Specialist In Dermatology PLLC

A while back I noticed a suspicious mole on my leg. I made an appointment with a dermatologist at Specialists. Or so I thought. In fact it was a PA. She didn’t seem to know much about moles, but I pointed to the one I wanted off and she said okay. Later a nurse called me to say it was malignant melanoma.
I am in my thirties with small children. They are giving me a diagnosis of the deadliest form of skin cancer. They give out one or two of these diagnoses a month, the nurse said. And yet, the doctors don’t even deign to call me themselves with this news? Sickening.
The nurse said I would have to come in to get more skin cut out. This is when I had the misfortune to meet Dr. Hu. She sailed in and said point blank, «You did a lot of tanning.» Not a question but a statement. I’ve never done any tanning. Then she said, «You got a lot of burns.» Here I said yes. We spent summers with my grandparents at the beach. We all got burned a lot. No one knew about skin cancer.
But it was clear what her statements were designed to do: Pin the blame for my diagnosis on me. I did something wrong as a child and now I had cancer. It was one of the most unpleasant interactions of my life.
For the surgery, the assistant did most of it. Dr. Hu would blow in for literally 45 seconds to do some cutting, then blow out again for ten minutes, then blow back in for 1.5 minutes to put in some stitches, then blow out again for ten minutes, etc, etc. It was nearly impossible to ask questions about my diagnosis during these whirlwind appearances.
Over the next week the stitches popped out one by one. Puss started to ooze out of the gaping wound. I went back in to Specialists. Dr. Hu was on vacation. No doctor was there to replace her! None of the nurses was qualified to restitch. A week later Dr. Hu is back and my wound is now a painful oozing mess. She does show some modicum of contrition for the situation, saying it’s too late to sew it up but they can do some laser treatments in a few months.
After many months, the wound is now fully closed up, leaving a mess of angry red skin. Either end of the scar puckers up, like a shark bite.
After requesting my biopsy reports, doing a lot of Googling and transferring my care to UMC’s cancer center, I know that I caught my cancer early and I am likely to be fine. If you have melanoma, see Dr. Clara Curiel at UMC. She is the region’s expert on melanoma.
[Aside: A decade earlier I had a severely atypical mole diagnosed by a dermatologist back east. He referred me to an academic plastic surgeon for the excision of margins. This guy sat down next to me and did everything himself over the course of ten minutes: administered the anesthetic, made in the incision, then sewed it up with the most delicate of stitches. A year later, the scar had nearly disappeared. Contrast that with Dr. Hu!!]

If I could rate this organization with a negative 5 star rating I would. I was contacted by someone from the practice shortly after I posted my initial review in December. I was told they would help with my bill in exchange for my taking down my review. I said I would definitely update my review to indicate that they were responsive and helpful. It is now May and they have not only NOT helped me and are now NOT returning my phone calls but I was communicating with Adrian between December and late March in which he continued to reassure me that my bill would be taken care of. It’s one thing to to not advise someone that something might not be covered under their insurance so they end up with a big bill, it is quite another to actively lie and mislead someone for months afterwards. The review from Lisa T. on Rebecca may be absolutely true but I can tell you that Adrian and the rest of the back office folks are liars and hucksters and I hope you never have a problem with a bill because you will find no help from them.

I’m surprised to read some of the poor reviews here – I’ve had several laser hair removal treatments and microdermabrasion appointments with Rebecca and have always found the office to be very professionally run, and I have been very happy with the results of my treatments. They’ve also made every effort to be accommodating with scheduling, squeezing me in and changing appointment times on short notice when I needed it. Overall, Rebecca, Adrian, and the entire staff are friendly and a real pleasure to work with.

This place is great! Don’t listen to the bad reviews. Rebecca is absolutely wonderful and provides the upmost service to her clients. I know this from experience. I also had the resurface done on my face and it looks smoother and tighter than it ever has before! I am getting married in less than a month now and she has made my skin look like a dream. Thank you Rebecca!
Rebecca knows what services to administer at the right time. She has given me a great balance of resurface, microderm abrasions and other treatments! I have gotten the best treatment and at a reasonable price too. Ladies, if you are getting married or have an important upcoming event schedule an appointment with her now!

I have been seen here numerous times, for medical reasons. I don’t understand some of these reviews on Unilocal.All of my visits here have been very attentive and professional. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. I fell like they really care about their patients. They even called me after hours and on the weekend to see how I was doing after my procedure. I don’t know any other doctor office that does that.
PS…I noticed some pictures here posted by an obviously ignorant person, showing a surgical tray. Let me just clarify something. As someone who also works in the medical field specifically with surgeries… that is what a «surgical field» actually looks like… bloody…bandages…bloody instruments… bio matter… etc. Surgery isn’t pretty no matter how big or small the operation. If you think it’s nice and neat then you have been watching too much Grey’s Anatomy. You obviously have a hidden agenda in your review.
I’m sorry I usually don’t comment on other reviews but it bugs me when someone tries to bash someone and they obviously don’t know what they’re talking about.

I had read the poor Unilocal reviews before going in. We did have difficulty making an appointment because they had my mom’s referral but had not entered the information in the system so I had to call back a few times.
We arrived at 8:30 for a 9AM appointment with Dr. Hu. We could hardly step in the front door. There was one receptionist and five people waiting in line to be checked in.
It took about 15 minutes to reach the front desk. We were called back to a room before our appointment time which was fabulous. A tech came in and chatted with us briefly before Dr. Hu’s Nurse Practitioner came in. She check my mom over carefully and seemed very engaging and sweet. She checked my mom’s feet and then wanted to check her head. Big bonus points… after touching mom’s feet, the Nurse Practitioner removed her gloves and reapplied new, clean gloves.
Dr. Hu rushed in and out claiming they were going to biopsy the mole. She has absolutely no bed side manner, she leaves no room for questions. She comes in, quickly looks and is gone… poof.
Another technician came in to numb the area. She photographed the area and before she could numb it, we were moved to another room. So a third technician came in and numbed the area. Dr. Hu was again in like she was riding the wind, cut the mole out and was gone in three minutes. Absolutely, no joke.
The medical assistant cleaned the area, she caterized the incision area (less than an inch), then she put the internal stitches in. I’m not sure there really was a need to burn the area…
A fourth tech came in to do the top stitches and release us. All together there were seven people in and out. What a whirl wind. Dr. Hu spend no more than five minutes with us and it took 1 hour fifteen minutes.
Around 6PM someone called from the office and inquired if my mom was ok and had any bleeding from the surgery.
NOTE: While waiting, a man was screaming — literally, screaming — how bad it hurt. Of course this freaked me out. The medical assistant, God bless her, asked at least six times if my mom felt any pain.
So, while I would rate our visit a five… Dr. Hu leaves a really bad impression. I’m also concerned as they appeared to not have any handling protocol of the mole that was removed… it wasn’t packaged for testing as we were told it would be but thrown on a tray.

Long wait times, poor scheduling of appointments and doctors are always running late or over booked. Really sorry that we started treatment here and are looking for a different health care providers. Follow up after appointments non existent.

This was my first experience with skin cancer. Dr. Hu was very thorough with her exam and let me know what to expect for the treatment. The procedure went very well Dr. Hu and her team were professional and caring. I am grateful for such a positive experience and for such a good outcome.

I had mohs surgery done, on my forhead, 6 months ago at this place. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone. I felt kicked to the curb after, lots of pain, that I wasnt told could happen. I asked how big the cut was, was told not big. I was shocked when I took off the bandaid, 14 stitches, nerve pain, big dent now on forhead, think to much mass was taken
your research the layer by layer should be referred to scoop by scoop. Just because your
you a referral to go there, be careful. I think they are a chop shop.

Everything healed well after a few weeks of being very careful.

They have an appalling habit of cauterizing cut skin flaps prior to suturing them. I’m talking about just over one inch excisions here. That’s too small for the added trauma caused.
If this were the 1860’s and we were in the midst of the Civil War, deliberately burning the flesh might be appropriate after a field amputation. But in the 21^st Century, and given antibiotics and antiseptics, all that the burning does is create more pain for the patient, slows down the healing process and leaves a bigger scar. This is an extremely poor practice performed by amatuer «technicians».
If you enjoy your medical care delivered like a high-​production, assembly-​line, export factory, then you will be ecstatic here!

I went only to their cosmetic department. I love all laser procedures, like Exellis, Yag 1065 for better collagen growth. My laser technician Rebekka is best specialist and she can evaluate all the sun damages and recommend correct treatment. She is very professional, knowledgable and warm person, truly wishing best recover for her patients. I’m very happy with suggestions for my sun damages and collagen build-​up treatments. Sometimes she can be late, cuz they are so busy with many customers. I don’t mind to wait for her and won’t schedule with another technician. I found my best laser specialist and I wanna stay with her treatments only. It’s always relaxing kinda give myself to her caring hands and I know she will always do the best. I’m her loyal customer last 8 months, and happy.
I had a volima filler injections with dr Hu. It was a really good price to get injections. But I had too much of voluma. Half as much would be fine, cuz voluma is kinda thick filler. Rebekka massaged the injections after the procedure and it was very helpful.
Their cosmetic department works like a good team, they would always try to give the best prices for their patients. I would highly recommend their sun damage treatment program. As for the filler injections, best is to do your own research, and firstly schedule an appointment to discuss ur wished treatment, and make kinda menu for ur fillers before u actually make an injections.

I’m not here to sugarcoat this review, so I’ll just lay it out.
Cancer is no joke. I wouldn’t expect any medical professional to sugarcoat it. When my partner was diagnosed, Dr. Hu laid it all out on the line for us: what she knew, what was expected, and what we could do (which wasn’t much). And when We requested information, Dr. Hu got us what we needed in an instant.
Dr. Hu isn’t going to try to be a therapist – she’s a practicing scientist who’s skilled at treating very serious diseases. I wouldn’t want her to be anything other than how she is. I’m a bit surprised that some of the reviewers say she isn’t personable. I found her to be professional in every way possible. She even let me watch and document the surgery that she performed on my partner. Dr. Hu saved my partner from a very serious cancer that could have progressed, but she caught it and treated it.
Yes, the wait times can be long. But it’s not this place – that’s just the nature of the medical industry.

Very frustrating experience trying to see Dr. Hu. Made an appointment with Dr. Hu, and was seen by her physician’s assistant, Noël, not Dr. Hu herself. When I was told that Noël needed the opinion of Dr. Hu to decide whether or not to remove a few moles, I was told that I needed to reschedule to see Dr. Hu a month later. So I did. In the meantime, I received several phone calls telling me that I was being shifted to Noël’s schedule again, and that Dr. Hu would «pop in» to look at me, but that I’d then require an additional appointment to have Dr. Hu remove the mole a month down the line, if she deemed it necessary.
Very unprofessional to push me off to a PA without my knowledge, and then make me come back 3 times to deal with a small suspect mole. They’re just trying to make their schedules as easy as possible for *them* without regard to how many visits their customers have to make. It gets expensive and hard to schedule so many visits – just deal with it in a single visit by scheduling with the doctor. Avoid.

I saw the P.A. Katheleen McDevitt. She was very nice. It was my first time at the practice, but overall, it was a good experience. They sold be a tube of Retin-​A for $ 28, which was cheaper than if purchased at Walgreens, as most insurance companies don’t cover it for adults. Surprised by all the bad reviews.

I have been waiting for over 45 minutes to be seen. When I inquired about how much longer staff acted like they were doing me a favor when they found out it would be another 15 minutes more.
They also told me that they usually are 15 minutes behind. I wonder… if I were 15 minutes late, would they have made me reschedule??? No bueno.

I received a referral to see them. After calling and scheduling my appointment I never received confirmation or the paperwork they promised to send. The day of my appointment I called to confirm, they did not have me in their book. Glad I called as it saved me the half hour drive. We rescheduled and I went to my appointment. After waiting an hour in the waiting room I asked reception how much longer it was going to be and was told at least another 45 minutes. Since I had taken time off work found a babysitter for my children, I could not sit there for another 45 minutes. We rescheduled but I am going to find a different doctor, one who values my time as much as they apparently value theirs. I haven’t even been seen by them but if this is how they treat their patients I can only imagine the level of care.

Not impressed. I’m pretty new to Tucson and need to see a dermatologist. I asked my new gyno for a recommendation and he told me he would put in a referral and they should contact me soon to set up an appointment.
Next thing I know I get a letter in the mail «introducing» me to the new dermatologist. The first page is strictly about money including warnings about missed visits and that if I ever need my medical records it would be a $ 10 fee plus $ 1 per page (I have moved around quite a bit and have NEVER experienced this from any other physician I’ve worked with). The next thing I see is a small note instructing me to come in with all of my paperwork completed 15 minutes before the time and date that they just decided to schedule me for without ever even talking to me. Nice first impression. Also the appointment was made with a PA when I’ve never even seen a doctor out here and I would prefer an M.D. or D.O. as my medication is quite serious and requires regular check ups and liver panels.
In conclusion I will NOT be attending the appointment that I did not even get the choice in selecting (7:45 on a Wednesday). I was blown away by the pompous package I received instructing me where to go and what I need that seemed to put most of the focus on financials. I’m looking for real care, not a money hungry incompetent office. Very glad I checked in with Unilocal before proceeding!

Completely unprofessional, deceptive and incompetent.
I found out from my pharmacy that my «doctor» left the practice with no notice to me, and now, the office refuses to authorize a refill on a prescription I have taken for years until I see a new doctor. A call from my pharmacy is not how a practice should communicate this information to a patient.
I called the office, and they would not entertain any exceptions including that I was leaving the country in a few days, and was refilling the script so I wouldn’t run out overseas. Then, during my conversation with the front desk, I found out that the «doctor» I originally saw is just a PA, and the actual doctor basically does not see patients.
The only bright spot in the whole mess was that since I had to see someone to get a new Rx before leaving the country, I saw the doctor who practices at their other location. He determined that not only had I been misdiagnosed but I had been prescribed medicine that was contra-​indicated for what I actually have. After 2 months of the right stuff, I am cured.

Terrible billing practices, I just got off the phone with the bill collector and had to pay $ 66.10 for an unpaid balance from this place from over a year ago from a biopsy they did. Melanoma runs in my family so Dr. Hu did a biopsy on a mole and the visit was billed as «cosmetic» to my insurance company so they wouldn’t cover it. Now tell me, what is cosmetic about checking for melanoma? I have been battling this bill for over a year now and just gave up and paid it. To top it off my biopsy site healed as a keloid!
I have no idea why Dr. Hu became a dermatologist, she should’ve specialized in pathology and should be working in a basement lab with slides instead of with patients who may or may not have cancer.
Avoid this place at all costs, I should’ve just waited to see my regular dermatologist instead of going to this place. I had to go see him anyways to follow up with the horrible biopsy/​keloid from my visit to this sorry excuse for a doctor’s office.