get treatment, Dr. Kustin told me that I could get treatment on a visit by visit basis, but that it would be a more expensive $ 55 copay. I told him I wanted to think about it. This was my second visit and still had not been offered any pain relief or treatment. I asked my insurance company about the copays and they told me that I had no copay for chiropractic treatments. When I returned for treatment and mentioned the $ 55 copay to the receptionist, she said «don’t worry about it, I will just charge your normal copay». I really needed the some pain relief and was willing to pay until I could ask Dr. Kustin more questions about the charges.
I felt Dr. Kustin was quite disrespectful of me on several occasions regarding the issue with the copays. He was adamant that I did not understand the policy and used insulting terms like, «I’ve been doing this for (X) years», «let me make this simple for you», «anyone who understand basic math can understand this» implying that I am not intelligent enough to understand the insurance policy. I finally got the insurance company involved in a three way call with Dr. Kustin to resolve the issue. After having several representatives (including a supervisor) at the insurance company explain the terms of their contract with him, he got angry and hung up on the call. Needless to say, I found another Chiropractor (see review of Douglas Rapid Rehab). After some persistence from me, he finally sent me a refund for the copays. He also made it clear that he disagreed with their explanation of the contract and made some insulting comment about the age/​experience of the «girls» working at the insurance company. I spoke with several representatives at the insurance company who confirmed that Dr. Kustin did NOT understand the terms of his contract with them and that he was overbilling patients by charging copays. Dr. Kustin commented to me that he has been charging those fees for years and that he disagrees with the insurance company’s interpretation of the contract. I understand that he is still charging copays to the patients using that insurance. He told me that I am the only patient who ever questioned the charges.
Lastly, I received (4.7.09) a letter from Dr. Kustin demanding a written retraction of my review on Unilocal along with a threat of «being liable for slander». Here is the text of my original review.
«The place was clean and the adjustments were good, but that’s about it. I would not recommend. Intensely high pressure sales and dishonest billing practices (stick one acupuncture needle in your forehead and then charge your insurance company $ 50 for the „medical treatment“, etc.).»
Dr. Kustin asserts that he did not charge my insurance company for the acupuncture treatment and that it was performed free of charge. If that is the case, I do not know what the «medical treatment» charge was to my insurance company on that visit and I retract my assertion that it was for the acupuncture needle. We may need to do another three way call to the insurance company to find out what ll the charges were for.
If it it was not clear in my initial review that I was referring only to my unique experience with Dr. Kustin, I would like to make it clear now. I am referring to my unique experience with Dr. Kustin and I felt he was being dishonest and manipulative with me. I do not know and can not speak to how he behaves with other patient