Allergy, Asthma & Dermatology Associates, PC

I had the misfortune of coming in contact with Renee Anderson-​Cowell.
Summary– Rude, dismissive, total scam to get me to blinding get injected by a mystery medication that might cost $ 2000 for the single set of injections. Told me to see a therapist instead.
The story:
I’ve had hives for 2 months straight for no reason. When I visited her I had already seen my regular doctor twice and had been on 4 different antihistamines and a steroid (prednisone) for 2.5 weeks.
She asked very few questions and cut me off multiple times when I tried explaining I have MANY allergies to MANY things (almost all fruits, half of veggies, multitudes of medications, etc. She didn’t seem interested in my medical history.
I also explained that my diet is already very limited, so I doubt it was food related. I’m already off gluten (diagnosed celiac disease, which she rolled her eyes at), strict vegan (so dairy isn’t a consideration), and gave her my list of food allergies along with their reactions. She didn’t want it. She asked me, painstakingly, sets of food and then interrogated me about the reactions. I said, «it’s all on my list, do you want that? we can save time» and she said no.
She then tested me for Green beans (not allergic to), Pinto Beans (not allergic to), Cats (which she was already blaming), and DAIRY. I told her there’s no need to test for dairy, as I don’t ingest it. She rolled her eyes.
They did the tests and all came back negative. She shrugged and wrote me a script for 4 more antihistamines and a food journal. MY BRAIN IS MY FOOD JOURNAL. When you’re as allergic to everything as I am, I know what will and will not send me into shock. And the hives were NOT FOOD related.
So I went home and did what she said. Take the pills, keep the journal.
3 weeks later I realized I should have been called for a followup, so I had to call THEM for my followup appointment.
At the followup she basically walked in, shrugged that she isn’t sure what’s happening, I did my own research, made suggestions, which she VERY quickly blew off with, «If you had that, I’d know.»
She gave me a diagnosis of Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria (You’re allergic to something and we don’t know what it is) and told me it’s probably just stress and TO SEE A THERAPIST ABOUT IT.
I then got VERY frustrated and started crying. I’ve had hives that look like burns that are extremely painful and itchy for 2 months and have been doped up for 2 months straight on 8 antihistamines and saw NO improvement, and she’s telling me to see a THERAPIST?!?
She then noted, LOUDLY, «Oh see, there you go. You’re getting more hives when you’re crying. Told you it was mental. You should take my suggestion and just see a therapist. You’ll not allergic to anything.»
Then her eyes got all big and she said, «BE RIGHT BACK!!»
Then she came back disappointed saying she didn’t have the medication she was going to use in stock.
She then said I should go to St. Vincent’s tomorrow morning to get the medication. (which I had no clue, still, what it was).
I mentioned that it’s a pretty far drive, and that I’d like to know more about the medication. She ignored my question just to remark, «It’s only 6 miles away. Just drive there.»
Well thanks for deciding what’s far and what’s not. Perhaps if I had a doctor’s income I could afford just to drive across town for a medication I still knew nothing about.
I asked her to just tell me about the medication. She said, «I’ll have the nurse tell you.»
Nurse came back to tell me about the meds that doctor was going to just GIVE ME in the office, had she not been out of them.
Turns out they’re SO expensive that people apply for financial aid to get them.
2 shots a month, one in each arm, for 3 months, Xolair. Each set of injections costs somewhere between $ 500-​$ 2000 per treatment (EVERY TIME). No wonder she didn’t want to tell me! She was just going to give me these shots and bill me?!
So I said no. Then nurse asked if my «no» was was financial and then brought me the financial aid paperwork.
I filled that out 4 weeks ago and haven’t heard ANYTHING from the practice. No phone calls to check up on me, no phone calls about the financial aid I signed up for, and no mail regarding it either.
I’ve NEVER felt so dismissed by someone in my life.
Waste of my $ 80s of copays.
This woman shouldn’t be a doctor.

I’ve taken my son to see Dr. Anderson-​Cowell and Dr Demerrel at two different locations. Four separate visits. Three of the four visits, we waited for over 90 minutes in the waiting room and another 20 in the exam room. Dr Demerrel spent truly 10 min with us for a 60-​min consult appt, wrote up extensive blood tests without reviewing prior physician notes, and incorrectly interpreted extensive test results at the second visit. «He’s fine! I’m giving you good news! You should be happy!!» And then he bolted from the room. A year later, after several major surgeries (one at the Mayo), we were in dire straights for an immunologist in Oregon and kinda had to deal with this practice again. Saw Dr Anderson-​Cowell. More than an hour in the waiting room each time, her nurse was super rude, cut me off when I complained that my calls weren’t returned and showed her my call log sheet with dates and times. Then Dr AC came barreling in the room and yelled at me — full on raised her voice to me — about mistreating her nurse. What the holy hell?! So, I asked Dr AC why the nurse hadn’t returned my calls, and it was like talking to a brick wall. We just needed some help to treat the immune system dis-​regulation, so we got the drugs and left. If you need a clinical immunologist, go to Seattle. We did. And btw, my son is not FINE!

This place is terrible. Not only was the receptionist a super unfriendly ice queen but I sat at a desk talking with a nurse who talked more about herself than anything else. She’d ask me a question and then cut me off– so that I’d have to go back to answering her original question. Then, she gave me an «Ok,» then got up and walked away. Didn’t say a word other than the ok. She went to a desk– that was like 20 ft from me with a cluster of other desks, and started doing work. I was like, ok, maybe she’s charting what we just talked about and will come back. Nope. She got on the phone with another person regarding someone else, that I could hear because I was only a few feet away and then walked by me THREE times and even though I was looking at her, she ignored me. There were other MAs at the desks too talking about people too that I could hear because, well, I was sitting right there. Hello, HIPAA!!! So for 10 minutes I literally sat at a desk, listening to the nurses and MAs talk about other patients and whatever else, until I finally asked a girl who was getting supplies from the supply cabinet (that I was sitting in front of) what I was supposed to do because I was sitting there and no one had told me anything. She’s like, «Oh, yeah just wait for the Dr.- you’ll actually go to a room to wait,». Great. Good to know. Thanks for freakin communicating to me what the hell I was supposed to be doing since the nurse just walked away from me.
Finally, the same nurse came by and brought me to room and saying, «we have a room ready, sweetheart,» all sacran sweet. No, sorry for waiting at a weird desk at a supply cabinet or sorry I didn’t tell you that you were waiting for a room… I get it, they were probably busy and probably didn’t have a room available. JUST COMMUNICATE that for God’s sake.
I’ve lived in multiple states, had different Drs in each state, and have gone to different specialists and this is by FAR the worst experience I’ve EVER had in a medical office. I will not be back. And quite honestly, I almost walked out and said F it I was so disgusted, except I paid a $ 45 co-​pay and I wasn’t going to spend that on just listening to a nurse talk about herself.